My Prediction for the 2021-22 season

[Vinny01]

I have often said I think this team is better than last season. Unfortunately so far this offseason they have at best tread water. Their forwards are better with the addition of Coleman and Ryan being the biggest loss.

The blueline is worse on paper but there are questions all around. Did we see one peak Tanev season and will he regress or miss significant time with injury? Hanifin, Andersson, Zadorov, Valimaki, Mackey, Kylington all have promise and show flashes. Steps forward can be hoped for pretty much all of these guys but there is also the chance none are able to step up with the loss of Gio.

Markstrom will be the key in my opinion. The rest of this roster is good enough that if Markstrom is top 5 in the league the Flames will be a top 2 team in the Pacific. I think Tkachuk will bounce back, I hope Mangiapane can continue to ascend, Johnny, Minny, and Lindholm to do what they have done in the past.

I do worry what happens to this team if it goes poorly for the first 25 games and they sputter to 10-12 wins and if Johnny remains unsigned all of a sudden they could be tearing this team down completely by the deadline.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Flames will win the Pacific Division and several players will have career seasons.

The D-core will be better without Mark Giordano.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

As for predictions: Flames will play 82 games. I think they will make the playoffs.

Vegas

100 feet of crap

Calgary / Edmonton

Vancouver / Seattle / LA in some unpredictable order

50 feet of crap

SJ and ANA

You're spot on, but you missed a layer or crap (I added it for you above)

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

You're spot on, but you missed a layer or crap (I added it for you above)

Ah, the legend of Vegas abounds despite the fact they just discarded their Vezina Trophy-winning starting goaltender.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Roof-Daddy]

Legend of Vegas?

That team has been top 5 in the NHL since they entered it.

And they just happen to have another high end starting goalie.

[Heavy Jack]

Is pain&suffering legitimately a tag in this thread that’s hilarious. Can we all just sit back and consider things since the all-star break of 18/19 season- where we finished 1st in the west - and the proceeding downward trend in the 2nd half into the playoffs upset against 8th seeded Colorado.

- Clearly something happened to that team and Peters coming out of the break, Neal not panning out while everyone else did didn’t help things but by the playoffs the team was nothing close to what we saw in the first half of that season which was pure magic.

- Proceeding season sees the Peters embarrassment unfold which to me speaks a bit to the above… it takes time for things like this to be fully realized and hockey is a small community at times especially at that level so maybe there were rumblings that players could have been hearing? Could explain the disconnect with Peters during the Flames best season in decades (again only three seasons removed) Flames switch to a head coach interim role in Wardo…covid hits and throws the whole season into turmoil. Bubble season happens and the Flames blow it at the end of game 4 in round 1 otherwise looking poised to go on a run of sorts.

- Proceeding season sees the Flames go with Ward as full time head coach on a revised onetime division and shortened season schedule due to covid that many had us as the 2nd or 3rd best threat coming from the Canadian division. Of course the flames fell flat on their face while saving face at the end and brining in Sutter to try and take advantage of the back half of this 5 year window that they had started when they made the splash for Lindholm/Hanifin/Ryan/Neal that off season.

The flames have never had a good chance to recover from the Peters fiasco and all that came with it and I do truly feel like it played somewhat of a role in the downward trend in performance after the all star break 18/19 players are still human and that was no doubt an awkward and tough thing to deal with. Add to that covid happening same season and I can understand why the team underperformed last year but honestly we are not too far removed from being a dominant team and the playing field is going to normalize again with the full schedule so I think that the OP is severely negative and isn’t considering a lot of what’s transpired the past few season for the Flames.

I predict playoffs and a round 1 win for the Flames myself, in a lot of ways we are better right now than that first half team of 18/19 which truly excites me.

[Yrebmi]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

As for predictions: Flames will play 82 games. I think they will make the playoffs.

Vegas

Calgary / Edmonton

Vancouver / Seattle / LA in some unpredictable order

50 feet of crap

SJ and ANA

This should not feel like a bold prediction..... but here we are.

[heep223]

I’m predicting a cup.

[Yrebmi]

Originally Posted by heep223

I’m predicting a cup.

For whom?

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Yrebmi

For whom?

The lads!

[Erick Estrada]

Too early for predictions. I have to think Treliving is going to make a move between now and the opener even if it's plan B after bailing on Eichel. In a season where his job is probably on the line I can't imagine he's going to just sit on $10 million in cap space.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by troutman

Sutter is the only reason I see for possible improvement.

Agreed, Sutter will make sure the team is consistent

Which will be a huge change...

However the Flames clearly have roster issues, hopefully this is addressed.

If not they are a bubble team likely just finishing out of the playoffs

[1qqaaz]

I still think the Flames will make the playoffs simply because they, like the Flyers, tend to rebound after disappointing years. Without much rhyme or reason.

[HighLifeMan]

Analytically Calgary was a top eight team in the NHL last season which suggests to me that a bounce back of some capacity is inevitable, and that's with coaching turnover mid season and a large majority of the core playing underwhelming hockey. Monahan, Tkachuk, Markstrom, and Andersson had very poor seasons for their standards and Valimaki had more growing pains than expected. If Markstrom can provide that .915-.920% goaltending that he is more than capable of playing this team will win a ton of hockey games.

I am optimistic by nature. I think this roster can and will compete for the a top three spot in the division with relative ease.

[NewFan]

In my opinion Flames still mediocre team. Their offense is not good, and defense is worse and G is not consistent. I think Sutter said this league is 3-2 hockey league. So if BT can't add offense we may be out off playoffs.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by NewFan

In my opinion Flames still mediocre team. Their offense is not good, and defense is worse and G is not consistent. I think Sutter said this league is 3-2 hockey league. So if BT can't add offense we may be out off playoffs.

I think offense was among the least of the Flames issues, and the most glaring one from last season was an injured goalie. There are significant questions about the defence going into this year, but I am pretty confident that they will be just fine up front and in goal.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Flames need another scorer. Don't care what position, but they need another player in the top six that can put the puck in the net with some regularity.

[Moneyhands23]

Hate to ruin the pity party but this team is going to the playoffs!!!

[Robbob]

We're going streaking!!

[blankall]

I think the Flames will surprise a lot of people. They looked much improved under Sutter, once the adjustment period was over. Specifically:

1. The top line of Gaudreau/Lindholm/Tkachuk will all be near or over ppg.
2. Coleman will be a gritty offensive spark in the mid six. Mangiapane will continue to develop there. The Flames will finally start to show signs of scoring depth.
3. The d-core will play much better as many of the young guys come into their own. Players like Valimaki will stop making rookie mistakes and respond well to Sutter's system.