The Flaws

Gotta love my old buddy SunDevilD (aka Dave Thomas) – who else could so aptly combine passion and casino-lizard analogies into a single post? A rare gift…

And speaking of rare gifts, the Flames opener certainly was NOT one – unless you’re an Oilers fan. Rarely have I seen as plodding and passive an effort. No spped, no passion, no power. They got beaten at pretty much every aspect of the game by a team that finished dead last in 2009-2010 – and even got beaten up. (Supposed tough guy Ivanans picked a fight and got knocked out cold, demonstrating little other than a Chuck Wepner-esque jaw in the process. I can’t believe we let Jamal Mayers leave.)

One thing glaringly evident (other than the constant of Jay Bouwmeester and Ollie Jokinen being prone to bone-headedness) is that the Flames are top-heavy on defence and woefully lacking up front. Two d-men capable of playing top-four minutes on some other team (Cory Sarich, Steve Staios) were sitting in the press box, and the two guys starting ahead of them (Adam Pardy, TJ Brodie) certainly didn’t look out of place. (In fact, rookie Brodie’s combination of speed and offensive instincts in his NHL debut was one of the few bright lights in this discouraging game.) On the other hand, the third and fourth forward lines looked like they belonged in the AHL – maybe even ECHL.

This wasn’t supposed to happen this year. Didn’t Darryl Sutter make a bunch of crazy-ass trades last year on the theory that he needed to add depth and spread out scoring up front? Where the hell is it?

The short answer is, on the injury list. Three centres (Daymond Langkow, Matt Stajan and David Moss) who were all expected to be serious offensive contributors are hurt. So is Ales Kotalik – who, despite his pronounced uselessness last season, was the Flames’ top offensive spark plug in the team’s unbeaten pre-season. (That first game, by the way, was a big reminder of how little the pre-season means.)

With all four out indefinitely, and with the Flames still scoreless for the season, a key theme is already emerging – this roster is out of whack. The Flames need to deal from strength – their deep defence – to address their weaknesses – too few forwards, especially quality ones who can score.

It will happen. It has to. The only question will be how long the Flames can stumble along before a couple of deals can be swung to move a couple of d-men and get some sorely needed help.