Predictions for the season

 

Do visions of Huberdeau and Lindholm dance in your head? So goes the beginning of the hockey season. Don't tell me you don't have them in your head. 

There are high expectations for the Flames. As the season progresses, those expectations will turn into dread and visions of firing everyone. Well, maybe not. This team is built for the playoffs; we just have to get there. Speaking of expectations—I would like to throw out some numbers I think certain players should obtain. They are the leaders of the team going into this season. 

11 Jonathan Huberdeau 

He is known as Huby and is the star of attraction this season. He is an outstanding playmaking forward who can play with the best of them. Huberdeau might be the best passer in the game. He has a sneaky shot. He will be the leading scorer on the team. 

30-60-90

Elias Lindholm 

Elias Lindholm is the number one centre. He had a career year last year. He is a smooth skating forward who is sneaky fast. Lindholm has a terrific wrist shot. Lindholm's one-timers are deadly; he is very accurate in the slot. He will benefit from Huberdeau's playmaking. 

I am expecting: 40-35-75

52 Mackenzie Weegar

Many experts feel Mackenzie is the best defenceman on the team. He is strong both ways in his game. Sturdy and dependable defensively, he will cut down defensive mistakes in the Flames' zone. 

Weegar is the typical Darryl Sutter player. He has a high hockey IQ. 

I am expecting: 12-30-42

Jacob Markstrom

Jacob is an elite goalie. Even better news, he won't be left to his own devices as often as last season. He is one of the best positional goalies with excellent vision. He rarely gets caught out of position. 

His load should be less this season.

I am expecting: 55 starts, 35 wins, and 6 shootouts. I am really hoping it is 50 starts. 

Randy

Darth Vladar should play

Darth Vladar should play more this season. 

Ring of Fire shows off Mr. Vladar's saves. You can find him on Twitter @RingOfFireCGY.

Before you shoot me, let me explain the statement. We need to keep Markstrom fresher for the playoffs this year. Don't read more into my statement than that. I do not believe it was Markstrom's fault that we lost to the Oilers; that was a Total Team Collapse. Notice the capitalization. I wanted to emphasize that it was the team's responsibility. 

If a team can limit a goalie start to 50 games, they will have a more refreshed goalie. A refreshed goalie means better quality saves. If Markstrom is on his game, he is one of the best goalies in the league. When alert, he is always in a position to make the save.

A tired goalie misses rebounds, often resulting in easy goals. He is often caught out of position. 

The Flame's offense will tail off a bit this season. With the lost Tkachuk and Gaudreau, the Flames will need Markstrom to bail him out. No, I am not being a negative Nelly. Realistically, Kadri and Weeger will not make up for the loss of Tkachuk. 

I love Markstrom. A rested Markstrom can be that much better. 

Randy

Brad, you did what? Episode 2

This is the wildest offseason I have experienced! Who would have thought Monahan, Tkachuk, and Gaudreau would be all gone? Like everyone else who heard the rumors, I refused to believe they would go away. Yes, sometimes I live my own little world.

We rebuild it. Stronger, faster...  oh, never mind. Well, here we are now, Calgary Flames Management's own version of the Six Million Dollar Man.  

The first question is whether or not Kadri is worth Monahan and a first. Monahan has not fit into the Sutter System from the start. Combine that with his injuries, and Mony has never gotten off the ground with the Flames. Despite all that, I think that he will excel with the Habs. The price of the first-round pick goes with the territory when asking a team to take all of his salary. 

In signing Kadri, the Flames are getting a proven winner. Kadri brings a new attitude into the dressing room. He will put an intensity into the team that will no longer accept losing. The Flames have not acquired Kadri only for his offensive talent, but also for his attention to detail in his game. He brings tons of grit into his game. He gets into people's heads. I don't expect him to get ninety points, but I expect him to get 50-60 points and to be a shutdown player. A little more offensive than Backlund, with a touch of grouchiness, he is the perfect Sutter player. 

Yes, I've heard what the naysayers have to say about the Kadri contract. At the end of his contract, Kadri will be as old as Methuselah. My answer is that Methuselah has two more possible cups to his resume. The Flames are in a win-now mode. They will take their chances with Kadi until he turns 39. Brad is a "put-up or shut-up" general manager. He is fighting for his job.

Randy

Brad you did what?

My wife almost had a heart attack on July 23 around ten pm. I might have gotten a little excited about a specific trade. I was told that Tkachuk was signed and delivered to the Blues. You can imagine my astonishment when the trade went down. 

While everyone worries about the status of Huberdeau and Weegar, even if they don't sign, the Flames scored big time at the deadline. Don't worry; the Flames will not be left holding the bag; they will unload both players at the deadline if they don't have them inked to a contract extension.  (Update: Huberdeau signs a $10.5 mm 8-year extension August 4.)

Now, what do we know about Cole Schwindt? We know he is excellent on the draw. He works hard in the corners and will not be cheated or outworked with the puck. He is also hard to take off the puck. 

