Well here it is, just over a week away from the start of the NHL season.  It has been a long summer, full of tragedy around the NHL but hockey is once again ready to prevail as we prepare to kick off the 2011-2012 season.

Flames fans around the league enter the season with mixed expectations.  Known as an inconsistent team, there are fears that the Flames will begin the season in a dreadful rut similar to last year (15-19-3 prior to December).  Meanwhile, others are hoping they can instead begin the season as they ended it last year (27-11-9).  The question still remains which Flames club is going to show up this season.

After making some significant deals in the offseason, let’s take a look at the new cast of characters.

Notable losses from last year’s team are Daymond Langkow, Robyn Regehr, Adam Pardy, Fredrik Modin, Ales Kotalik and Steve Staios.

New to the club this year are Lee Stempniak, Scott Hannan, Paul Byron and Chris Butler.

1. The Feaster Spin

As Jay Feaster’s first offseason as GM, he has put his own new spin on the team.  The trade that sent Regehr to Buffalo was initially met with grimaces, as it is always tough to lose such a high quality defenseman.  Especially one that has been with the organization for so long. But included in the deal, the Flames were able to trade away the struggling Ales Kotalik.  In the process, they were able to dump close to $7 million salary, creating enough space to sign Alex Tanguay.  Coming back the other way was Paul Byron and Chris Butler – who have both had stellar training camps with the Flames this year, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Losing Daymond Langkow was difficult for long-time Flames fans to swallow, but in the grand scheme of things it was the ideal trade for the Flames to make. Coming the other way – Lee Stempniak brings a potential 40-50 point scorer, and makes the Flames not only younger, but faster as well.

The loss of Adam Pardy should be a cause for celebration; after receiving an offer from the Dallas Stars for $2 million, the Flames were unwilling to match that price tag, and rightfully so.  Given Pardy’s play in Calgary over the last few years, that is far too significant a price to pay for the lanky defenseman.  Instead, the Flames managed to sign Scott Hannan to a one-year, $1 million contract.  In today’s NHL market, this is a solid, no-risk signing.  Hannan can step in and play the defensive-defenseman role that is missing with the loss of Robyn Regehr.

So overall – the Flames are essentially status quo in comparison to last year, albeit with much more space below the salary cap.

2. Who impressed at training camp?

Jay Feaster and Brent Sutter were very clear prior to the start of training camp that each and every player had to earn their position on the team – providing incentives for the younger players at camp to fight for a roster spot.

Calgary drafted Sven Baertschi in the first round of the NHL draft this year, and in his first NHL camp the LW showed he possesses amazing talent and is very skilled with the puck.  His two-way game requires some work, but for an 18-year-old, he did a phenomenal job of impressing.  He is likely to return to the WHL this year, but expect him to be a regular in the lineup for the Flames in the future.

TJ Brodie impressed on the Flames blueline last preseason, particularly on the Flames powerplay but did not make it stick as an 18-year-old.  This preseason he showed similar offensive prowess, but was prone to making occasional mistakes, and still needs to work on his defensive game.  Another season the AHL will benefit this youngster greatly – and expect him to make the jump to the Flames roster next season, or if there are significant injuries on the blueline this year.

Roman Horak was perhaps the greatest surprise in training camp, the Czech centerman demonstrated his remarkable acceleration, solid two-way play, silky stick-handling ability and precision passing.  The 20-year-old is certainly making the coaching staff think twice about sending him to the AHL, but it is likely he will start there and receive the call-up to play a few games in the NHL this season.  Playing in the AHL for the Heat alongside former junior linemate Ryan Howse will promote even further development of his talents.

On the tune of Ryan Howse, the 20-year-old prospect had a stellar season in the WHL last year, putting up 83 points in 70 games playing on Roman Horak’s left wing.  In camp this year he showed flashes of his quick feet, excellent shot, and his ability to drive to the net.  It is likely he will be assigned to the AHL to further develop his game and offensive talents.  Expect him to be another player to wear the Flames jersey this season should injuries arise.

