Calgary Flames Losing Karri Ramo Has A Silver Lining
The Calgary Flames losing Karri Ramo is a huge blow as they push for the play-offs. But not all is bad; this opens the door for rookie netminder Joni Ortio to step in and show why he’s the rightful owner of the Calgary Flames net.
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After being sent down from the Calgary Flames to the American Hockey Leaguein October, Karri Ramo has had a roller coaster of a season. He was recalled after an injury and was immediately thrust into the spotlight of being the Calgary Flames number one goalie.
His numbers even improved to above a 0.900 save percentage; he seemed poised to retain the starting job on the way to a shiny new contract.
However, now that Ramo is out for the season with a torn ACL, Jonas Hiller is the likely choice to take the bulk of the starts. He has had some moments where he was simply sensational; unfortunately those moments were few and far between. There is very little chance the Calgary Flames will look to re-sign him after such a disappointing year between the pipes.
Instead the Calgary Flames should look towards young Finnish goalie Joni Ortio. He was great down the stretch year, racking some impressive wins against the Arizona Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
It is strongly believed that he and Jon Gilles are future in net for this organization. If Ortio can give out a strong showing, he could petition for a strong contender to be the number one guy for the Calgary Flames next year.
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He does have some things to work on – his positioning needs to be way better, he has been known to cheat over and commit too early on a play, leaving the top of the net wide open. His strength in net also needs vast improvement, he has had some situations where he has been pushed into the net, allowing a crucial goal in.
This needs some serious work.
His vision is improving, but he still has trouble fighting through a screen to see the puck. That, however, will also improve as he gets more experience.
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If Ortio wants the starting job, this is his try-out. If he can exceed expectations and rack up some nice wins, the job could be his to lose in training camp next year. Do you agree with the choice of Ortio for future? Who is the better option if not him? Sound off in the comments below.