Calgary Flames Monday Roundtable: Preseason/training camp
By Ramina Shlah
Question 2: Who’s been the player who’s been the biggest disappointment to you?
Jonathan Boulanger
Troy Brouwer. I was hoping last season’s awful performance and justified scrutiny from the fans would light a fire under him but so far, he just looks slow, disengaged, and careless. At the very least he should be physical, fight, and act as a sparkplug for the team since he can’t do much else. In the game against the Coyotes, one of them took a run at Gaudreau while Brouwer was on the ice and he did nothing. Instead, Freddie Hamilton came to the star’s defence while Brouwer stood idle. Keep in mind, this guy is an alternate captain on the team. Not a fan.
Ian Gustafson
The biggest disappointment has to be Curtis Lazar. I was expecting big things from Lazar this season and so far he hasn’t done a whole lot, but it is the preseason so I am not going to panic. Lazar could be a 15-20 goal scorer if he plays to his full potential.
Calgary Flames
Tom Oppolzer
Curtis Lazar. I had next to no expectation for him (the Calgary Flames shouldn’t have traded for him in the first place) and he’s still been a disappointment. I’d love to see him pick it up vs. Winnipeg but if he doesn’t, the Flames have to waive him and risk that 2nd round pick being a waste.
Benjamin Prokopy
Oliver Kylington. Last year in Stockton, Kylington led his team’s defensemen in goals and points. Given that, I expected him to seriously compete for a spot on the third pairing. Instead, in the two games he played, he posted no points, a minus-2, and coughed the puck up to the opposition no fewer than 3 times by my count. For that, he was sent back to Stockton in the most recent round of cuts, far earlier than I was hoping.
Dan Raicevich
Oliver Kylington. He got sent back to the AHL already and I felt like his skating was subpar. Another year in the AHL could benefit the highly touted Swede.
Ramina Shlah
Unfortunately, it’s been Curtis Lazar. People on Twitter are mean to the kid, man. I feel like I was one of the few people who have been confident in Lazar and thought that he still has a lot of potential. He’s young and malleable and hasn’t been given a big shot.
But he’s been way too average during preseason and he’s definitely not playing like he wants to prove himself right now and it’s somewhat disappointing. I was hoping we’d see more from him.