Two seasons ago, when Keenan was in his second and final year as head coach, I had a strong gut feeling the Flames were going all the way.

Iginla was just coming off another 50-goal season, Phaneuf received a nod for the Norris, and the team had given San Jose a real run for their money in a seven-game, first round series.

Going into the fall of ‘08, I was somehow convinced that Todd Bertuzzi, a signing I loved, would be a beast for us—the gorilla with velvet hands. He was a perfect fit for Keenan after he’d run Tanguay out of town. And Cammalleri was a steal.

The team looked strong, felt strong, and the city supported them with an air of October optimism after another first-round failure where we were once again ‘oh so close.’ 

What followed was an absolute disaster by season’s end.

The Flames saw their 13-point lead over rival Vancouver fizzle into an uncanny loss of the Northwest Division.

The power play went something like 0-for-46 during that span and they were forced to dress an incomplete lineup on multiple nights due to cap complications and a myriad of injuries.

The worst of which saw Reghr miss the playoffs against the burgeoning Blackhawks.

The Flames fell apart in that series. Poor Iginla looked like a fool, picking fights with anyone and everyone.

He was trying anything to spark his floundering team that was exposed as too old, too slow, and just not good enough to win the West anymore. My gut prediction had been dead wrong.

Going into this off season, the Flames, and their fans, are doing some serious soul-searching. Can this group, with its aging core, somehow turn things around in the fall and become what Darryl Sutter keeps calling an “elite team?”

The Flames recently missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. That’s not even good. In a league where 53.3 percent of teams makes the playoffs, it’s not even average.

Coming out of the Olympics in eighth, watching the Wings surge from ninth to fifth, losing the last four games of the season when it mattered the most is actually bad.

And now the team lumbers towards October with essentially the same losing group.

With Higgins in Florida, Kotalik being run out of town, and Jokinen back on a puzzling two-year deal with a no-trade clause, it’s as if that transaction never happened, except we’re now bereft of one of my favourites, Brandon Prust, who re-signed in Manhattan.

So what do Flames fans have to look forward to this fall? At a glance, Calgary has become a wasteland for underachievers.

Why has Bouwmeester, after two consecutive 15 goal campaigns in Florida, offered up a measly three goals for us?

I love Reghr, but I hardly notice him anymore. What happened to Diamond Daymond Langkow? Fourteen goals from your second-line center is less than ideal. And I’m not in the mood to discuss Jokinen.

Winning teams these days are built on youth, depth, and overachievers, of which the Flames last season had one—Mark Giordano, playing like a man who has emerged. For that, we thank him.

And Kiprusoff had a remarkable rebound year. Everyone else can hit the showers, or the links as it were, earlier than ever desired.

In a thin free agent market, after a draft that saw Sutter with no first or second round picks, with a farm that has some good prospects, but nothing amazing, October of 2010 will bring a wait-and-see audience.

It’s hard to explain how a team like Vancouver, who was reviled by their own fan base two years ago for a painful lack of firepower, could roll out guns ablaze last year.

Their only acquisition was Samuelsson, whose 30 goal campaign, (buoyed by Henrik’s hands) was accompanied by Burrows with 35, Kesler and Raymond with 25, and each Sedin potting 29.

They finished second only to Washington and ahead of Chicago in lamp lighting. Henrik Sedin went from perennial point-a-game player to Hart and Art Ross trophy winner.

Why? Same coach, same core, and a quarter of the year he was without brother Daniel.

It seems that’s the best the Flames can hope for going forward with the same coach, same core, same management is something will gel, click, bubble, or that “chemistry” will appear. 

Lackluster players will regain their form, a couple of call-ups will play over their heads, and somehow Brent Sutter will decipher deaf ears. Sounds to me like catching lightning in a bottle, and that’s a bummer.

I have a bad feeling about this coming season. I see a downward slide and a blow up in 10 months. Let’s hope my gut is once again proven dead wrong.  

