The Calgary Flames had a regular season to remember and many fans were sure they will reach the cup final, and then with a little luck going their way, they were going to win the much coveted Stanley Cup.
However, even though the regular season was full of both team and individual accomplishments including several players hitting career highs, the team’s second best season in their history, and lots of young and talented individuals doing well, the Calgary Flames still managed to disappoint their fans. After all, numbers mean little if there is no end result once the season finishes.
Their first round elimination at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche meant that an amazing regular season was tarnished by an abysmal playoff run. Many fans expected the season to last much longer and the fact that it ended in April was a real kick in the teeth.
The same pain was felt by punters who indulge in betting on hockey. Betting on the NHL is equally as popular as betting on the NBA or NFL and high profile playoff matches are usually more popular than others.
This meant that when it came to Ice Hockey Betting the Avalanche versus Flames playoff series was hugely popular with betting enthusiasts. In fact, there was a strong influx of bets that the Calgary Flames were going to win the Stanley Cup as they were considered one of the strongest sides coming into the playoffs.
They were the bookmakers’ favourite after a tremendous regular season and the fact that they failed to overcome even the first obstacle meant that one of the biggest betting surprises this year came from the NHL.
So where do the Flames go from now? Doing good business in the offseason suddenly looks much more important than a couple of months ago and now it seems like an imperative that the Flames move the right players out and keep the right players in.
The Free Agents Situation
Ideally, the Calgary Flames would probably like to keep all of their Restricted and Unrestricted Free Agents. Their list of RFAs includes the all important Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane, Sam Bennett, David Rittich, and Alan Quine while their UFAs are Garnet Hathaway, Oscar Fantenberg, Mike Smith, and Dalton Prout.
Ask a fan about which of these players should be let go and he will probably say that all of them have a role to play at the club and that all of them should stay. However, this is unlikely to happen due to the cap restrictions that NHL teams have. So who should the Flames keep and who should they let go?
Sorting the Goaltenders
The obvious thing that jumps out here is the fact that both Flames goaltenders, Mike Smith and David Rittich, are free agents. Mike Smith was absolutely tremendous in the playoffs and was one of the few Calgary players who were able to leave the ice with their heads held high.
However, the fact that Smith is 37 means that he will most likely be gone this offseason. The Calgary decision makers will also bear in mind that Smith didn’t have the best of regular seasons this year and considering that he won’t get any younger it is probably in their best interest if they let him go.
David Rittich will probably stay, but this will mostly be because the Flames are letting Smith go. Rittich will probably look for more money and the Flames will probably oblige if his demands are realistic. However, it seems like he won’t have a starting berth guaranteed as the Flames will most likely also look at other options following the departure of Smith. A one year bridge deal is probably what’s going to happen here.
Keep Matthew Tkachuk at All Costs
All Calgary Flames fans agree that keeping Tkachuk tied to the club should be the top priority in the offseason. Re-signing him isn’t going to come cheaply, but keeping the core of Monahan, Lindholm, Backlund, Gaudreau, and Tkachuk is absolutely of vital importance for the Flames’ chances of success next season.
Tkachuk, Gaudreau, Monahan, and Lindholm failed to deliver in the playoffs, even though the Tkachuk family was there to help, but making a rash decision based solely on one match-up will probably be bad in the long run. It also shouldn’t be forgotten that in that match-up, opposition players such as MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog played at an incredibly high level and that didn’t help either.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