Paul Byron was the 22-year-old prospect obtained in the Robyn Regehr trade, centerman probably fought the hardest to convince the coaching staff to give him a spot on the NHL club this year.  He had an excellent preseason campaign, looking solid on both ends of the ice and using his speed to his advantage.  Not afraid to go into the boards to fight for the puck, he was able to bring energy to the lineup.  It is highly likely that Byron will see some action in a Flames uniform this season.  Byron will likely fill a role as a 3rd or 4th line center providing energy minutes and using his speed to his advantage.  Until then however, Byron will probably return to the AHL to continue his development as a more offensive player.

The last piece of the puzzle was also acquired in the Regehr trade – defenseman Chris Butler.  During the majority of this preseason Butler went about his business quietly – effectively maintaining his end of the ice, making smart plays with the puck and keeping out of trouble.  He very easily made a case to be on the Flames roster as a top-six defenseman this season.

3. Projected Lineup

Let’s take a look at the defenseman first;

Jay Bouwmeester – Scott Hannan
Mark Giordano – Cory Sarich
Anton Babchuk – Chris Butler/Brendan Mikkelson

On the forward side of things, the biggest question is who is going to be playing between Iginla and Tanguay.  Expect Mikael Backlund to get that opportunity to start in that spot this season.

Alex Tanguay – Mikael Backlund – Jarome Iginla
Curtis Glencross – Olli Jokinen – David Moss
Rene Bourque – Matt Stajan – Lee Stempniak
Niklas Hagman – Tom Kostopoulos/Horak/Byron/Morrison – Tim Jackman

The biggest dilemma in creating this potential lineup is Niklas Hagman.  After having a less than satisfying season last year, he was sent down to the AHL after not being picked up on waivers by any other team.  This preseason, however, Hagman has looked like the Hagman of old – using his skating ability, and shooting the puck more frequently.  He has undoubtedly made the opening squad roster, but where he plays remains a question.  Given the chemistry of the other lines, he will likely play on the fouth line and the coaching staff will evaluate his play from there.

4. How do they make the playoffs?

The Flames need to exorcise some demons this year, and come out playing like they ended last season.  A lot of supposed “critics” cite the Flames will not make the playoffs this season because of the lack of scoring potential.  Last season, Calgary held the eighth-highest goals per game average in the NHL, and the eighth-ranked powerplay.  Scoring obviously was not a problem, but they suffered on the defensive side of things, with the worst culprits being the forwards.

Towards the end of the season, the forwards began to buy into the coaching strategy; backchecking hard, wingers coming back along the boards, and none of the forwards were flying the zone prior to the puck exiting.  That was one of the main reasons for the turn around in their success.  With these systems in place, the forwards should be able to implement the defensively minded system to start the season, with the knowledge that they have the capability to score while playing that style of hockey.  Should the Flames step up and do that – they will no doubt be a playoff contender this year.

On an individual level, a few players have to prove their merit this year.  The first name that comes to mind is Jay Bouwmeester.  The often criticized defenseman put up fairly lack luster numbers last year (4 goals, 20 assists, minus 2 overall).  However, the 28-year-old defenseman was third in the NHL in average ice time per game, playing against the league’s best players night in and night out.  He is capable of moving the puck effectively out of his own zone, and is as smooth a skater as there is in the NHL.  Many suggest that the $6.68 million defenseman should put up greater offensive numbers to be paid that much, but his greatest offensive stats were on a Florida team that did not play defensively minded hockey – and so his capability to jump up into the play was enhanced.  While it would be nice for him to put up greater numbers this year, the Flames are still blessed to have a solid puck-moving defenseman that can play big minutes each night and maintain a respectable plus-minus.  This offseason demonstrated that the value for marquee defensemen is fairly steep, and so the Flames may consider themselves lucky to have the talents of Bouwmeester - despite him not putting the puck in the net as much as fans would want.

