2009-2010 Calgary Flames Preview

Calgary continues to ice a solid group every single year. Built upon a strong defense and a strong organizational hand from GM Darryl Sutter, they are one of the models of consistency in recent years in the NHL. Calgary will attempt to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season in 2009-2010.

Looking Back at 2008-2009

Calgary had a great year, finishing with a 46-30-6 record, good enough for a 2 nd place finish in the division. While they fell just two points short of the division crown, their strong showing still earned them the 5 th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Powered by great seasons from captain Jerome Iginla (35 goals, 89 points) and winger Mike Cammalleri (39 goals, 82 points), Calgary finished 4 th in the conference in goal scoring! A late season acquisition of center Olli Jokinen brought more hope to Calgary for a long playoff run but they were bounced in the first round by Chicago, leaving their fans disappointed for the fourth straight season.

The Offseason

The Flames are going to be a different team this year for a number of reasons. First off, Calgary fired coach Mike Kennan after the early exit from the playoffs. This was followed up the controversial resignation of Devils head coach (and brother to the Calgary GM) Brent Sutter, who unsurprisingly ended up as the Flames’ head man just a month later. To say that it was deceitful is completely justified but somehow the Sutters managed to avoid tampering charges.

There was also a significant shift on the ice. Cammalleri capitalized on his big season and left via free agency for big bucks in Montreal. However, Sutter made a bold move before free agency began, trading for the negotiating rights to superstar defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and signing him to a big contract. On the other hand, their only other notable acquisition was Anton Stralman while they allowed Tood Bertuzzi, Adrian Aucoin and Andre Roy to depart. That’s some serious turnover in Cow Town.

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2009-2010 Outlook

The Flames are going to have some trouble finding some scoring. After Iginla and Cammalleri, the highest scoring Flame was Damon Langkow, who only had 49 points! That means that there’s quite the scoring void to fill as their major departed players accounted for 64 goals last season, a full 4 th of the team’s production! Expect a great season like usual from Iginla, but players such as David Moss, Rene Bourque, Craig Conroy and Dustin Boyd will need to step up and shoulder more of the load.

Finally, the biggest question on offense is whether Olli Jokinen can produce a big year for a contender for the first time in his career as he struggled for most of the stretch run after arriving in the spring last year. Jokinen’s biggest production in his career has come while playing for last place teams out of the spotlight and he has yet to prove he can perform in the clutch. While I believe that the Flames will score enough goals to have a strong year, they’re going to sorely miss their lost production unless they get a big season from Olli.

On the other hand, they might not need as many goals to win games this year thanks to an incredible group of defenders. Bouwmeester joins powerful hitter Dion Phaneuf and exceptional defender Robyn Regehr on the blue line, giving Calgary the best trifecta of defensemen in the NHL. Along with solid defenders like Corey Sarich, Adam Pardy and Mark Giordano, Calgary should be death to opposing scorers.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Calgary has a great goaltender by the name of Mikka Kiprusoff. The former Vezina Trophy winner is one of the NHL’s elite goaltenders and you know he’s only going to be better behind such a stellar corps of defenders. Expect a career year from the Kipper.

PREDICTION: Despite some high-profile departures, I really like the Flames’ talent. This is going to be one of the NHL’s elite defensive teams and Jerome Iginla is one of the NHL’s brightest stars up front. The most obvious question pertains to Jokinen, who needs to have a great season in the spotlight for the first time in his career to truly become an elite player. Playing alongside Iginla should do wonders for the enigmatic Fin.

I expect the Flames to translate all of their talent into a playoff season but I think that they’ll fall behind Minnesota and Vancouver for a 3 rd place finish in the Northwest Division. However, with a coach that has a proven winning pedigree on hand, just making the playoffs won’t be enough. Since their run to the Cup Finals in 2004-05, Calgary has fallen short of expectations in the postseason every year. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that fans in lower Alberta are going to be disappointed once more, as I expect Calgary to flame out in the second round. Even if they exceed expectations and make it to the conference finals, the Flames aren’t likely to get past Detroit this year. However, there is no doubt that Calgary has the potential to be a Stanley Cup contender this season if their offense exceeds expectations or if they acquire another scorer at the deadline.

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports & ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

Feel your team is underrated? Tell Matt Baxendell why at matt.baxendell@gmail.com

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