2006/07 Season Preview - Calgary Flames
20.09.06 12:00MST
Two-time Western Conference Finalists try to get over hump
The 2005/06 edition of the Calgary Flames saw the team jump in the standings to once again reign supreme over the Northwest Division with 116 points, one point shy of their 117 point 1989 season which saw them last raise the Stanley Cup. And again, the Flames found themselves battling in the Western Conference Finals with the highly touted Detroit Red Wings. And sadly again, the Flames failed to get over the hump and make it to the finals.
Now of course we know that the 'hump' isn't just something to roll over. In this instance, it is a well-oiled machine that ultimately won Lord Stanley's cup for the second time in 3 years and is led by the generational talent that is Niklas Lidstrom. For the Flames to beat the Wings, they need to get better. The question is, did they?
In short, no. The Flames lost two critical members of last year's squad to free-agency. J-S Giguere, the team leader in Goals Against Average, Career wins, and Save Percentage refused to entertain remaining with the Flames and signed a lucrative deal with the St.Louis Blues. Toni Lydman, longtime #3 d-man signed a 3 year deal with the re-building Dallas Stars and was named Captain upon arrival.
In their place the Flames have looking internally. Marty Turco, a longtime minor league Goalie has inherited the number one role and has yet to prove he can take on the workload. The Flames front office is confident he can manage the role and with GM Fyvie in his last year of his current contract, may well put his job on the line with this gamble.
Johnny Oduya, a second round draft pick in 2000, has been tabbed to fill in Lydman's longtime role on the second defensive pairing with Zbynek Michalek. Oduya's game doesn't resemble Lydman's in any way, but his offensive awareness and superior mobility add a dimension that was always missing from the second pairing and compliments Michalek's game in a way Lydman never could.
The Forward ranks largely remain the same. After the acquisition of Demitra and Langkow, who were both on expiring contracts, Fyvie re-upped the tandem to affordable contracts cementing the team's offensive depth for the foreseeable future. This is the second year in a row that Fyvie's deadline deals turned out to be long-term solutions as Brad Lukowich was acquired and thus signed longterm shortly thereafter.
The Flames are deep upfront with speed, grit and skill. They posses a solid blue-line that strikes a balance of puck-movers and crease-clearers. It is ultimately the Goaltending that is the question mark. Will Turco manage to handle the workload, or will the Flame be forced to win in spite of their man between the pipes?
All in all, the Flames should still remain a contender to win the division, as both Edmonton and Colorado have begun over-due rebuilds. Minnesota can perhaps challenge for a playoff spot which leaves the formidable Vancouver Canucks as Calgary's only threat within the NorthWest Division.