Jarome Iginla is a notoriously slow starter, and sitting out of the majority of preseason with back spasms probably won’t help his start.  But Flames fans hope that he can light a torrid scoring pace from the start, and don’t be surprised if he pots 40+ goals again this season.  This will be particularly true if he can recapture the magic that he had with Tanguay last season.

This is the season for youngster Backlund to step-up and prove his worth as a number one center in this league. He showed flashes of brilliance last year, and Flames fans hope he can maintain this on a regular basis this season.
The last 30 games of the season last year witnessed the emergence of the OMG line (Olli Jokinen, David Moss and Curtis Glencross). The three had stellar chemistry together, vaulting Glencross to a career season, and witnessed Jokinen break out of a two-year funk. The line looked solid throughout the preseason, and one can expect them to maintain that chemistry they possessed from last year.  Look for this line to provide essential secondary scoring throughout the season.

Should Matt Stajan return to the Stajan of old (…don’t hold your breath), he can provide a significant punch from the third line – especially playing alongside former teammate Lee Stempniak.  Rene Bourque may benefit from playing on this line, as he will be looked to as the designated shooter and will see his fair share of the puck.

Sure, there are a lot of ‘what-ifs’ and question marks on this Flames roster.  But should they play to their potential - and maintain the form that they carried into the end of last season they have the ability to position themselves strongly in the Western Conference - and for that reason I believe they are going to be a playoff contender this season, finishing in the middle of the West.  It also doesn’t hurt that Miikka Kiprusoff has looked like the world-class goaltender of old throughout preseason and training camp.

Look for the Flames to be a difficult team to play against night in and night out with a punishing style of defensive hockey with a solid offensive punch.

Shahbaz Syed
Twitter – DDxDino

Admittedly this article is well behind schedule, the Flames have packed up their lockers and moved on – long forgotten as the NHL postseason forges on. But as I have emerged from the funk of another lost season, I can take this calm period to reflect upon the Calgary Flames rollercoaster season. From the start of the season until January, the Flames were a dismal bunch – sitting in the basement of the West. The City was stark with calls to trade Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kipprusoff and the rest of the core. Then something special happened, the Flames started a tremendous run until March, and launched themselves back into a playoff position. The sudden change in success seemed uncharacteristic, as the same personnel were on the ice. New GM Jay Feaster had yet to put his mark on the team, but it appears that the players had finally bought into the team strategy. Come trade deadline – Feaster had some difficult questions to deal with in regards to the structure of the team. The GM opted to essentially maintain status quo, to provide the club the (deserved) opportunity to make the post season. With three weeks left in the season, however, the Flames began to sputter and once again narrowly missed a playoff berth. Another near miss with no playoffs – and not low enough in the standings for a decent draft pick, frustrating all around.

This season had plenty of great moments for Flames fans and it was thrilling right down to the wire. Iginla was third in NHL scoring with 43 goals, hit 1000 career points and more than 30 goals in 10 straight years. Safe to say that Iginla stifled the critics who suggested his career was dwindling. These career markers are not only a tribute to the remarkable talent he possess, but speaks to his longevity in the NHL. It may often go overlooked, but the Flames are truly lucky to have such a warrior of a captain leading the helm of this franchise.

Kipprusoff backed this team solidly, being one of the main reasons for success down the stretch. These two players were there driving force for any Flames success, no surprises there.

Now that the easy part is out of the way – how about the rest of the team? Starting on defense – Mark Giordano impressed all over the ice, his defensive play was solid, he chipped in offensively, and he was a quiet leader. Giordano was third in the NHL in blocked shots this year with 193. Night in and night out, the fearless defenseman would lay down his body for the team – receiving many bumps and bruises along the way. There is no doubt in my mind, that this is the future captain of the franchise, his ability to lead on the ice and sacrifice for the team was not overlooked.

