Question 5: Should the Calgary Flames keep one starter and have someone from the minors come up as backup like Jon Gillies, David Rittich, or maybe even Tyler Parsons, or should they have two NHL goaltenders right away?
Jonathan Boulanger
Personally, I think the Flames should have two legitimate NHLers next year considering they are now moving into playoff performer/ cup contender territory. Also, this would give more time for the kids to develop which is especially important for goaltenders. My only worry is that the crease might get too crowded in Stockton.
Alex Hoegler
Stick to a tandem of NHL veterans. The Flames have to be ready to go all in, and now’s not the time to bring up guys from the minors. Keep Johnson as a backup then find a new starter
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Dan Raicevich
Promote a young guy to the roster to serve as the backup to the new starter (preferably Ben Bishop). The Flames will have a logjam in their pipeline with four prospective goaltenders between the AHL and ECHL starting next year with Gillies, Rittich, MacDonald and Parsons. Promoting a young guy to correlate with Brad Treliving’s message about growth from players in the organization.
Ramina Shlah
Sorry Dan, I have to agree with Jonathan and Alex again in this one. The Flames, like I mentioned earlier, should keep Johnson as a backup and have a primary starter. Having an inexperience goalie jump right into the league doesn’t always go as planned.
That being said, if a goaltender were to get injured at some point in the season, the Flames have a great variety to choose from. We saw how well Parsons played in the playoffs for the London Knights and Gillies’ NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings was definitely a game to remember for the young goalie.