Calgary Flames Tuesday Roundtable: Predicting Where They’ll Finish This Season

Brad Treliving did his due diligence in order to set the Calgary Flames up for a shot at the Stanley Cup this summer. Where will this team finish next season?

After the disappointing opening round loss to the Anaheim Ducks a season ago, the Calgary Flames are looking to build on that experience. The Flames acquired goaltenders Mike Smith and Eddie Lack, as well as defenseman Travis Hamonic. The team retained both Kris Versteeg and Michael Stone, as well as some RFA’s such as Michael Ferland. While the team is hammering away at a contract with Sam Bennett, the Flames are in an ideal position to make noise in the wild Western Conference.

Here at FlameForThought, I asked the team of writers what their takes were on predicting the Flames upcoming season:

Question #1 – With the additions to the team, where in the Pacific Division do you think the Calgary Flames finish this upcoming season?

Jonathan Boulanger – 2nd. As much as it pains me to say this, I believe the Oilers will finish first in the Pacific. However, the Flames are on par with them and it is going to be a heck of a dogfight for top spot. The Battle of Alberta is going to be something special this year.

Tomas Oppolzer – I fully expect the Flames to be in a dead heat with Edmonton for the Pacific division crown. San Jose is getting older and aren’t the same team that went to the Stanley Cup final two years ago and Anaheim will be missing some key players to start the season. This coupled with Calgary’s bolstered blueline and without the need to adjust to a new coach again should really help them have a great regular season.

Benjamin Prokopy – Top 3 in the Pacific. In contention for first. I like the Flames chances in the Pacific division this year. However, that may be because I think the Pacific may be the weakest division in the NHL.

Last year, it took 46 wins to make the playoff cut in the Pacific. Now, let’s assume that is the magic number this year.  Assuming Bennett is with the team come training camp, and the team doesn’t suffer from weak start disease, then 46 wins should be easy. Anaheim made no significant changes in the offseason, except for the addition of Ryan Miller as John Gibson‘s backup. As such, I think we’ll see the same from them as last year.

(This might be a previous playoff run goal…but its still a good one)

That’s as much noise as I think the state of California will make, though. Los Angeles may fare better with a healthy Jonathan Quick, but that will be only quick thing about them. I am not convinced they got any speedier. And I’m not sure who will score goals for them.  The same is true for San Jose: great goaltending with Martin Jones and an OK top 4 D. But who is putting the puck in the net?  Also like LA, speed will be an issue. As for Arizona and Vancouver…they will continue to be Arizona and Vancouver. ‘Nuff said.

Really, that leaves Edmonton as the only team other than Anaheim capable of the 46 wins. That should be simple enough, assuming a healthy Connor McDavid and a defense corps that continues to overachieve (as I felt they did last year).

Ian Gustafson – I think the Flames will finish in second or third in the Pacific Division. I hate to say it but I think the Oilers will most likely be first in the division. If the Flames can start the season off really well then they will finish in second ahead of the Ducks. If the chemistry on every line is good, the flames will finish first.

Ramina Shlah – I think they’ll definitely finish in the top three in the Pacific division. They may even finish as one of the top teams in the Western Conference, but while they do look awesome on paper, we can’t always depend on that. I’m hoping they’ll live up to their “Cup Contention” hype.

Dan Raicevich – I agree with my colleagues above, the Flames will compete for the top spot in the Pacific this season. They are an underrated team as viewed by most. They continue to improve and have arguably one of the best general managers in the league. I think the worst case scenario for them is they finish third place and start on the road in Edmonton or Anaheim in the opening round. I seriously do think they could win the Pacific Division this year and here is why.

The defensive group is much better than in years prior, and is neck and neck with Nashville for the best in hockey. They have enough firepower up front in order to score goals. Now granted they do not have Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, but Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and the supporting cast have much more to give in the transitional year they had last season. Mike Smith is a consistent starting goaltender and is an upgrade over Brian Elliott. If Eddie Lack can find his game he had in Vancouver, the Flames will be in great shape to try to capture their first division crown in over a decade.