Jay Bouwmeester was frequently criticized by the Calgary fans and media for his lack of offensive numbers, but what did he do on the defensive side of things? Bouwmeester was third in NHL in average ice time/game while playing a full 82 game season. He played against the opposition’s best players each night – standing at a minus 2 overall with 24 points. Not ideal stats for a 6.6 million dollar defenseman – but how does he stack up? Amongst the top 10 richest defensemen in the NHL – only two were in the top 10 for scoring. Flames fans were expecting Bouwmeester to come into Calgary to light the lamp while playing 25 minutes a night and maintaining a solid defensive position. With his salary, that is certainly a reasonable expectation, but there are few defenseman in the NHL that can hold that sort of candle (Nick Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara). From a more realistic standpoint the reason Bouwmeester was able to put up big numbers in Florida was because it was not a defensively minded team, offence came first. In Calgary, the reverse is true, and as a result Bouwmeester’s offensive game has struggled, while his defensive game has perked up (and there are still signs for improvement for the 26 year old). While Flames fans are critical of his lack of offensive numbers, we should be glad we have a puck moving defenseman who can play 25 minutes a night against the NHL’s best.

Robyn Regehr was a monster this year on defense with an excellent comeback season. Regehr lead the team in hits this season, while chipping in with 140 blocked shots and maintained a plus-2 against the opposition’s best. He was difficult to play against, and made life miserable for other forwards. With a 4 million dollar cap hit – Regehr was a valuable component on defense this season.

Anton Babchuk was a blessing in disguise this season, after being picked up from Carolina, the defenseman collected 27 points and was a team leading plus-18. As a pending free agent, Flames fans can only hope that he is willing to resign with the club for around 1.5-2 million/season, with hopes of building upon his stellar year in Calgary.

Cory Sarich has a year remaining on his salary at 3.3 million, with many hit/miss games in Calgary, taking penalties at inopportune times. Surprisingly however, Sarich was a plus-11 this season, and was always ready to deliver a big hit when the team needed the momentum. It is likely he will play a role as the 6th defenseman next season to ride out the remainder of his contract. Steve Staios has played out the final year of his contract, and it is unlikely that he will be resigned by the club in the offseason.

On the offensive side of things – the first line pairing of Iginla, Alex Tanguay and Brendan Morrison showed signs of magic at times, particularly as the club was red hot. Tanguay seemed to revitalize his career, with 70 points alongside Iginla. After signing a one-year deal at 1.7 million expectations were low, but following this season there is no question that the Flames need to resign the winger to play along side Iginla. The asking price will perhaps be a little steeper, but the Flames know that the Iginla-Tanguay combination is of vital importance moving forward. One can hope that Tanguay is willing to resign a multiyear deal in the 3 million dollar range.

Another welcome surprise was Morrison, in 66 games providing 43 points while maintaining a plus-13 prior to getting hurt. He augmented the Iginla-Tanguay line well, playing defensively in his own zone, and distributing the puck well in the offensive zone. At $725,000, he was a blessing in disguise this season, and hopefully the center is willing to resign for around 1 million/year.

Olli Jokinen has been a target of Calgary criticism almost every season this year – but the center had a decent season this year, ending up with 54 points (although a miserable minus-17). With another year at 3 million dollars, fans can only hope that Jokinen continues to find his scoring touch in the upcoming season.

Rene Bourque chipped in this season with 50 points, including 27 goals. The winger was a streaky scorer this season, often disappearing for games on end. His minus-17 reflected his disappointing play in his zone, but he showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season – and one can only hope that at 3.6 million/season that he can put together a solid complete season.

Curtis Glencross had a breakthrough season with 24 goals and 43 points. Stellar on the penalty kill and in his own zone, his offensive output is no surprise, as the talent is there. The biggest downfall to his game was his inconsistency, limiting his potential capabilities in the NHL. Glencross is a free agent this year, and it remains to be seen if the Calgary Flames can afford the streaky winger in the offseason.

