The Calgary Flames are burning a little brighter than most people expected them to in the early goings of this NHL season. At last year’s trade deadline, the organization finally signaled the beginning of a rebuild with the trade of team captain and franchise cornerstone Jarome Iginla, and the hockey world was quickly crowded with bleak forecasts of this year’s “long season in Calgary” from pundits, experts, and armchair general managers across the sport. Such predictions continued right up until the start of the season. Yet now those same critics are speaking in tones of surprise about a Calgary squad that has thus far displayed an admirable work ethic, dressed a roster of impressive youngsters, and enjoyed widely unexpected success.
The Flames finished the preseason with a respectable 4-2-1 record, highlighted by the unprecedented scoring talents of 23-year-old Lance Bouma. Bouma’s four goals in four straight games earned him a spot on the opening-night roster for the start of his fourth season with the Flames, one in which he’ll be aiming play all 82 games for the first time in his NHL career. But preseason results are generally taken with a grain of salt, a trend that was, in the Flames’ case, exacerbated by the mixed results from the goaltending carousel of returner Joey Macdonald, KHL stand-out Karri Ramo, and Swiss-leaguer Reto Berra; no netminder was particularly impressive on a consistent basis. Nevertheless, when the Flames announced their opening roster, the starter’s reins were given to Ramo, leaving Berra as the odd man out with MacDonald set to back up Ramo.
Ramo welcomed his new assignment with a 35-save performance in Calgary’s season debut, a showing that was unfortunately overshadowed by the Flames surrender of multiple three-goal leads in a 4-3 shootout loss to Washington. In spite of the disappointing result, the game was one of positives for the youthful Flames, who played a determined game, driving the net and outskating opponents with commendable regularity. Although the Capitals dynamic offence exposed the inexperience inherent of a young roster, the Flames were successful in their goal of establishing an identifiable and respectable resolve, and showed that they are a team that has no intention of writing the season off in the name of a rebuild. What’s more is that the team brought that determination to each of its subsequent three games, and was rewarded with at least one point in each contest. These last three games must have been reassuring for head coach Bob Hartley; since Ramo’s impressive opener in Washington, the Flames are 2-0-1, and Hartley started MacDonald in net for every one of those contests. If MacDonald and Ramo continue to compete in this manner for the duration of Hartley’s search for a distinguished number-one goaltender, the storyline in Calgary’s crease could become extremely intriguing.
With only four of 82 games in the books, to say that the Flames’ accomplishments thus far mark any sort of trend would be foolish. Their start to this season is merely a demonstration of what this team is capable of, provided that it is developed in the correct manner. But Calgary’s play in the infancy of this season is also empirical evidence for the case against the derision with which Calgary’s prospect pool has long been regarded.
Sean Monahan has been stellar; with five points in as many games, including a team-leading three goals, the sixth pick of the 2013 NHL draft is tied with veteran Jiri Hudler for the team lead in points heading into Friday night, when the Flames host the New Jersey Devils. Sharing a line with Monahan, 2011 first-round pick Sven Baertschi heads into Friday with a goal and an assist on the year already. Baertschi has impressed in flashes, scoring three goals during a five-game emergency call-up two seasons ago, and recording nine points in the final seven games of his injury-shortened 2012-2013 campaign. These two youngsters are already showing exciting chemistry, both with each other and with veteran line-mate Lee Stempniak. Bouma has also shown that he is eager to continue contributing, with one goal through four games, while TJ Brodie continues to showing improving levels of maturity on the blueline.
Perhaps most gratifyingly for Flames fans, Mikael Backlund is off to an excellent start, with one goal, two assists, and a plus-two rating prior to the Flames’ tilt with New Jersey. It was hoped that the 24-year-old Backlund, selected by the Flames in the first round of the 2007 NHL draft, would quickly developed into a top-line center for Calgary. Instead, Backlund spent the majority of his first five NHL seasons mired in underachievement and underproduction. Last season, however, Backlund made promising progress, scoring eight goals and 16 points in 32 games, earning himself an off-season contract extension worth three million dollars over two years.
Are the Calgary Flames Stanley Cup contenders? To call it highly unlikely is generous. Are they playoff contenders? Most likely not, especially given the make-up of their new Pacific division. But that does not mean that they are a team doomed to wallow in insurmountable failure for the entirety of the season. The Flames will play an 82-game regular season, as will 29 other NHL teams, and all 30 organizations will experience the highs and lows that inevitably disperse themselves over the course of a season. Yes, the Flames are rebuilding, and yes, it can be a painful process. But if Calgary’s players can mature as individuals, develop as a team, and grow an identity for themselves, they will be able to consider the 2013-2014 campaign a success. And they just might surprise a few people along the way.
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