Dennis Wideman and Brian McGrattan, Do They Play Saturday?

Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman (6) – – will he or won’t be in the lineup Saturday at St. Louis? Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the second game of the season, Calgary Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley felt the need to make a couple personnel moves after 4-2 opening night loss.  Those moves were benching veterans Dennis Wideman and Brian McGrattan for veterans David Jones and new-to-Calgary Rafa Diaz.  The Calgary Flames won the game, granted they probably really shouldn’t have, does Coach Hartley stay status quo?

I cannot see a situation where the highest paid player on the team (Dennis Wideman) is a healthy scratch on back-to-back nights.

• I know the superstitious fan says you change NOTHING after a win but seeing how much Laddy Smid struggled through the first two periods of the game, there is an “easy” candidate for Coach Hartley to swap out for Wideman.
• I seem to remember staring at the 29 on the back of Engelland a whole-bunch-of-a-lot during the Oilers game but maybe some of that is due to the fact the former Pittsburgh Penguin played over 22 minutes (second only to Captain Giordano).
• For as much as I clamoured to see Rafa Diaz inserted into the lineup, I’m totally okay if Coach Hartley simply swaps him back out for Wideman.

The decision to keep Brian McGrattan on the bench for another game is so easy it’s hard.

• The Mason Raymond-Joe Colborne-Lance Bouma trio dominated in the 3rd period of Thursday’s victory in Edmonton.  You need to at least start Saturday in St. Louis with that trio in tact.  This leaves the 4th line winger spot available.  Logic dictates that if Brandon Bollig and Matt Stajan are in search of winger that McGrattan slides right in.
• Logic also dictates that the St. Louis Blues will not botch two simple dump ins like the Oilers did allowing the Flames to score two “easier” goals.  That same logic says that Mason Raymond, or any other Flame, will not score a hat-trick.  So while David Jones had a relatively quiet 16 minutes of ice time, the real question seems to be whether to give Mr. Jones another game or try Devin Setoguchi in the lineup for the 1st time because for the heart McGrattan brings to the lineup, he does not bring any offensive presence.

A side effect of the Raymond-Colborne-Bouma line is that “Johnny Hockey” Johnny Gaudreau lost his center in Colborne.  Seems logical to move Gaudreau onto a line with Sean Monahan and Jiri Hudler.  Paul Byron, with a point in both games so far this season,  would then seem destined to play the duo of Mikael Backlund and Curtis Glencross.

Here’s the short answer to the original question – yes Dennis Wideman will draw back into the lineup Saturday, no Brian McGrattan will not draw back in the lineup Saturday.