Mikael Backlund is still developing as a player, but managed to chip in this year with 25 points and a plus-4. Backlund constantly worked hard on the ice, proving that he could play on any of the four lines. He is dedicated to the team, and is willing to play whatever role is asked of him. He showed amazing talent with some beautiful goals this season, and Flames fans can hope to see more of it from the Swede in the coming seasons.

It is not often that a 4th liner is mentioned in a season review, but Tim Jackman had the season of his life, scoring goals at opportune times, and adding a career high 23 points. Always willing to grind it out, and standup for his teammates, Jackman was a phenomenal offseason pickup.

The Flames had high hopes for Ales Kotalik as he had a stellar preseason, but injury cost him the majority of the season, and he was never the same player after that. It is thought he may play out the remainder of his career in Europe after two stints in the minors. Matt Stajan was a much-criticized player this season, and the talent is there for a successful NHL career, however the forward seemed to be lacking confidence. Hopefully this offseason can bring about a change in the center’s career. Niklas Hagman is another player who appears to be lacking confidence, at times he would show flashes of brilliance, but despite working hard – was often unlucky throughout the season. After being demoted to the minors at one point last season, his future with the club remains in doubt.

Often missed in hockey is the personal perspective – Daymond Langkow returned to the lineup one year after fracturing a vertebrae in his neck. Many thought that the center would never play hockey again, however he managed to skate through the last four games of the season. Flames fans look forward to having him in the lineup next season, his capabilities offensively as well as defensively will truly help a team that is weak at the center position. It is good to see him back in the Flames lineup, and more importantly that he is healthy.

Ultimately, the first few months of the season sunk the Flames. They were unable to recover from the devastating start. However, as they turned it around – you could tell the team was buying into Brent Sutter’s system. They began to play solidly in their own zone and offensive output came along with it. Hopefully the Flames are able to maintain this play into the coming season. They are well positioned in regards to goaltending and defense. A retooling of the second and third lines may help the club to score more consistently next season. But if the Flames are able to play to their potential, they have the ability to be a playoff team next season. The 2011 season is but a distant consideration, but many of these players are looking forward, egger for the chance to prove themselves, and to come out of the gate hot next season. Stay tuned for a look at the Calgary Flames farm system, and what young players we may see next season.

Shahbaz Syed
Twitter: DDxDino

Win 1: Beat Avalanche 4-2
Anytime the Canucks and Avs play it’s always interesting. There always seems to be something on the line and this match-up was no different. The Canucks were in the midst of a 4 game losing streak, while the Avs had won 4 in a row and had taken over the lead in the Northwest Division. The game also marked the return of Avs goalie Craig Anderson, which should’ve been a big boost.

The Canucks drew first blood with Kevin Bieksa scoring his first goal of the season on a delayed penalty call. This was a great sign for the Canucks as they have surrendered the first goal of the game too many times this season. Anderson didn’t have much of a chance on the shot. Other than that goal, both Anderson and Roberto Luongo looked sharp the rest of the period.

Unfortunately for the Avs, they would start the 2^nd period and finish the game, without Anderson (groin) and Adam Foote (leg). Early penalties really killed any flow of the period, but John-Michael Liles scored on the power play at the 5:05 mark to tie it 1-1. Midway through the period Daniel Sedin deflected a slap pass from Henrik Sedin and all of Canucks Nation could take a breath again as they ended the period up 2-1.

The 3^rd period was pretty even, although there was very little flow the game and the goalies didn’t need to make any big saves. The teams traded goals in the first half of the period and the Canucks were clinging to their 3-2 lead when Alexandre Burrows made it 4-2 after some great passing by the Sedins. The Avs would get a late power play but it was too little too late and the Canucks won the game and reclaimed top spot in the Northwest.

