By Alex Hobson
2014-15 LEADING SCORERS
Jiri Hudler (31 G, 45 A, 76 P)
Johnny Gaudreau (24 G, 40 A, 64 P)
Sean Monahan (31 G, 31 A, 62 P)
LAST SEASON
No one really expected the Calgary Flames to have the season they had. The season after they earned the 4th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, they had relatively low expectations heading into the next seasons, but the results were far better than anyone thought. The Flames would make the playoffs and end up advancing to the second round of the NHL playoffs, before being eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks. Johnny Gaudreau had a great rookie season, finishing with 64 points and in the race for the Calder, as well as a career year from Jiri Hudler that saw him record 76 points. Oddly enough, the Flames gave away a few players at the deadline rather than try to add pieces like the rest of the contending teams, but it didn't stop the Flames from making the playoffs. They traded Curtis Glencross to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a second round pick and a third round pick, and then traded Sven Baertschi to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a second rounder in 2015. They went into the playoffs against the Canucks, and won the series in game six in a nailbiter that saw them score multiple goals in the third period resulting in a 7-4 win on home ice, but then went into round two against the Ducks and were eliminated in five games. Needless to say, the Flames weren't complaining at the outcome of their season, and were perfectly content with the way things turned out.
OFFSEASON
IN
Dougie Hamilton
Michael Frolik
Derek Grant
OUT
David Schlemko
Corey Potter
Brian McGrattan
Brad Thiessen
Devin Setoguchi
Raphael Diaz
Mark Cundari
John Ramage
Sena Acolatse
Ben Hanowski
The Flames didn't quite have as active of an offseason as other teams, but they did make a pretty big move to kick it off, trading their 2015 15th overall pick to the Boston Bruins in exchange for defenseman Dougie Hamilton. This move boulstered the Flames' already tough defensive core, and the 22 year old still has lots of time to blossom into a top-tier defenseman. They went into the 2015 NHL Draft and while they didn't have a first round pick, they selected a player with first round talent in Oliver Kylington, and then earlier selected sleeper pick Rasmus Andersson with their first second rounder. They went into free agency and made one decently big signing, inking Michael Frolik to a five year contract, and then made one extra depth signing by bringing in Derek Grant. Overall, there wasn't much to talk about regarding the Flames' offseason besides the Hamilton signing, but they only made a good team better.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
Look for the Flames offense to be lead by their top three scorers in 2014-15 in Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Jiri Hudler, with secondary scoring coming from Michael Frolik and Mikael Backlund. Watch for youngsters Michael Ferland and Sam Bennett to challenge for regular spots on the 2015-16 offensive lineup.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
The main piece to watch on defense throughout the 2015-16 season for the Flames will be Dougie Hamilton. Given that the top pairing is likely a lock in Mark Giordano and T.J Brodie, he'll likely be given second pairing minutes next to Kris Russell or Dennis Wideman, with Deryk Engelland and Ladislav Smid challenging for the sixth spot on the defensive core.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
The Flames will without question go with Jonas Hiller as their starter and Karri Ramo as their backup, but Ramo will get at least 25 games between the pipes. This tandem worked well for the Flames last year and will likely continue to look good in the 2015-16 season.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Jiri Hudler
Lance Bouma - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik
Mason Raymond - Sam Bennett - Josh Jooris
Brandon Bollig - Matt Stagan - Joe Colborne
Mark Giordano - T.J Brodie
Kris Russell - Dougie Hamilton
Dennis Wideman - Ladislav Smid
Jonas Hiller
Karri Ramo
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