Calgary Flames Monday Roundtable: Preseason/training camp

The season starts next week! Let’s have a discussion about how preseason and training camp has been going for the Calgary Flames.

The Calgary Flames still have three games of preseason left before the real games start next week. Every day, the team has been cutting their roster size down and after the game against the Winnipeg Jets tonight, I’m sure we’ll be seeing some more cuts.

There are still five defencemen fighting for that sixth and even seventh spot. So only two will make the cut our of: Tyler Wotherspoon, Matt Bartkowski, Brett Kulak, Rasmus Andersson, and 2017 first round pick, Juuso Valimaki.

We also have some forwards who are fighting for their shot at a spot on the opening night roster. And potentially a full-time position with the team. The game tonight will be a majority of these forwards who are still fighting for their chance; not many vets in tonight’s game.

Some notable people to watch will be Mark Jankowski, who finally made his NHL debut last season. There will also be Spencer Foo, who signed as a free-agent earlier this year after coming off a successful year in the NCAA and was a runner-up for the Hobey Baker.

Related Story: NCAA Free Agent Spencer Foo picks the Flames over the Oilers

That being said, I decided to ask the other writers here at Flame for Thought some questions regarding all these players during training camp and preseason. Let’s have a virtual roundtable discussion.

Question 1: Who’s been the player you’ve been impressed by the most?

Jonathan Boulanger

Mark Jankowski hands down. Johnny Gaudreau‘s been amazing, but come on, it’s Johnny. Jankowski has shown me and the organization that he belongs in the NHL. After the game against the Arizona Coyotes, I heard Sportsnet The Fan 960 broadcaster Derek Wills say that Jankowski should look at getting a permanent place here in Calgary and I agree with him 100%. It’s not just the goals that are impressive, it’s his puck protection, high hockey IQ, and his surprisingly (at least to me) remarkable defensive play. He also looks pretty darn good on the powerplay even though it’s just preseason. Call me crazy but I think this kid has 2nd line centre and 25 goal potential.

Ian Gustafson

Mark Jankowski has surprised me the most because nobody expected him to do what he is accomplishing right now. Three goals in three games is pretty impressive for a kid who didn’t score a goal in three games for the Calgary Flames last season. Let’s hope the 2012 first round pick is finally developing into a full-time NHL centre.

Tom Oppolzer

Juuso Valimaki. He’s an 18-year-old defenseman who has almost pushed his way to a spot in the opening night lineup. That’s just not something you see very often. Since he was drafted in June he’s played around 10 high-level games (WJCSS, Penticton Tournament, and pre-season) and he hasn’t had a bad game yet. Even if he doesn’t end up making the opening night lineup, this is a player who’s going to be very good for the Calgary Flames in two years at the latest.

Related Story: Flames sign D Juuso Valimaki to ELC

Benjamin Prokopy

Ryan Lomberg. I’d be lying if I said that I had ANY idea who this kid was before the start of training camp. But his performance against the Vancouver Canucks was the most dynamic part of an otherwise marginal game. He was hitting. He was relentless in front of the net. And, for that, he was rewarded with a goal. Unfortunately, I don’t think Lomberg will make the final cut. There simply may not be any room for him.  But I do hope he gets at least one more start before the season begins.

Honourable mention goes to Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski. They’ve been great. But both of them are expected to be great. Lomberg came from out of nowhere.

Dan Raicevich

Mark Jankowski, by far. He has been making plays on the puck every time he touches it. As of today, he leads the team in goals scored so far. He has been impressive. Rasmus Andersson has impressed me as well, that boy can move the puck well that is for sure. His hockey IQ seems sky high to me, which is something you cannot teach.

Ramina Shlah

Definitely been Mark Jankowski. I was definitely one of those people who kind of thought Janko was a dud – that the Calgary Flames may have made somewhat of a mistake when they drafted him in the first round in 2012. He’s been one of the best players in preseason this year, and he’d fit well on a third line.

I also thought Tanner Glass had been quite good, to be in honest, and I never thought I’d say that. When the Calgary Flames signed him on a PTO, I was thinking, “Oh boy, we better not have another Nicklas Grossmann mishap.”

Related Story: Will we be seeing a Nicklas Grossmann repeat?

But he’s been smart about his physicality in his game and he hasn’t been making mistakes like I thought he would. That being said, I’m not saying he’s been one of the best players on the ice. I was just pleasantly surprised with him. If the Flames don’t sign him, I won’t cry over it. But if they do, I won’t be totally upset either.

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 2^nd 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.

Question 3: In the game against the Arizona Coyotes, Sam Bennett played on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Micheal Ferland and totally excelled (had three assists). Do you think that if he’s paired with good teammates, he can finally have his breakout season this year?

Jonathan Boulanger

I do. Bennett is a good player, he just needs a confidence boost and to find a constant work ethic which I think he will have this year. I believe this will be a breakout year and turning point for his career, turning him into a star. I’ve always had faith in Bennett and I think many others who didn’t will after this year.

Ian Gustafson

I think if he is paired with good linemates he could have a good year but I have to see him do it against NHL talent. This is preseason after all. I’m not taking anything away from Bennett but it is hard to say after only a few games in. He definitely has the potential and the talent to do so. Maybe it’s the beard?

Tom Oppolzer

Yes. That’s always been the idea around Bennett. He’s an excellent player but saddling him with players like Troy Brouwer and Alex Chiasson was always going to be hard on him. You can’t expect a young centre to excel in the NHL with 4^th line talent. If Bennett is given a chance with real linemates this season I think we’ll see him really break out and put up 45-50 points.

Related Story: Who will be playing on Sam Bennett's wing?

