Through four games, we all expected the Calgary Flames to struggle mightily, but even the most pessimistic fans couldn't have quite seen the team being 0-4-0 with a differential of -17. That differential might mean something different if there were injuries or tough opponents, but to date, the team is healthy beyond Jonathan Huberdeau, and with only one potential post-season team of their four opponents, it looks much, much worse.
In those four games, the team have allowed a total of 23 goals, and with some high-octane offense's ahead on the schedule, things could get much uglier before they even start to get better in Calgary.
So, while things can't be 'fixed' with a few changes given the lack of elite level talent, tweaks to this blue line could certainly help, and after allowing seven goals to the Avalanche on Thursday, here is how we would love to see the blue line play out on Saturday night.
Should the Calgary Flames Switch up Their Blue Line Pairings?
Already we've seen some shakeup on the Flames blue line, but to this point, nothing has worked, as the team have thus far allowed 6, 4, 6 and 7 goals across four games. Whether it be the insertion of Joel Hanley, the breakup of Bahl/Nemec or Zach Whitecloud's changing role, the team simply haven't been able to get it right thus far.
Sure, there may a locker room dynamic that is stopping changes being made, but from the outside looking in, there could be an obvious solution staring the Flames right in the face. So, how should the team line up against hte Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night?
Kevin Bahl | Simon Nemec |
|---|---|
Zayne Parekh | Zach Whitecloud |
Yan Kuznetsov | Hunter Brzustewicz |
Jake Middleton |
However, these changes would require another roster move, and while that would involve waiving Joel Hanley and using Jake Middleton as the teams seventh d-man, it would be the ideal solution to unlock their potential.
Should Zayne Parekh be Playing on the Left?
The priority of our proposed shakeup is finding Zayne Parekh a much better and more capable partner, as Middleton has proven early in the year that he simply isn't good enough to partner a young, dynamic player like Parekh that needs opportunities. Sure, Whitecloud isn't much of an offensive upgrade, but the two worked well together a year ago, and on the second pairing, Huska would be forced to play Parekh a lot more, and given the offense he provides, it's a no-brainer move.
As for the top pairing, Bahl/Nemec was one of the more effective pairings in the first few games, and while the Flames struggled with and without them on the ice, it was clear that the two were building chemistry.
Simply put, the Flames need to stick with the same pairings consistently until that chemistry comes, and with a top four that looks like this, the team may find some good play moving forward, and alongside giving Hunter Brzustewicz a full-time role in the NHL, this group would be much better than what Huska has rolled with lately.
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