|
Are The Calgary Flames Following in the Footsteps Of The Florida Panthers? |
|
|
|
|
|
As I was digging around looking for more information regarding all the Jay Bouwmeester trade talk, I noticed a similarity between the current Calgary Flames roster, and that of the Florida Panthers about three years ago. I noticed a similar pattern used by the Panthers that the Flames may themselves be following, and would like to analyze it further.
This blog will therefore attempt to use the Florida Panthers' 2008-09 season in order to provide a clearer indication of which direction the Calgary Flames may be heading.
In 2008, the Florida Panthers were a team struggling to make the playoffs. As minor changes made by management failed, the team was not able to improve upon their previous years and make their mark in the postseason. Toward the end of the 2008-09 season, the Panthers were offered a few deals from opposing teams for the services of 24 year old Jay Bouwmeester. However, GM Jacques Martin chose not to trade him. The Panthers finished the year with Bouwmeester, and again did not qualify for the playoffs. Consequently, Florida missed their chances to move the defender and he would later decline a long term contract, opting to sign with the Calgary Flames.
Although Jay Bouwmeester has two years remaining on his contract, the Calgary Flames may find themselves in a similar situation if they fail to capitalize on the return of their defender. Furthermore, if they also decide to keep Bouwmeester and fall short of the playoffs, they will not only add an extra year to their playoff drought, but they will also have lost the opportunity to infuse their roster with younger talent via trade.
To begin my analysis, I will compare the Flames roster from last season with the Panthers roster in 2009-10. The reason I chose the 2009-10 season as a starting point for the Panthers, was due to it being the first season played after moving Bouwmeester and also where changes slowly begun for the club.
2011-12 Calgary Flames
Top 6 Offensive forwards, and their age.
Jarome Iginla (34)
Olli Jokinen (32)
Alex Tanguay (31)
Curtis Glencross (28)
Lee Stempniak (28)
Mike Cammalleri (29)
Top 4 Defense in production, and their age.
Jay Bouwmeester (27)
Mark Giordano (27)
Chris Butler (24)
TJ Brodie (21)
2009-10 Florida Panthers
Top 6 Offensive forwards, and their age.
Stephen Weiss (26)
Nathan Horton (24)
Michael Frolik (21)
Steven Reinprecht (33)
Cory Stillman (35)
Radek Dvorak (32)
Top 4 Defense in production, and their age.
Brian McCabe (34)
Keith Ballard (26)
Dennis Seidenberg (28)
Jordan Leopold (29)
If you compare both team’s most productive players during these two seasons, you may notice that their top ten productive players averages out to the same ages of 28. At this point, both teams are missing out on the playoffs, and their top 10 most productive players are relatively older. Below will show the changes made to the Florida Panthers roster carrying forward from 2009, and how the Calgary Flames and their current management may very well be headed down the same road.
Florida Panthers 2010-11
Top 6 Offensive forwards, and their age.
Stephen Weiss (27)
Mike Santorelli (24)
David Booth (25)
Marty Reasoner (33)
Micheal Frolik (22)
Chris Higgins (27)
Top 4 Defense in production, and their age.
Dennis Wideman (27)
Dmitri Kulikov (19)
Brian McCabe (35)
Jason Garrison (25)
In 2010, the Panthers shook up their previous roster, with the additions of Reasoner, Higgins and Wideman. Prospects Santorelli, Kulikov and Garrison also had their respective impacts. While the Panthers had several additions to their roster, they also allowed their prospects time to play and, consequently, made strides in their development.
Florida Panthers 2011-12
Top 6 Offensive forwards, and their age.
Tomas Fleischmann (27)
Stephen Weiss (28)
Kris Versteeg (25)
Tomas Kopecky (29)
Mikael Samuelsson (34)
Marcel Goc (28)
Top 4 Defense in production, and their age.
Brian Campbell (32)
Jason Garrison (26)
Dmitri Kulikov (20)
Ed Jovanovski (35)
As the handful of additions made to the team for the 2010-11 season did not improve their place in the standings, the Panthers essentially moved all but Weiss and Booth from the above mentioned lists. Rather than keeping or extending some of the older players on the roster, they traded them or let them walk and brought in new improvements as shown above.
The similarities between the Flames and the Panthers begin to be more apparent here, as during the 2011-12 off season, the Flames let Olli Jokinen and David Moss go and have not offered any contracts to Tom Kostopolous and Scott Hannan. Rather, like the Panthers, they brought in improvements in Juri Hudler, Roman Cervenka, and Dennis Wideman.
What this blog is intending to offer is some indication that while trying to retool and remain competitive may be a rough road, it is possible for a team to reface their roster without “blowing things up”. As displayed, in just over three years, the Florida Panthers have made significant changes to their roster, drafted well, made a few trades and is currently a playoff contending team. While they may still not be a strong playoff team, the route they have taken has taken them from a playoff bubble team, to a playoff contender that is still improving.
The Panthers currently ice a roster with talented youth but also a nice mix of experienced players as well. They made the playoffs last year after struggling several years, and show promise. The Calgary Flames, I argue, are about to embark on a very similar journey and this could all begin (similar to the Panthers) with the departure of Jay Bouwmeester. They, like the Panthers, have hired a new head coach, are moving older players for younger ones, and are also allowing for their prospects to play and develop around experienced players. By doing this, the Flames will be able to remain competitive while strengthening their roster, albeit taking longer than fans might have hoped for.
Calgary has the ability to continue improving their roster carrying forward, and although it has been discussed several times already, moving Jay Bouwmeester could very well allow the team to grow stronger and younger. While moving an important piece like Bouwmeester could weaken the team’s defense, growing pains will be expected as they improve. If moving Jay means the team receives needed youth or an upgrade down the middle, it may very well be a wise decision.
It appears the fear from most fans is a weakened defense after a departure of Bouwmeester, but this is something Hartley should be able to address. A good coach will use the players at his disposal effectively, and with a solid goaltender like Kiprusoff, a proper defensive system should aid with the subtraction of their top minute eating defender.
The Calgary Flames are at a very similar position that the Florida Panthers were in about three years ago with their top productive players being relatively older. The Flames, like the Panthers, will not be tearing the team down in order to reach success. They will likely continue to tweak their roster in order to stay competitive, all while developing their players. It may not be the most popular route for an NHL franchise to take, however it is one that the Florida Panthers have taken who currently ice such youth as Ellerby, Foster, Gudbranson, Huberdeau, Kulikov, Markstrom and are still getting better.
I have shown that while retooling a team may be rough, a team such as the Panthers have done so and are currently on the right path. Of course, drafting plays a large role in the success of any team, and this will certainly play a large role in any success for the Flames carrying forward. With that being said, the Flames have had some poor drafting success before Jay Feaster and it is left to be seen if this has improved. Outside of Sven Baertschi, the team has no elite talent moving up the ranks, but has some gems who may surprise such as Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Jankowski.
Carrying forward the Flames will have the ability to move other assets if need be to improve their roster even further, but in order for the Flames to maximize on their returns, they need to remain patient and wait for teams to come knocking as it appears to be the case with Jay Bouwmeester at the moment.
Thanks for reading!
You can follow me on twitter for further debates and updates: @ColinDJD
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»