October Issue 108
JockTalk by Jock Wilson
Jocktalk
– Five Flaming Questions as NHL Season Begins
It's "Go Time" for the Calgary
Flames as the 2016 - 2017 NHL season kicks off with a back-to-back, home and
home series with the Edmonton Oilers.
Like a proud peacock, the Oilers will show
off their beautiful new plumage called Rogers Place on October 12 and then the
Battle of Alberta hits the Scotiabank Saddledome on October 14.
1. Will the Flames be better than the
Oilers this season?
The Flames finished 7 points better than
the Oilers last season and had 4 more wins but nobody in Calgary was gloating. The
2015 - 2016 season was a disaster for both Alberta teams with the Flames
finishing 26th overall and Edmonton 29th. The Flames have made significant
upgrades to their goaltending, while the Oilers addressed their defensive
liabilities trading Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson. Both teams will
be better but is there room for both to return to the post season? Highly
unlikely. The team that wins the season series will have the upper hand.
2. Is Glen Gulutzan a better coach than Bob
Hartley?
As far as I am concerned, this was the most
baffling move of the off season. One year removed from winning the Jack Adams
trophy as the coach of the year, Hartley was shown the door early in May.
"Bob did some very good things
here," said Flames General Manager Brad Treliving at the time of the
firing. "The decision was not based solely on the season. I just felt at
this particular time, it's time to move forward. Bob has taken this team as far
as I feel he can take it."
Naturally, the rumours started to fly that the
players didn't like Hartley's harsh style and it rubbed certain players the
wrong way. The poor million dollar babies didn't like to be criticized. The
Flames needed a softer, gentler touch. You know, like Charmin toilet paper.
On June 17, the Flames introduced the very
likeable Glen Gulutzan, who promised to bring a new style and a new energy to
the team.
“I’m not Bob. I’m a different
guy. I’m a different voice. I’m a different personality. I’m a different kind
of coach," says Gulutzan. "But some of the foundations that he built
are universal, and I’m not going to tear those down. But we’re going to change
things, and make it the way we want to play.”
Personally, I like
Gulutzan, but I liked Hartley too. Time will tell if this was a step forward, a
step back or maybe just a lateral move.
3. Have the Flames solved their goaltending
woes?
The most exciting move in the off season
came at the NHL draft in Buffalo. The Flames acquired goaltender Brain Elliot
from the St. Louis Blues for a 2nd round pick (35th overall) and a conditional
3rd round pick in 2018. The 31 year old is entering the final year of his
contract at a modest 2.5 million dollars. More importantly, Elliot was coming
off a season with a league best .930 save percentage and fantastic 23 - 8 - 6
record with 4 shutouts. Finally a solution to the erratic goaltending trio of
Jonas Hiller, Kari Ramo and Joni Ortio.
Flames GM Brad Treliving was not done and
signed free agent Chad Johnson to a cap friendly one year deal worth 1.7
million dollar deal. Johnson played a career high 45 games last season with
Buffalo Sabres, posting a .920 save percentage and a very respectable 22 - 16 -
1 record on a very average team.
"Goaltending was a huge issue in
Calgary last season," says former Flames GM Craig Button. "They have
made significant upgrades and this will put them back in the playoff picture in
the Western Conference."
4. Can Johnny Gaudreau produce on the road?
We all know Johnny Hockey is a dynamic NHL
player. He's the type of player that brings you out of your seat at the
Saddledome. He was the Flames leader in all the important categories. Goals,
assists, points, shots, game winning goals and jersey sales. Yes, he is a fan
favourite!
While his defensive zone play will always
be criticized, coaches certainly don't want to stifle his offensive creativity.
However, if Gaudreau it truly going to become one of the elite forwards in the
league he is going to have to start producing on the road. Gaudreau scored 78
points last season, including a league high 56 at home. You can do the math;
that means he only racked up 22 points on the road when the match ups aren't as
favourable.
5. Did the Flames overpay for Troy Brouwer?
The 31 year old winger hit a home run
during free agency signing a 4 year, 18 million dollar contract. Too much
money, in my opinion, for a guy who scored 39 points last season. The signing
also cost them Calgary product Joe Colbourne who signed a 2 year, 5 million
dollar deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Is Brouwer really that much better
than Colborne? The obvious answer is no, but I do understand the intangibles
that Brouwer brings to the table. He will be expected to play top 6 minutes for
the Flames this season, bring leadership to the room, kill penalties and take
on additional d-zone responsibilities. The Flames gave a similar deal to
Michael Frolik two years ago and while Frolik is a good player, he is not a
great bang for the buck.
I do have to put a little disclaimer on
this article as I writing this as training camp is just getting underway. The
Gaudreau situation was still up in the air and one of the biggest questions
will the health of the Flames important pieces. During last year's preseason,
Flames defenseman TJ Brodie broke a bone in his hand and it kept him out of the
lineup for nearly a month. The Flames stumbled out of gate and they never did
recovery. The Flames will need a great start to the 2016 - 2017 season and back
to wins against the Edmonton Oilers would go a long ways to an exciting,
successful season.
About Jock Wilson:
Jock has been involved in the Calgary sport media scene for over 30 years. He hosts the
Calgary Stampeder football broadcasts on Newstalk 770 and is the host of
Sportstalk from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Email: jock@am770chqr.com
Twitter: @sportson770
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