[ricardodw]

Looking at the line ups being presented it has become somewhat apparent that there is a cost to paying 5 D that are each good enough to play 20 minutes a game.

The Flames are left with exactly 6 players that deserve to play on their top 3 lines:
Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, Backlund, Frolik and Bennett and would play on the top 9 of any NHL team.

Gaudreau-Monahan- 4th liner
Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik
4th liner- Bennett- Versteeg


They also have Versteeg who has shown enough last year after his PTO to stretch his career another year.

They have 2 aging veterans Brouwer and Stajan playing out the string that are most suited to 4th line duty.

They have 2 two prospects Jankowski and Foo with no NHL experience who at ages 23 and 24 are well past the age that most players with the ability to play top 9 minutes have broken into the NHL.

The rest (using Bouma and Chaisson who were not good enough to be anything but 4 line energy guys and injury replacements) are really not expected to be top 9 players.

Ferland - He gets to play with Monahan and Gaudreau? Because he played great in a beating Vancouver in a playoff series 3 years ago. It is not a coincidence that Monahan and Gaudreau have left the elite of the league at around the same time Hudler ran out of gas. Gaudreau and Monahan should hold out until they get at least Versteeg put on their line. But then taking Versteeg away from Bennett leaves Bennett playing on a line with the equivalent of Bouma and Chaisson. Good luck with that.

Lazar was not talented enough in Ottawa to get 4th line minutes a few months ago.
Hathaway, Hamilton ... really working their way up to the Bouma Chaisson level.

Jankowski should get a spot guaranteed on this team as maybe he has top-9 potential

Have him centering the 4th line with Brouwer and Stajan as his line mates. All three of these guys at various times have been the great hopes for the Flames.