Question #2 – In terms of teams in the Pacific Division, which team could give the Calgary Flames the most trouble and why?

Jonathan Boulanger  – The Oilers and The Ducks. The two teams Flames fans probably hate the most in the NHL. The Oilers because they are a team on the rise with some renewed confidence after being one win away from the conference final this past season. With Connor McDavid, anything is possible. They also have a solid goaltender and respectable D-core. The Ducks are, well, the Ducks. The Flames have not been able to exercise their demons against this pesky team. Also, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler always seem to bring their A game against the Flames and completely dominate. That being said, I believe the Flames can absolutely compete and beat the Ducks and Oilers this season.

Tomas Oppolzer – Edmonton. They have the best player in the division (arguably best in the league) in Connor McDavid and they have the best goaltender in the division. Cam Talbot should have been in the Vezina conversation last season and if Laurent Brossoit can step in and be an effective back-up they’ll be a tough team to compete against.  One key factor to remember though Is they’ll be missing Andrej Sekera. If Calgary can take advantage of that early on it could help them get a good head-start on their provincial rivals.

Related Story: Will the Battle of Alberta Come Back to Life?

Benjamin Prokopy – The Edmonton Oilers, with honorable mention to the Anaheim Ducks.

Last year, Edmonton swept the season series. I don’t think it will be a sweep this year. But the Battle of Alberta will be a battle again. On the scoreboard, the additions of Ryan Strome and Jussi Jokinen should give the Oilers scoring and better possession respectively. Off the scoreboard, and I REALLY hate to say this, I think the Oilers are tougher. Milan Lucic, Zack Kassian and Darnell Nurse are big and irritating. Micheal Ferland is no slouch in the corners but, with the departure of Deryk Engelland, who else is there?

As for Anaheim, is this the year we FINALLY win at the Honda Center?

Ian Gustafson – I think the Ducks will give them the most trouble just because of how last season ended. The Honda Center curse is alive and well. If the Flames can win the regular season series them the players confidence will be sky high. Ryan Kesler will be up to his old antics and will be in everyones ear trying to stir up trouble. Although the Ducks are getting old, so if the Flames can beat them in Anaheim they will finally get that weight off their shoulders and start approaching it like any other hockey game.

Ramina Shlah – Most likely Anaheim or Edmonton. Anaheim because, well, its Anaheim. Edmonton, because of the McDavid Factor and how well they did last season. But I definitely think those two will be the biggest rivals and the teams that would give the Flames the most trouble. I think the Flames, Ducks, and the Oilers will finish as the Top 3 in the Pacific. While it might not be in that specific order, that is my take on who will finish in the top of the Pacific.

Dan Raicevich – While my colleagues both feel that Edmonton and Anaheim are the threats to the Flames, and I agree but the Ducks are the bigger threat in my opinion. The teams inability to win on the road at the Honda Center is despicable. One win since 2004 there is inexcusable, but thats not the only problem that portrays to the Flames. The Ducks might be as quick as the Flames, but their size and skill grinds the Flames down. They shut down Johnny Gaudreau better than any other team in the league, and they pose as a matchup nightmare for this team, in my opinion.

With Edmonton, you have to contain McDavid and Draisaitl. Calgary can skate with the Oilers, plus they have upgraded the defense group that can also skate with the Oilers. I think the Oilers are not as deep as experts think, but they are still a team the Flames should be in for a game every time the Battle of Alberta heats up.

Question #3 – Where do you see the Calgary Flames in terms of competing for the Presidents Trophy as the top team in the regular season?

Jonathan Boulanger – On paper, the Flames look to be in the upper echelon and an elite team. However, that is on paper. Reality is often a much different thing. If they can convert the potential in that locker room into success, I believe they can be within the top 5 teams in the league.