Schwindt has been improving his shot each year. He is becoming a more and more solid third-line centre. He can also play wing. Most people consider him a B+ prospect. Cole is tenacious when covering his assignments and will stick to opponents like glue.

The Flames signed Mangiapane and Kylington to avoid arbitration. This way, the Flames can move on with these two upcoming stars. I love it when teams can avoid the arbitration hearings, erasing the resentment of the players.

As for the contracts, I like them. Kylington is developing into an all-around defenceman. He might be a steal at this price if he doesn't get traded before the camp starts. 

The Mangiapane signing was crucial. He will be motivated to prove his naysayers out of Calgary they're wrong. The Flames are thin on the forwards, and he could not lose the 35-goal scorer after the Gaudreau fiasco; Eat Bread brings a certain tang to his game, but he does not get the respect he deserves. 

The Flames have 10 defencemen and one of the league's best defensive cores. The addition of Weegar puts Kylington or Hanifin as excellent trade bait to bringing in another top-six forward. Filling the void left by Tkachuk will be hard. No single player can replace Tkachuk, but they can find another 20-goal scorer to help fill the void. The offensive side of the game is going to be accomplished by committee. Everyone will have to pick up their game after the loss of Tkachuk.

Randy

2022 Draft: Calgary Picks

Calgary doesn't have a first-round pick in this year's draft. The Flames will be exploring different ways to get into the first round. Could Monahan be shopped? Andrew Mangiapane? Then the dreaded question that I don't even want to ask — could the rights of Johnny Gaudreau be up for grabs? Flames have lots of options if they want that first-round pick. With the Flames' salary cap problems, they may very well seek different options to make room for Matthew Poitras, Gaudreau, and Tkachuk's contract under the salary cap. I am hearing they would love for Johnny to sign but aren't sitting back and will be aggressive in the free-agent market. 

Going into this draft, the Flames need a second-line forward with some scoring skills. They really need some help with the secondary scoring. Quite often, if the top line did not score, the Flames laid an egg. They need a sparkplug, someone who can put some energy into the lineup. They should add another dman who is good in the defensive game. The Flames still are hanging their goalies out to dry. They need to be more defensive and responsive this season. A stay-home dman would be nice. Those are the two biggest concerns to be addressed this season. 

 

If things stay the same, the Flames will have a second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and the seventh-rounders. 

My suggestions are:

59 Matthew Poitras  

Centre 

Poitras is a reliable two-way centre whose defensive play improves his offensive paralysis on the ice. Matthew will win his share of battles with the puck. His strength is taking advantage of other players' mistakes. He will get into players' psyches. Scouts love his hard work and stable influence in the dressing room. 

155 David Moravec 

Defense 

David is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of player. David is a stay-home defenseman who will be a great penalty killer. He bails out other players' mistakes and does not panic with the puck. He has no fear. He plays like a big man and will have to bulk up, as he is kind of small. His intensity makes up for the lack of size, a typical stay-at-home dman. 

219 Ben Hemmerling 

Right-Wing

Offensive upside. Hemmerling has the potential to be a solid third-line forward. A solid skater who works without the puck. A good wrist shot with some zing to it. Ben could develop into an NHL'er, but it will take some patience.

See my full mock draft here.

2022 Draft: What does a scout look for?

I often wondered what Scouts look for in a prospect, especially this time of year. I decided to go the horse's mouth and ask expert Russ Cohen. As we get ready for the draft, the Scouts are earning their paycheques. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Russ Cohen. 

All scouts look for different things. They all have a numeric system to apply to attributes like speed, as an example. They file the reports electronically after games. Some teams look for toughness, some are hard to play against. some speed, some playing the right way. Sometimes a scout can look at a player a few times and know his team has to get that player and then the rest of the visits is about confirmation before he recommends that player. Scouts' jobs depend on getting at least two players in every draft. Hopefully, they play 100-200 NHL games. You can't build a team through free agency in the cap world. Scouts are careful to use phrases like "generational talent". When the talent pool compresses as players move up that's when things either click or many times go sideways. Amateur scouting is vital to a team's future success.

I'm Russ Cohen. My website is www.sportsology.com. My Twitter handle is @Sportsology. It's there I push the other outlets I work for. The first draft that I covered was in 2001 and I've been covering everyone ever since then.  

I want to thank Russ for his time; he is a great Twitter follower and a wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend following him. He will make it worth your while. 

See my full mock draft here.

RIP Bearcat Murray

 

My heart is a little saddened today to hear of the passing of Bearcat. I remember him jumping on the ice, often helping an injured player. That injured player did not have to be a Flame; I saw him jumping off for the other team player if he could get there before their trainer. That was just the man; he was all class. I will never forget his manner, always smiling.  

Bearcat had a heart of gold. He was there for anyone who asked for help. He would have given the shirt off his back. He had his finger in many charities,  offering his time to help in any way he could. He will permanently be attached to the Calgary Flames. The man, the myth, the legend, Bearcat Murray. 

My sympathies to his friends and family. May God be with them at this time.