Star of the game: Burrows with a goal and an assist

Win 2: Route Sharks 6-1
Heading into this game the Sharks had beaten the Canucks 10 out of the last 12 meetings. The Sharks used their size to push the Canucks around on many occasions. GM Mike Gillis made several changes in the off-season to improve the Canucks size, speed, and physical play. This game will show if the Canucks have made enough changes or not.

Several players would not be in the lineup for the game including Scott Nichol (SJ) who was hit in the face during practice, Bieksa (Van) who is out with the flu, and Rick Rypien (Van) who has been granted an indefinite leave of absence to take care of some personal issues.

The Canucks came out with quite a bit more jump than the Sharks to start the period and were rewarded with the 1^st goal of the game. Jeff Tambellini scored his 3^rd of the season and was looking great on the 2^nd line with Ryan Kesler and Mayson Raymond. The Canucks kept the pressure up and had a 13-2 shot advantage through the first 14 minutes of the period. The Sharks did manage to score and the teams ended deadlocked at 1-1.

The Sharks opened the 2^nd period with some great pressure, but the Canucks 4^th line counterattacked and Raffi Torres recaptured the Canuck lead after a beautiful feed by Jannik Hansen. Mikael Samuelsson needed less than 2 minutes to make it 3-1 Canucks.  Samuelsson’s goal was a direct result of a great pass by Tanner Glass. But that wasn’t the only highlight of the period for the Canucks. Dan Hamhuis leveled Douglass Murray with a monsterous hipcheck. Murray looked a little stunned after it happened. He’s not an easy guy to knock off his feet, but full marks to Hamhuis for the hit. The hit really got the rest of the team going and seemed to put the Sharks back on their heels a bit as the Canucks took over the game in all facets.

Here is the video of Hamhuis sending Murray head over heels:

The wheels pretty much came off the wagon for the Sharks in the 3^rd. Samuelsson scored his second of the game off a really bad clearing attempt by Dan Boyle. The Sedins and Burrows continued to dominate and Burrows scored to make it 5-1. Keith Ballard finished off the scoring with his first goal/point as a Canuck and he did it on his birthday.

Star of the game: Samuelsson with 2 goals

Win 3: Embarrass Flames 7-2
It’s hard to believe this is the first meeting of season between these Northwest Division rivals, but it is. The Canucks come in riding a 2 game winning streak, which included an impressive win 6-1 at home over the San Jose Sharks last Friday, while the Flames shut-out Minnesota last Saturday 3-0. The Flames are another underachieving team that’s beginning to play like they can. Even though the Canucks are usually fired up to play their division rivals, they play Chicago in their next game and Canucks fans everywhere are hoping they aren’t overlooking the Flames.

The Canucks needed exactly 2 minutes to get on the board in this one. Mason Raymond, a native of nearby Cochrane, AB, gave the Canucks the opening goal for the 3^rd straight game. On the ensuing face-off Tanner Glass and Tim Jackman dropped the gloves and had a rather spirited bout. This was in an effort to the Flames fired up. About 7 minutes later Jeff Tambellini, who continues to look like the perfect fit on Kesler’s line, gave the Canucks a 2-0 lead. Tambellini also picked up an assist and had 2 points early on. The Flames only needed 1:10 to get back in the game as Jackman scored with some hard work down low.

Torres took a hooking penalty 40 seconds into the 2^nd period and the Flames, who had grabbed a little momentum at the end of the first, had a glorious chance to get even. The Canucks killed it off and with their top power play unit still on the ice made it 3-1 on a goal by Daniel Sedin. But Calgary still had some life left in them. About 3 minutes later Alex Tanguay scored to bring the Flames within 1. The period would end 3-2 advantage Canucks, but Hansen would be headed to the box for a late hooking penalty and the Flames would open the 3^rd on the power play.

