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Since their first win of the year, the Flames have had four days off, which kind of takes away from carrying any possibly momentum into their next game. Be it as it may, Calgary is coming off a one game winning streak while their next opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, are fresh off two losses in a row.
Reports from earlier today indicated that Cervenka and Baertschi both sat out from practice leading to much speculation. Hartley has confirmed that Baertschi has suffered a lower body injury, although not getting into much more detail than that, and is doubtful for tomorrow’s game. Cervenka on the other hand was nothing more than a maintenance day for the forward and is expected to play tomorrow.
Hartley has also indicated that Butler will be in to replace Smith for the game against the Avalanche, which appears to be an attempt to create a competitive environment for their defenders.
I will get into the breakdown of the Flames and Avalanche matchup throughout tomorow's blog, but for today I will go over the remaining questions I was not able to cover in the previous mailbag.
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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Chantal from Calgary Alberta
Hi Colin,
Even though we finally get Cervenka and Hudler back, could Baertschi’s injury affect Calgary and how will the lines be affected?
In the short term, no…but with respect to development, it definitely could because Baertschi has potential to become a big contributing member of the Flames and any time spent not playing takes away from that. When Hartley addressed the media after the practice on Tuesday he called it a minor injury and didn’t think much of it. I read into that as one of two things. Either it really is nothing more than a minor injury and Hartley would rather rest Baertschi before the game, or he wants to keep the media out of it because it could be something else. With that in mind, I don’t personally think it will affect the lines at all and anticipate to see him out there Thursday (
updated...likely will miss Thursday).
With respect to the 2013 season, Cervenka and Hudler are arguably more important to the team than is Baertschi. However, just like a few other coaches around the league, Hartley may decide that if the player can contribute and help the team win, he will play with the team. Calgary needs to continue to develop and give opportunities to Baertschi as he is a top prospect and they would hate to have the same situation as Niederreiter.
Lucas R. from Calgary Alberta
Hey...Everyone keeps saying Hartley is focused on conditioning and development, do you think he has accomplished anything yet in Calgary?
Absolutely, consider someone like Stempniak for example. He is showing a lot more consistency in his game and his contributions are a valuable tool for the Flames. In the last game against the Oilers he scored his 3rd goal of the season and put up 2 assists, this is exactly what the Flames need. I believe this can all be contributed to Hartley; he cares not only about the outcomes of the games but also overall progression of his players.
After defeating the Oilers on Saturday, Hartley was quoted saying –
"Bouwmeester was flying tonight… We saw the real Jay Bouwmeester, a guy that took charge, wanted the puck, made a great play on Lee Stempniak's goal. He was a quarterback out there."
That is exactly the kind of improvement Calgary needs from their backend and moreover, the kind of passion they need from their coach. When Hartley’s motivated to win, it trickles down to everyone. In terms of conditioning. I’ve noticed a lot more stamina and effort put forth from players, which was something that hasn’t been present in previous years.
Regarding Bouwmeester, Hartley even went on to say...
“That's the kind of hockey that Jay Bouwmeeester can bring to us and he has the green light. He has the speed to create offense and if he doesn't, he has the speed to come back. We're telling him that we want him to create a good second wave for us, to make sure he's always in the play, always active and that's hard to defend."
Hartley can see the potential his players have and is doing everything he can to bring it out. I very much expect him to work on specific things with each individual player during practices carrying forward to further this.
Andrew
I know its early but with a couple games under their belt, how do you think Calgary fares for the rest of the season?
So far Calgary has shown – in my opinion – improvements in certain areas as the season has progressed. What is important now is to build on this progression and keep a momentum going. There were few, if any, who considered Calgary a contender in 2013 so this sluggish start is no real surprise. Even though it is certainly no different from past seasons; Calgary has shown good strides towards development.
Since their last effective season in 2004, the Flames have hardly made a ripple in the league. In most recent years, they have seemed a little unaffected by losses and didn’t quite seem to be a coherent group. With someone like Hartley as a coach, being indifferent about a loss or not working as a team will be unacceptable. (Take a look at my answer to the last question) Hartley will bring out the best in his players and work on the Flames weaknesses in due time.
Though the season is barely off to a start, it seems to me that Hartley is seeing the big picture. The Flames needed everyone to contribute on offence and needed to improve their point totals. Thus far they are headed in the right direction, especially improving in those two areas. Of course there are still some big holes in the Flames defensive game…faceoffs especially.
That’s all for today folks, thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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