I do not understand the dislike of Don Maloney. In the real world, most people are subject to their employers. If we do not do what the boss tells us, we are fired.
We may not like Don’s refusal to let the Calgary Flames do a full rebuild, but teams no longer do total rebuilds. The magic word is retool. Owners do not want to go into five-year rebuilds. What they see as a five-year rebuild is five years with no money. The owners are into this money-making thing.
The way they make money is to win; you don’t win much during a rebuild.
Although I do not like what I’m hearing, I completely understand where the Calgary Flames owners are coming from. Their business is to build a winning team as quickly as possible.
Okay, let’s move on.
Dustin Wolf
In no way am I saying it is completely Dustin’s fault that the team is struggling this season. The defence in front of him has been faulty. Yes, he has struggled and not been quite himself, but the Calgary defence in front of him has not helped. I am forecasting that Dustin won’t get as many starts this year as he did last. The Calgary Flames will have to be patient with him until he can work this out. The defence has to improve—giving up two, three, or four goals every game does not cut it.
Devin Cooley
Devin is quite the story this season! Devin has been absolutely outstanding in every category. He has not had a bad start this season. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the Calgary Flames use him for the rest of the year. Good on you, Devin. What I love about him is that he is positionally sound, follows the puck, and has terrific vision.
Defence
Let’s talk about the defense a little bit. Yes, they have struggled this year.
MacKenzie Weegar
MacKenzie this year is not the same as the MacKenzie of the past. He has struggled to say the least. Whether it is because of Huska or MacKenzie, he has struggled with the Calgary Flames’ system this year. I’m beginning to wonder if MacKenzie isn’t completely healthy, or maybe he is second-guessing whether he wants to be here. Hopefully, he’ll work it out this year.
Yan Kuznetsov
Yan has been the biggest surprise this season. He has done everything that he has been asked for as a third-pairing defenseman. I love his maturity, and he hasn’t panicked much this season. He may be nothing flashy, but he doesn’t have to be. What I like most about him is that he’s defensively responsible and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He has been the perfect fit for the Calgary Flames.
Final Word
I may be shot for this, but I’m one of the few people who would love to see Rasmus Andersson resign. Of course, that is not going to happen. He’s going to be traded sooner or later. The good news is that he has upped his trade value this season. The bad news is that it may be nearly the deadline before that deal happens. The Calgary Flames have not received any offers that come close to what they want for him.
The news that interests me the most is the amount of interest in Blake Coleman. I am watching to see whether the Calgary Flames keep or trade him. Blake is a very useful player and could get a pretty good package.
Kadri sounds like he’s staying, but things could change by the end of the year.
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