Beginning the 3^rd on the power play the Flames had another chance to get back into the game, but this was to be Raymond’s night. Sprung by a Malhotra pass, he sped down and scored a short-handed goal to give the Canucks a 4-1 lead. That goal was huge and pretty much killed any momentum the Flames had going. About 5 minutes later Burrows scored his 3^rd goal in 3 games to make it 5-1. Raymond would net his 2^nd career hat-trick (both in Calgary) and Hamhuis would put the final nail in the Flames coffin scoring the Canucks 7^th goal.

Star of the game: Raymond with 3 goals, 1 assist

Looking good!
The Canucks had now won 3 in a row and outscored their opponents 17-5. They are looking quite comfortable, no panic in their game at all and all 4 lines are contributing. When someone does make a mistake, a teammate is there to back him up. Luongo has also been solid, making the big saves when he needed to. The team is looking even better than they did when they won 7 in a row earlier in the season, but their biggest test was yet to come. Without a doubt, their biggest rival right now is the defending Stanley Cup Champions and they are up next!

Win 4: Shutout Chicago 3-0
This game was not about the last 2 play-off seasons, it was simply about getting redemption against the Hawks after they thumped the Canucks two weeks ago in Vancouver 7-1.

Tonight the Canucks came ready to play and they showed it from the opening face-off. Both teams tried to be physical, but the Canucks clearly held the edge. The Canucks played with a nasty edge, dishing out thunderous hits on anyone wearing a red sweater and were even willing to take a penalty or two. Chicago seemed stunned by this and aside from outshooting the Canucks and carrying a decent amount of time in the attack zone couldn’t many serious threats. The period ended 0-0.

The Canucks would be first team to get on the board as Glass put a backhand past Marty Turco, giving the Canucks the opening goal in 4 straight games. There were more great chances at both end, Chicago trying to mount pressure, but really unable to get anything going and as the buzzer sounded it was 1-0 Vancouver.

An early penalty by Torres gave the Hawks a great chance to get back in the game. Just as that penalty ended Christian Erhoff took a hooking penalty and the Canucks found themselves having to kill of a short 5-3. Once again Luongo and the Canucks penalty killers got the job done as the Hawks continued to be frustrated. Thomas Kopecky took a boarding call about 5 minutes in and the Canucks were back on the power play.  The Canucks only needed 8 seconds as Erhoff put a wrister past Turco and their lead was now 2-0. The Hawks  tried to mount a comeback, but everytime they did the Canucks had the answer, whether it was Luongo or a great back checking play by one of the forwards or defensemen. At the 15:35 mark, the Sedin line worked their magic and Henrik scored his 2^nd goal of the season (to go with his league leading assists). That goal sealed the deal. The Hawks were visibly beaten and looked like they were ready to pack it in for their next game. A few flurries at the end, but Luongo emerged with the win and shutout.

It was the first time the Blackhawks had been shut out at home in a long time and they have now lost as many games at home (6-8-0) this year as they did all of last season (29-8-4).

Star of the game: Luongo with the shutout on the road

Canucks next 4 opponents:

• 12/5 vs. Blues 6pm PST in Vancouver
• 12/8 vs. Ducks 7pm PST in Vancouver
• 12/11 vs. Lightning 7:30pm PST in Vancouver – Markus Naslund Jersey Retirement Celebration
• 12/12 vs. Oilers 5pm PST in Edmonton

Sami Salo update
Salo still isn’t on any time table to return, although the unofficial word on Twitter is that it will be January. Basically he wants to make sure he’s 100% ready to return before he gets back into action. He is a UFA next season and with his injury history this may be his last shot at winning it all. He’d obviously be welcomed back to the Canucks lineup as they only have 1 right-handed shot on the point in Bieksa and no one matches Salo’s cannon of a shot.

I-5 Canucks – Will & Valerie Wittstruck
NHLHS Vancouver Canucks Correspondents
I-5Canucks@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Hipcheck44 and @WCE71944

Based on Matthew Pouliot’s series on Circling the Bases, I have decided restore the rosters for every NHL team. Like Pouliot, I have established some ground rules for my selections.