Tomas Oppolzer – I don’t think they’re quite in that conversation yet when you consider teams like Washington, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and Nashville but I can definitely see Calgary finishing in the top 10. That said, I wouldn’t be shocked if Calgary could find themselves in that Top 5 conversation if everything goes right.

Calgary Flames

Benjamin Prokopy – Top 7 in the league. If 46 wins is the magic number to lead the Pacific division, then you need to add 10 to that for the President’s Trophy.  I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think the Flames are there.

First off, I’m not convinced the goaltending issue has been solved. I’m not even sure the Flames have improved dramatically over the Elliott/Johnson tandem. President’s Trophy winners have great goaltending. Smith/Lack may only just be good.

Then there is the rest of the field. As I mentioned, the Pacific may very well be the weakest division in the league. Last year, Anaheim topped the division, but that was only good enough for 6th overall. Out of the Central, I expect Dallas to drastically improve. Along with Nashville and St. Louis, any or all could be President’s Trophy worthy.

Mix in Eastern Conference favorites such as Washington, Pittsburgh and Columbus, and one can see the Flames are in tight for top spot.

Ian Gustafson –  In all honesty I don’t see them competing for the Presidents trophy and I don’t want them to. Every team that wins the trophy is completely worn out come playoff time. It all depends how all the new players settle in and if Troy Brouwer and Sam Bennett have comeback seasons. Mike Smith would have to have a career season for them to contend for top team in the regular season.

Ramina Shlah – I don’t think they’ll finish as the top team overall. But for the Flames, it’ll be better if they don’t. President Trophy winners rarely win the Stanley Cup in the end. That way, they won’t go into the playoffs with their egos too high. The Flames almost didn’t even make the playoffs this past season. While they did do some great work in the off-season, I don’t think they’ll jump to being the top team in the NHL.

Dan Raicevich – The Presidents Trophy might be a stretch, no doubt. Calgary is a team in the upper third in the National Hockey League. For them to win the Presidents Trophy this year, they would need to get the consistent goaltending for a calendar year. I think they are a much better team, but they are not there in terms of a Presidents Trophy team…yet.

Question #4 – How far do the Calgary Flames need to go in the playoffs for it to be considered a “successful” year?

Jonathan Boulanger -The second round at least. Another first round loss (especially to the Ducks) would really draw the ire of Flames fans. If they make it to round 2 and put up a real fight, it will be considered a successful season.

Tomas Oppolzer – They need to at least make it into round 2, preferably beyond that though. Every other team that has taken major leaps forward recently (Chicago, LA, Pittsburgh) all made deep playoff runs early in their windows. In order for Calgary to truly show they are a contender in the Western Conference, they’ll need to follow suit.

Benjamin Prokopy – The Western Conference Final. The Flames have proven that they can go a couple rounds into the playoffs with less powerful lineups. It will be difficult to justify the acquisition cost of guys like Hamilton and, more recently, Hamonic if the Flames don’t go deep.

Ian Gustafson – The Flames are under a lot of pressure this season by the fans and management. They have high expectations to meet after such a terrible end to last season going out in the first round. I think for the fans to be at ease they need to at least make it to the second round. Although, I think Flames fans would settle for a first round exit if it were to go 7 games.

Related Story: What Makes the Flames a Contending Team?

Ramina Shlah – Since they don’t have a draft pick until the fourth round next year, I think they need to make it to the Western Conference Finals. Going this far in the playoffs will help Flames fans to be satisfied with all the trades made. This also shows that Flames management is confident in them being Cup Contenders next season.

Dan Raicevich – I am agreeing with my peers here on this one, the team needs to go past the second round to consider this a successful year. Going to go a step above this, I think a trip to the Stanley Cup Final would consider it to be a successful year. I expect this team to beat Edmonton and Anaheim to make it to the Conference Finals. Also, a team like Nashville matches up well against the Flames. This team is ready to make that monster leap and go on a run long enough to where I can grow a beard better than Joe Thornton’s.