Calgary Flames: Three stars of the 2017-18 season

LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 21: Dougie Hamilton #27 celebrates a goal scored by Matthew Tkachuk #19 with his teammates Johnny Gaudreau #13, Mark Giordano #5, and Sean Monahan #23 of the Calgary Flames against the Vegas Golden Knights during the game at T-Mobile Arena on February 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)

With the Calgary Flames season ending sooner than expected, there were still some players who stood out all season long. Let’s check them out.

The Calgary Flames had an unexpectedly shortened season. Being projected at one of the top teams in the league, their season, unfortunately, ended much too soon. They were doing decently throughout the season and nobody quite thought that they wouldn’t end up making it, especially since they game up a lot of assets to get here.

But then the bye-week came and everything sort of went downhill from there. There were some injuries, a big one happening to Mike Smith. David Rittich and Jon Gillies couldn’t man the crease, and when Smith did return, he wasn’t what he was in the first half of the season. This whole season was somewhat of a bust and it’s quite unfortunate that the Flames won’t even have a draft pick until the third round.

However, it was let known that GM Brad Treliving did let the other GMs know at their GM meeting that he may be looking to trade for a first-round pick. And with the firings of head coach Glen Gulutzan and two assistant coaches the other day, he’s making moves quickly it seems.

All this being said, even though this season was somewhat of a bust, some players stood out more than others. To be honest, Mike Smith would have potentially made this list if the season ended at the end of January. But it didn’t.

Let’s check out the three stars of the year.

Honorary Mention: All of you

The fans definitely deserve an honourable mention here, especially if you’re one of the people who watched almost all 82 games. Nearing the end of the season, it seemed like many people didn’t tune into the games and I was basically live-tweeting to nobody. Don’t worry, I’m not judging you for not watching. I would have done the same if I didn’t need to.

But we all stuck through some occasional weird lineup decisions, frustrating powerplays, losing 8-2 and 6-0, and Dougie Hamilton not getting the love and respect he deserves. And for that, I commend all of us.