Question #5 – Do you expect the Calgary Flames to be a serious threat to compete for the Stanley Cup this season?
Jonathan Boulanger – Absolutely. But, then again, they are a serious threat on paper. Hopefully, they can come through and use their fantastic D-core, great group of young talented forwards and *fingers crossed* solid goaltending to make a solid run. Here’s hoping.
Tomas Oppolzer – Personally, yes I do. They have strength and depth at every skater position. Their goaltending tandem is one that, while it has questions surrounding it, there are reasons to believe they can do alright. If the goaltending can be at least league average, I believe the strength among skaters will propel them into that top echelon.
Benjamin Prokopy – Yes, but anything can happen in the playoffs. If Nashville’s playoff run last year proved anything, it was that seeding is irrelevant once the puck drops in the playoffs. Once a team makes it to the dance, they can go far with the right pieces. I’d like to see the Flames plug a hole at the right wing position. I’d like to see solid goaltending. With both, I think Calgary could make some noise.
Ian Gustafson – I do expect the Flames to compete for the Stanley Cup this season. I think they have all the right pieces but it all comes down to how the new players perform and how they fit into the game plans. Every single player needs to be on their A+ game especially when playoffs come. The biased Flames fan in me says they will win the cup this year. But in the back of my mind, I say it might take a few years to get to that point. I hope they surprise me! Bring it home boys.
Ramina Shlah – I definitely think they’ll be more of a threat than people think. Right now, people are saying that they’re Cup Contenders. I feel like fans of other teams still don’t quite see them as a serious Cup Contender, which is okay. It will be better for the Flames since being underdogs is always fun.
Dan Raicevich – I agree with all my peers above. Its a unanimous decision to state that this team will be a serious threat for the Stanley Cup. With the changes they made in the offseason, and transitional year under Glen Gulutzan’s coaching system, the Flames are ready to get to that next level. I expect this team to be one of the two remaining once June rolls around. The fan base is starving for a winner. The window to win opens this year, and that is the expectation here from me. They have enough big game talents to win this upcoming year and beyond.
There is hope for a deep playoff run…no doubt
The writers think at FlameForThought that this team is gearing up for a serious playoff run in the upcoming year. Even if it does not happen this upcoming year, the Flames are setting themselves up for great success moving forward. The last time this team made the Stanley Cup Finals was back in 2004. The last time they won it all was back in 1989, a mere 28 years ago.
Next: Flashback Friday: 2004 Stanley Cup Finals
This fan base and organization is much overdue. Maybe the success can translate into gaining enough funding for a new arena, eh?