[Calgary4LIfe]

I don't know what people really expected this off-season. Flames were 1st in the west, and 2nd overall in the NHL. Sure, they got bounced by Colorado, but Colorado was a lot more dangerous than people thought, especially entering the playoffs on that hot streak.


Flames did well this off-season. They unloaded the one and only forward who was legitimately bad (and even more importantly, made his linemates bad). They also got rid of Smith who had some awful stretches, but was amazing in the playoffs.


I love how they kept their first and drafted Pelletier - kid is going to be a productive player in the NHL. They didn't give up any notable prospects in an effort to try and win now - Dube, Kylington, Pettersen and Valimaki are still their property and will become key cogs in the years to come.


They are looking like they may come back with essentially the same team as last year, but with better depth, more experience, absolutely no dead-weight (Lucic is overpaid, but he will be useful at least!), and with a chance of better goaltending (Smith was too erratic for most of the season, and there was no excuse for him finishing with that GAA considering the team he had in front of him).


Calgary was a significant team. I do think that Calgary got 'lucky' last year in terms of injuries, and that's why you are seeing Stone re-signed, and I would be shocked if Brodie was moved now. Yelesin was an astute signing, but Hamonic always gets injured every season it seems, so you need that depth.


What did the Flames really lack last year? Better goaltending. That was probably the biggest hole on the team. Rittich should be getting better, and I would bet on Talbot rebounding more than I think Smith would be capable of at his age. Flames lacked toughness - in comes Lucic at the expense of pure dead weight on the team, and Treliving brought guys who are hard to play against on PTOs - I bet one will get signed.



I think this Stone shenanigans was a smart move by Treliving. Stone barely played at all last season, and he got displaced by a rookie defencemen. He may have had some PTOs handed his way, but maybe teams shied away from him due to those blood clots. Treliving then circles back and signs a guy who can legitimately play top 4 and not look bad doing it at all. You never know with injuries, and I think it was a smart move bringing Stone back.


However, this does not make Brodie expendable. I don't even think that Treliving looks at Brodie as an expendable piece. The Kadri trade was Treliving finding an opportunity to improve the team, that's all. From that standpoint, every Flames player is 'expendable', but I don't think he is on the market, and the signing of Stone definitely doesn't make Brodie expendable.



If anyone is expendable, it is probably Hamonic. I like him with his grit and being a fantastic teammate, and I definitely love his off-ice stuff, but he is not as dependable as Brodie is defensively. Him and Hanifin got eaten alive by Colorado in the playoffs, and I saw Brodie as the only consistently capable defender on MacKinnon.



I hope that Tkachuk and Mangiapane sign just under the cap as it stands now, but it is more than likely that Frolik will be the one moving in some trade. Dube is deserving of a spot, and the Flames have other forwards in Stockton like Quine and even Phillips (who could probably use some NHL time as part of his development). Pelletier even can surprise - he is basically a coach's dream in that he works hard and is willing to do the little things to be successful, and he is smart as heck out there with a boatload of talent. You also have decent options as PTOs this year as solid depth pieces that can be signed for cheap. I love Frolik's work ethic and his defensive ability, and I don't even think he is a bad cap hit at all, but he is more easily replaceable IMO. Mangiapane, Dube, and especially Bennett can fill that spot, and I think all of them are better at making stronger offensive plays, though defensively they are definitely not as strong (yet). Plus, it was a bit of a distraction with him publicly complaining about his usage (agent or not, that's on him).



Either way, if the Flames come back as exactly the same team as last year with a better option in net over Smith, and a useful possession/gritty/intimidating player over the black hole Neal was, this will be another special season (this includes Frolik). More experienced, more depth, less time in 'figuring out' a new system and new teammates... West got stronger overall for sure, but the Flames should still be a top tier team and, IMO, the favourites for the Pacific.