1. Each team contains players they originally drafted or signed before any other NHL team. This includes players drafted and not signed, as well as European free agents coming over at an older age.
2. I have chosen to leave retired players off the list, and lean toward players in the AHL rather than those deported (KHL, SEL, DEL, etc.).

Essentially I am choosing the best available players for a team to succeed in the current NHL season. All 30 teams will be covered, with grades assigned to forwards, defense and goaltending. After all 30 articles are written, they will be ranked in order. This series’ intent is to reward or shame NHL scouts.

You would expect a more talented roster with nine first round picks and eight of those in the top 10.  Unfortunately, this is a very green team with Rick Nash the most experienced of the Blue Jackets draft picks.  While that fact would not necessarily be a bad thing to have, the next player on the list played almost half the games and already left your organization, definitely a bad thing.

On a team that for the most part is still waiting for their prospects to develop, it’s hard to say exactly what their strength is.

Forwards:

So many players playing out of position and on lines that they should not be on which speaks volumes about the Blue Jackets drafting struggles.  Nash is the only established NHLer playing where he should be.  The forward corps is full of potential, but potential only gets you in the door.  Producing is what keeps you on the roster.

Rick Nash – Gilbert Brule – Jakub Voracek

Nikita Filatov – Derick Brassard – Tim Jackman

Alexandre Picard – Dan Fritsche – Jared Boll

Tom Sestito – Andrew Murray – Derek Dorsett

Bench - Maksim Mayorov

With very little production help for Nash, this team is going to struggle to score goals.  Providing Filatov returns to the Blue Jackets next season, and Ken Hitchcock loosens his reigns, Nash may finally get some scoring help.  Filatov is a naturally gifted scorer and I watched in amazement a few years ago as he dazzled in the World Juniors for Russia, scoring eight goals in 2009.  With six top 10 draft picks, you hope that this squad can fulfill its potential.  Only time will tell.

Grade: C

Defence:

Definitely not the strength of the scouting staff to say the least.  With only 1 bona fide Top four defensemen drafted, this corps is going to give up a lot of shots.  Hopefully they buy the goalies very nice Christmas presents.

Rostislav Klesla – Aaron Johnson

Ole-Kristian Tollefsen – Kris Russell

Marc Methot – John Moore

It was a struggle to find 6 NHL calibre defensemen that the Blue Jackets have drafted and I’m still struggling to find them.  Aside from Klesla, who’s currently on the IR, the defence is filled with 3rd pair defensemen at best.  Top pick John Moore has yet to play an NHL game and is currently playing in the OHL.

Grade: C-

Goaltenders:

If I had to pick an area of drafting strength, I guess I’d have to say it was in between the pipes.  Leclaire and Mason could be a very formidable duo on any roster.  I don’t think I can stress COULD any more then I’m about to.

Pascal Leclaire

Steve Mason

Dan LaCosta

With both goalies having career save percentages hovering around .900 and a very inexperienced defence corps playing in front of them, they will constantly be facing 35-40 shots a night and giving up 3+ goals a game.  Combine that with a forward group that is going to be struggling to score goals and it means both goalies are going to have to improve significantly for Columbus to have any success.  Mason currently is in the middle of what hopefully will just be a sophomore slump.  If he can find the “I don’t know what” that he had in his rookie campaign that produced a 33-20-0-7 record with 2.29 GAA and 10 shutouts, the goaltending situation in Columbus greatly improves.  If Leclaire can remember that stopping a puck with your face hurts when you’re not wearing a mask and can get into more than a handful of games, the situation almost takes care of itself.

Here’s hoping 2010-2011 is better for Blue Jackets goalies then 2009-2010 was.

Grade: B-

Jose Simoes
NHLHS Storyteller
jsimoes@nhlhotstove.com