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Calgary Flames: Shake-Up in C-Town

By Brandon Murphy

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It’s been just over a week of the 2015-2016 season and already the Calgary Flames are shaking things up from their roster. The way they started this season has raised some concern for many fans and the various fan sites have reportedly called for reigning Jack Adams winner Bob Hartley’s head. There are some areas that require these moves, but there’s a certain degree of concern with how fast the moves were made with regards to how far into the season it is. There are areas in all three divisions that need to be addressed.

  1. Production past the top line

So far this season, Johnny Gaudreau has built onto a very strong rookie campaign by adding 1 goal and 7 points to lead the team in scoring through the first 6 games. He has been one of the lone bright spots in an offense that struggled to score, only scoring more than twice a couple times this season. Sean Monahan has been a decent centre but has only attributed for 3 points. He is also the victim of a staggering -7 to start the campaign. The Flames haven’t gotten any secondary scoring through their depth and generally has struggled to find the back of the net. Michael Frolik is still adjusting to the new system and it will take some time to establish the chemistry between the lines. If the Flames want to turn this season around, their offense needs to start clicking. It may be time for some regulars to spend time in the press box to gain perspective.

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  1. Finding a replacement for Brodie

Last season, Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie exploded out of the gate to lead the team in scoring in the first third of the season. This season has been a completely different story with Brodie out with a broken hand to start the season. Gio has been paired with newcomer Dougie Hamilton and the pairing has struggled to find the level of production established by Gio and Brodie. Hartley has already shuffled the pairings by putting Giordano with Wideman followed by Russell with Engelland and either Smid or Nakladal with Hamilton. Until Brodie returns, the defensive corps will continue to struggle to find chemistry.

  1. Time to let the kid shine

After an injury to Karri Ramo last season caused a call up from Finnish youngster Joni Ortio. The young backstop had a largely successful campaign, amassing a record of 4-2-0 with a goals against average of 2.52 and a save percentage of 0.908. Those were impressive stats for a rather small sample size. The young goal tender showed poise and made some great saves against clubs like the LA Kings, the Vancouver Canucks, and even the bruising St. Louis Blues. It might be too early to rely solely on such a young prospect, but as the future No. 1 goalie for the organization it may be time let him shine and see what he can do. The defense needs to tighten and not give up those chances, but Ortio could be a better option in a position that has been lacklustre at times.

In the grand scheme of the club, it seems a bit shocking that things are being shaken so early in the season. It’s still unclear if Ramo was the right choice to be put on waivers, but after a relatively unimpressive start to the season, change needed to happen.

Next: Time To Make a Decision

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