Calgary Flames Boast Solid Depth On Defence.

Just a few short months ago the Calgary Flames had a glaring weakness on the back-end. They needed another top-four defenceman and were awfully thin for prospects on the blue-line.

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But in the span of two days Brad Treliving acquired Dougie Hamilton, and two high-end prospects in Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington via the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Boom.

Hamilton’s addition hasn’t quite been as legendary as some Calgary Flames fans were hoping, but he has show lots of skill and potential, while continuing to improve his overall game the last few months.

Oliver Kylington and Rasmus Andersson have both looked excellent in their post-draft years, especially Andersson who was just recently named OHL defence-man of the month, and leads the OHL in scoring for a defence-man with 45 points in 45 games.

Expect Andersson to challenge for a spot next year after being one of the final cuts at this year’s Calgary Flames training camp.

Andersson’s biggest issue was his conditioning, I mean his nickname was ‘Fat Ras’ for crying out loud. But he has worked his butt off to get into the best shape of his life, and looks to be completing rounding out his game, and could win Defenceman of the Year in the OHL.

Kylington hasn’t quite put up the numbers of his Swedish counterpart Andersson with only 4 goals and 5 assists in 33 AHL games, but he has been quietly improving his defensive game and is starting to play more judiciously with the puck, while making better decisions on when to jump in the rush, and when to make the simple play.

Both of these Swedish defencemen represent a new wave of highly skilled blue-liners for the Calgary Flames that have been absent in the organization since T.J. Brodie was playing in the minor leagues.

Aside from Kylington and Andersson, the Calgary Flames also boast young talent in Brandon Hickey, a solid two-way defence-man with Boston University who has put up 5 goals and 7 points in 22 games.

His skating, shot, and physicality are very unique and enticing, expect him to graduate this year depending on the teams success in the frozen four tournament. Hickey also represented Team Canada where he had a so-so tournament, but the experience should be invaluable for him moving forward.

Depth prospects in Kulak, Culkin, Wotherspoon, Ollas-Mattson, Kanzig and recently recalled Jakub Nakladal also are prevalent in the Calgary Flames pipeline, not to mention a plethora of others as well.

With the core three defencemen in Brodie, Mark Giordano and Hamilton; the Calgary Flames are very deep on defence, so where do the other players fit in?

Players like Kris Russell and Dennis Wideman probably don’t work into the Calgary Flames long-term plans, and expect one of them to be gone by next season.

Ladislav Smid and Derek Engelland are in a similar spot as they both have the same role, and frequently trade spots in the Calgary Flames press-box.

A big question that Brad Treliving faces is what to do with the log-jam on Stockton’s blue-line. The Calgary Flames have too many players and not enough spots, leaving a young player on the outside looking in on most nights.

With young players such as Kerby Rychel and Jonahan Drouin available, would Treliving be willing to package a young defence-man, a pick, and say a gift-card to Boston Pizza for one of them?

It would definitely to be something to consider, especially with the defensive depth and the fact that Calgary has a glaring hole on the right-side in the organization.

It would be ideal to ease the log-jam of defencemen by moving say Tyler Wotherspoon for a third or fourth round pick, or trading him as part of a package deal to acquire a player of higher value.

I believe the Calgary Flames have a golden opportunity in front of them, they largely dictate the rental-defence market as about every team in the play-offs would love to add Kris Russell for a play-off push, or a depth guy in Ladislav Smid.

It’s time Treliving starts a bidding war over his coveted defence-man to ensure the highest possible return.

There is one problem however, as Dennis Wideman’s suspension does complicate things. Parting with Russell would force Derek Engelland into a top-four guy. To his credit though, he has been solid as a 6th defenceman all year for the Calgary Flames.

With the imminent arrival of high-end prospects like Andersson and Hickey, and the log-jam on defence in the AHL, Treliving needs to make a move now while the Calgary Flames still control a large part of the rental market.

A lot of teams who whiff on the Dustin Byfuglien sweepstakes will look to Calgary for consolation, and its time Treliving worked some of his trade magic to make it happen.

Next: Calgary Flames Learn Of Widemans 20 Game Suspension

After all, for the first time in ages, the Calgary Flames boast solid depth on defence.

What defence-man would you trade? Who has the best chance of making the team next season? Let us know in the comment section below.

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