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Most hockey fans have always loved to put down Darryl Sutter and the things he does. My cousin, who happens to be a Canucks fan, really enjoyed pointing out that Sutter looks like some strange creature grazing in the background during some scene in Star Wars.

However, most Calgarians have been grateful for what Sutter has done to this franchise in Calgary over the past seven years.  He coached and managed the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in his first full year and then a division championship a year later.  He found a way to achieve the impossible by keeping both Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff under long-term contracts.

Since joining the organization in Calgary, the Flames have been perennial playoff contenders and for several years, skated one of the NHL’s best teams on paper.

Now Calgary fans are on his case, and many are already calling for him to be fired.  I’ve been more patient than some, but I’m definitely seeing where most are coming from. Therefore, if I were Darryl Sutter, the following is what I’d do to save face:

1) Free Up Cap Space

I know this has been overstated by many already, but it’s scary how close the Flames are to the cap and how far they are from being ready for the season.  As it stands, we had to lose guys like Eric Nystrom and Craig Conroy, who in my opinion were valuable players in their roles.  

As a team that lacks speed and explosiveness, we missed out on an opportunity to sign Matthew Lombardi again (but went for Jokinen and Tanguay?).  And it’s looking like hell will freeze over before he has the space to keep Ian White, the only piece of the infamous Phaneuf trade that produced and played as well as could be expected for Calgary.  

At least one of the several ridiculously fat contracts (see Cory Sarich, Ales Kotalik, Daymond Langkow, Niklas Hagman, and Matt Stajan) on this team will have to be moved in order to fill holes.

Moving Sarich has been a topic that Flames fans have suggested for a while now.  It’s hard to imagine somebody who would take his salary, but there are a few teams looking to build a solid, young defense, and his experience and physical play might appeal to them.  I could see him going back to Tampa Bay in exchange for a prospect and/or mid-round pick.

This could open up the opportunity to resign the previously mentioned Ian White, who would be a more than capable replacement for No. 6.

As for the rest of those I listed in parentheses, they might be even harder to move, but personally I’d prefer that we keep Langkow around for a while, even though his production doesn’t justify his income at this point.  He’s a dependable and consistent player and I think his production will increase with ice time and a good line (remember Langkow, Bourque, and Dawes earlier in 2009?).

2) That Regehr Trade

So where’s all this salary going?  The over-paid blueline and the secondary scoring.  I didn’t believe much about the Marc Savard/Robyn Regehr rumours, but if that were possible, Darryl Sutter would be a hero in Calgary.  Sure, Regehr is among the greatest stay-at-home defensemen when he’s at his best. And yes, I believe that his forgettable season was simply the result of injuries.  However, let’s take a look at the risk vs. the benefit.  Risk: we lose our best defensive defenseman, and still have a solid sextet with J-Bo, Giordano, Sarich, et al.  Benefit: we provide Jarome Iginla with the playmaking center that he’s needed for almost a decade.  You take your pick.

If that deal isn’t sweet enough for the B’s, throw in a scoring winger like… hmmm… oh wait.  Never mind.  Would Greg Nemisz be worth it?  Would they take Kotalik or Hagman off of our hands?

However, this all depends on whether or not Savard is willing to waive his NTC to play on a line with Captain Calgary.

3) Give Prospects A Chance

If somehow the Flames could manage to pull off every move I just suggested, they’d create more holes in the lineup than they’d fill.  However, I think that might be just the right thing at this point in time as the team can strive to be a contender as well as move forward.

Imagine a top line of Savard, Bourque, and Iginla?  That’s as solid a line as pretty much any in the league (on paper).  A second scoring line of Jokinen, Tanguay, and Langkow (provided either Jokinen or Langkow could switch to the wing) could also be potent if chemistry can develop.

As for the secondary, the most exciting player would definitely be the up-and-coming Mikael Backlund.  Hopefully Curtis Glencross can provide another solid season for the club, and hopefully David Moss can bounce back.  Also, it appears that Matt Stajan is here to stay, and it is likely that either Kotalik or Hagman would still be here.  Sutter still has his plethora of goons to throw in the mix there somehow.