Benjamin Prokopy

No. The question implies that Bennett’s success will be dependent on the players he’s on a line with. Rather, I think Sam Bennett’s success this year will be determined by one person: Sam Bennett. He was great against the Coyotes, but not because of who he played with. He had a tremendous positional game and stayed true to “his” game by working to get the puck and create the play for his linemates.  Of course, it never hurts when the guy you’re feeding the puck to is Johnny Gaudreau. Irrespective, if Bennett keeps doing what he’s doing, good things will happen.

Dan Raicevich

I think regardless where he will play this year, he will break out. He could emerge as the best third line centre in hockey.

Ramina Shlah

I don’t think he’ll have a complete breakout-70-point-season, but I agree with Tomas. We could potentially see him hit 45-50 points. That’s if he’s not paired with Troy Brouwer. If he is, then all hope is lost. I definitely see where Ben is coming from, but at the end of the day, if you have an anchor as a linemate, it’ll be hard to excel no matter what. We saw that with TJ Brodie and Dennis Wideman, and right when Wideman was benched when Michael Stone was brought in, everything drastically improved for not only the team but for Brodie’s personal stats as well.

We saw how well Bennett played with Kris Versteeg in the playoffs as well, and if he can keep that momentum when the season starts and isn’t paired with Brouwer, I think he’ll be great.

Question 4: That being said, do you think we may be seeing some different line combos in either the first or the second line to hopefully accommodate to Bennett and stick him somewhere in there?

Jonathan Boulanger

I think that the 3M line (Matthew Tkachuk – Mikael Backlund – Michael Frolik) will have to split up at some time during this year. And the lineup will be shuffled around which will give the chance for Bennett and Jankowski to play up and down the lineup and maybe find chemistry with unlikely line partners. However, this year I don’t think Bennett will need a kick in the butt to get going. I think he’ll come in ready to play at an elite level on October 4th and it will continue for the entire year.

Ian Gustafson

I would rather leave Gaudreau, Monahan, and Ferland together to start the season just to see how they do. There is no way they break up the 3M line unless they start the season off slow, it might be tough for Bennett to get in the top 6 to start the season. Unless Glen Gulutzan considers moving Bennett to right wing alongside Monahan, and Gaudreau. Then move Ferland down to the third line.

Tom Oppolzer

I don’t think we’ll see changes in the top two lines, Monahan and Gaudreau have been stuck at the hips essentially since Johnny entered the league. What I think we will see is a kid like Spencer Foo make the squad and join Bennett and Versteeg on line 3. If he is stuck with Brouwer again, however, I’ll be extremely disappointed in the coaching and management.

Benjamin Prokopy

I doubt it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The top 2 lines of Gaudreau/Monahan/Ferland and Tkachuk/Backlund/Frolik worked well at the end of last season. It’s reasonable to presume that those 2 lines will stay intact for the foreseeable future. Of course, injuries may change things. And, during games where a shakeup is required, there is going to some line juggling. But, for the most part, I’m afraid Sam Bennett stays on the third line.

Dan Raicevich

It’s preseason, you will see a billion different combos in terms of the lines. Once opening night comes, the top six are mainly set. 3M lines plus the top line of Ferland, Monahan and Gaudreau with Bennett finding his way onto the third line. Shows great depth in the Flames lineup.

Ramina Shlah

I agree with Ben that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but lines don’t always stay perfect forever. We saw that with the Gaudreau-Monahan-Jiri Hudler from the 2014-15 season to the following season. That being said, I still think Ferland will stay on that first line to start the season with Gaudreau and Monahan and the 3M line will be intact as long as they play like they have been. But we might see a few different combos throughout the season. I’m hoping we’ll also see him on a powerplay unit since, like we’ve seen, he’s an excellent playmaker.

Question 5: Will Mark Jankowski finally get his shot at a full-time NHL job this year?

Jonathan Boulanger

Absolutely. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it. This kid is impressive and had put his time in with the AHL squad, and is ready for a full-time NHL job. Not only that, I think he will have a significant role on the team this season.

Ian Gustafson

I think Jankowski should get a shot at the lineup this year. He has definitely proven himself so far but the real question is where does he fit in? Maybe with Gaudreau and Monahan? Or maybe with Backlund and Frolik? Then move Ferland or Tkachuk down to play with Bennett on the third line. That is something worth considering.

Tom Oppolzer

Absolutely. Jankowski had a fantastic rookie AHL campaign and he’s followed that up with a great rookie camp and now he’s scored a goal in every pre-season game. The only way Jankowski doesn’t make the opening night lineup is if he gets injured.

Related Story: Young Stars tournament wraps up - who stood out?

Benjamin Prokopy

Yes, but not at centre. There is no question that Jankowski has been exceptional in training camp. Unfortunately, though, he suffers from the same limiting set of circumstances as Bennett. The team is pretty rich up the centre of the ice. He’s not likely to displace any of Monahan, Backlund or Bennett. He could move Matt Stajan to the press box, but putting him on the fourth line would be a waste of his offensive abilities. Those abilities are going to be needed on this team where goal scoring is likely going to be the team’s biggest problem. I like the idea of a Versteeg/Bennett/Jankowski line. But time will tell.

Dan Raicevich

Yes. Expect him to play on a line with Bennett and Versteeg in nine days at Rogers Place.

Ramina Shlah

I think he will be named to the Calgary Flames roster, but I won’t be surprised if he spends some guys in the pressbox. I don’t think that’ll be good for his development, but if that were the case, I don’t think he’ll spend a lot of time keeping the bench warm. Like Ben said, he might not be spending a lot of time at centre because of the depth the Flames already have at centre.