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The Calgary Flames have a much needed two days off between games as they prepare themselves for Saturday night’s bout against the Edmonton Oilers. After a very close game against one of their rivals on Wednesday night, the Flames will enter Saturday nights game with a bitter taste left in their mouth and will look to take revenge on the Oilers.
Edmonton has won two of three contests so far this year, scoring eight goals while allowing nine. Calgary will need to come out strong against this young team and take advantage of their defensive and goaltending woes, while trying to solve their own.
Tomorrow we will get more into the preview of the game as we breakdown both teams and their respective line ups. As previously mentioned, I have been receiving questions via Twitter and Hockeybuzz which I have been holding off for non game days to discuss. I received a few more questions than I had time to cover, but I will discuss those which were more pertinent to Calgary’s current situation, rather than jumping all over the board.
Thank you for all those who have submitted questions, and if you would like to have something discussed over the next Mailbag, please feel free to either DM me via
Twitter, or
PM me over Hockeybuzz!
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James from Sarnia, Ontario
Hey Colin,
Who specifically might Feaster be interested in trading for this year, or who he might want to trade from the Flames? There hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about trading so far and I think something might happen out of the blue! I don’t think they should trade Iginla just yet, but I’m sure Feaster might want to move other guys…?
Hi James, while you’re right that there hasn’t been too much discussion regarding trades so far this year, I do also expect that GM’s will start to look at improving their rosters shortly as injuries come about and weaknesses are displayed. Feaster has made it well known that he wants this team to be competitive, and although they have been hustling under the reigns of Hartley, they have only been able to muster up 1 point out of a possible 6.
I would imagine that, like most teams, Feaster will wait another 5-10 games before making any drastic decisions such as trades. Not only are they still awaiting the presence of Juri Hudler and Roman Cervenka, but they have not arguably found their rhythm just yet, either. Their biggest weakness has been down the middle, being below 50% in faceoff wins. If Feaster is going to entertain trade offers, it will certainly be for help at center where a strong two way centerman could be of value.
Just as we experienced last year, I fully expect Bouwmeester’s name to come up again when the trade talks really start to warm up. If the Flames are going to acquire anything of value for the Ironman defender, he will need to better his game as he has struggled a little so far. The bottom line for any deals made by the Flames will be the acquisition of more youth, hopefully some who can provide an immediate impact.
Leah from Calgary, Alberta
Do you really think Cervenka is going to do anything for the Flames? Let’s be real, the guy hasn’t played a single NHL game and has missed the entire training camp so far. I don’t see why people are hoping he starts so soon?
Hi Leah,
I see what you mean. Cervenka has proven nothing at the NHL level and fans might be expecting a little too much from the man. However, his numbers from the KHL cannot be discredited as the league has improved with respect to its overall skill level. Cervenka is also strong on faceoffs, which is something the Flames need. Whether he can translate these KHL numbers to the NHL is certainly left to be seen, although I too have high hopes for the Czech centerman who will be making his Flames debut on Saturday night!
Geoffrey from Calgary, Alberta
Colin…I know you’ve said times over that you don’t want to discuss blowing things up etc, but do you think it would be in the teams best interest to just NOT improve this year, take it in strides and hope for a solid draft pick?
Hey Geoffrey, you would be surprised how many people have asked a form of this question so far! This is a hard question to answer, because on one hand I love watching competitive hockey from an NHL team and on the other I like seeing one conscious of their future. I feel that since taking over as GM, Feaster has taken both into consideration when making transactions. Although his moves so far have not “blown your socks off”, I get the impression Feaster is willing to be patient in order to ensure things are done properly. Given how much Feaster has stressed the importance of icing a competitive team, I feel as though he is likely starting to feel a little worried about how his team might fair this year and may begin considering a plan B, incase.
Now, this isn’t to say that Feaster is considering giving up just three games in. Like any person in control of a group of people, they must always consider alternate options to achieve success. As mentioned, I would imagine that if the Flames are unable to achieve success with their current roster, Feaster may either look to make trades to address their weaknesses or ones that will bring in more promising youth. There will not likely be any discussions like these before the 15-20 game mark, however. The Flames have shown some positives despite their losses, and there is still plenty of hockey left to get things going.
Brian Defrias from London, Ontario
I’m a Leafs fan and I would love if Toronto made a trade with Calgary for Kipper, think the two teams could get it done?
Hey Brandon, unfortunately for the Leafs, they will likely have to keep looking for help in net. Kiprusoff will likely be one of the last vets to be moved from their current roster, as they have yet to really develop a prospective backup tender to date, and they will need to wait another few months for the arrival of Karri Ramo. Bottom line with the Flames is they are still a competitive team, and without Kiprusoff their overall strength goes down. If Ramo steps in and proves he has the ability to take over the staring position, the Flames could then address moving Kiprusoff to a team like the Leafs…but unfortunately Toronto will either have to stick with the “Reiminister”, or move assets to acquire Luongo.
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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