So who’s filling in those few gaps left?  That’s what the prospects are for.  By bringing them in, Sutter would be putting the team in position for a smoother transition into the inevitable rebuild as well as bringing energy to a team that seemed to play on the back of their heels at times last season.

On the blueline, with Regehr and Sarich gone, Jay Bouwmeester could pair up with Mark Giordano for a solid top pairing.  Ian White, Steve Staios, Adam Pardy, and possibly someone like Matt Pelech could fill out the rest of the defense.

——-

Well, that’s all I have to say about that.  I realize this is all nothing but a pipe dream, but I feel like it would not only put this club into a position to win, but to move forward. Leave your thoughts here, I’m interested to see what other people think would work for the franchise.

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The Calgary Flames had a bad year compared to past. They fell just out of the playoffs, saw stars on the decline, and made some questionable trades. The Sutter boys had a rough go, but managed to retain their jobs and will look to make a much better run at it next year.

Some improvements were needed in nearly all aspects of the game, so a good draft was imperative for the Flames if they wanted to fill holes in the lineup. However, the Flames had traded away their picks in the first two rounds, so they had to wait until the 64th overall selection to pick their first player.

That player turned out to be Maxwell Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice. Maxwell has made good strides in the WHL. From a rookie season that only saw him record 27 points in 62 games, he boosted his numbers to 51 points this past season.

He has the hockey sense and intelligence to be a good player, but at this point it is any one’s guess at whether he will improve enough to actually make the team. If he grows up in his father Paul’s image, however, he should do just fine.

The Flames liked what they saw in Kootenay, so they took Reinhart’s teammate Joey Leach nine picks later. Joey Leach is a defenseman who brings more of a physical game to the team than an offensive game.

Leach is big and tough, and he has only improved throughout his career. He will not wow anybody, but he could be a solid second or third pairing kind of defenseman.

The Flames looked to improve the defense some more and selected the son of Rob Ramage, John Ramage.

John could turn out to be a solid player and a bit of a steal in the fourth round. He may not score you a lot of goals or set up a ton of plays, but he will be able to shut down players as he can read situations quite well.

John won a World Juniors with the US team this past winter, and had a good season with the University of Wisconsin.

The best pick of the day for the Flames came in the fourth round when they got forward Bill Arnold of the USA U-18 team. Arnold was ranked 36th among North American skaters, but fell to the Flames who took him 108th overall.

Arnold is very big for his age; he can use that size to his advantage, as he plays that prototypical power forward game. However, he can set up, score, or just mow people down with the best of them.

Flames fans should be very excited with this pick.

The fifth-round selection is a gamble, but why not take a gamble that late. Michael Ferland of the Brandon Wheat Kings has shown flashes of offensive brilliance, but on a very strong Wheat Kings team he barely saw the ice.

Ferland did play a physical game, and has developed nicely into a grinder style of player, and with some offensive potential this may work out to be a good pick.

Finally the Flames took another trip to the Western Hockey League as they took Tri-City Storm forward Patrick Holland. Holland is on the smaller side of the spectrum—at 163 it’s likely he needs to put on some pounds to play at the next level.

Holland hasn’t shown that he is a particularly gifted forward, but he does bring steady offense. His 36 points don’t exactly blow you away, but in his first year in the league, a ton of points isn’t exactly expected.

Some potential here, but right now it’s a wait and see game.

Grades:

Offence: B+ , Bill Arnold is an absolute gem of a pick, and should make the team at some point and contribute. Other players like Reinhart and Ferland show some potential as well.

Defence: B , Ramage and Leach both have a strong defensive game, but their two-way game lacks.

Goaltending: F , No goaltenders were drafted.

Overall: B , The lack of a first or second-round pick in a good draft is a stinger, but picking Arnold, and some potential sleepers in Ramage and Leach may turn this draft into a decent one for the Flames.

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