Flames fans have collective PTSD about top line centres as they've been so rare in Calgary since the Flames arrived.
But all teams are flawed, for instance a certain team made the playoffs and went to game 7 of the SCF with an elite centre, an elite 2nd line centre and everything else average to poor, but overperforming.
Elite goaltending and legit top pairing defensemen are just as hard to find as elite forwards and centres. The Oilers have wasted McDavid's career for a lack of goalies and D-men
Is Wolf overperforming? Or is this who he is? Even if he cools off in his rookie season, the Flames seem to have an average to above average goaltending tandem.
Rasmus and Weegar are both IMO legit top pairing defensemen. They're split up and have both meshed with a couple of 4/5's to make a solid if unspectacular top 4 and an overall solid D corps.
Through the first quarter of the season, the forwards, a nd specifically the veterans on lines 1-3 have been disappointing. If everyone older than 25 in the top 9 forward group start playing better (none of them need to have a career season, only career average seasons) the forward group will be fine.
To sum up, the Flames line-up is:
A poor 1st line (Kadri line is more like a 2nd line)
A poor, but promising 2nd line (centred by Zary)
An excellent 3rd line
An excellent 4th line
A solid top 4 with 2 legit top pairing D-men
A solid if unspectacular D-corps
Above average, potentially elite goaltending
That's the roster of an average team. A bubble team.
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Team culture and coaching bumps that roster into an above average team, ie. top 16 in the league.
A playoff team.
