Calgary Flames: Five best players through the first 15 games

The Calgary Flames are 15 games through their season. There have been some players who have impressed and others, not so much.

We’re getting close to 1/5th through the season. I feel like it’s flown by. But the Calgary Flames are now 15 games into their season. There have been players who have been impressing and who are starting their season much better than their start last season. And others… not so much. But here, we have the best five players through 15 games of the season. This was somewhat hard to narrow down, which is definitely the best kind of problem someone could have.

Be sure to check out our site tomorrow for the worst five Flames players through 15 games.

Honourable Mention: Micheal Ferland

This wouldn’t be a true Flame for Thought list if we didn’t include an honourable mention. And in this case, it’s Micheal Ferland. The reason he didn’t make this list is that while he hasn’t had an incredible first 15 games, he’s had a great second half of that.

Ferland right now has five goals and two assists in 14 games with the Flames this season which is tied for sixth on the team. However, in the last eight games, he has four of those goals and both assists. And is third on the team in points with six since then. He only had one goal in his first six games.

Ferland is already a third of the way to his goal total from last season, which was a career high for him at 15 goals. What changed? Well, he got put on a line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau and that trio has great chemistry.

Last season after being put on a line with Gaudreau and Monahan in late February, it sparked a ten-game win streak – a high in Calgary Flames franchise history and a tie for a high in Atlanta Flames history. After Ferland was put on a line with those two last season, he had seven goals in 17 games. Before that, he had eight goals in 55 games.

Clearly these three gel well together.

But of course, this is this season. But he still deserves an honorary mention and he’s a very underrated player, which his teammates say so too.

Via Calgary Herald:

"“He’s sneakily skilled,” Gaudreau said of Ferland. “Guys look at him just as a fighter and a big tough guy, but he’s smart with the puck. He’s intelligent, he can read the play and he has a great shot, too. “All the coaches tell me, ‘When you have a chance to shoot the puck, just shoot the puck,’ ” Ferland said. “I think last year and the year before, too, I would always look to pass first before I would look to shoot. And now, I think, just being kind of selfish and shooting the puck more.”"

Now, let’s get on to the list.