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I was reading an article written on a Flames related website where the writer felt that there could be five teams who may be worse off than the Calgary Flames this upcoming season, and I'd like to comment. The five teams he listed were Nashville, Toronto, Buffalo, Tampa, and Edmonton.
Despite trying to be an optimistic writer at times, I like to think that I also write without much bias. With that being said, of the list of teams provided, I feel that maybe 1-2 of them could be worse off than the Flames at best.
Let’s be real sports fans, the Flames are likely in for a tough year without the likes of longstanding captain Jarome Iginla, minute eating defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, or veteran goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. Instead they will be relying on guys like Sven Baertschi, TJ Brodie, and Karri Ramo to hopefully replace said production.
Though there is always the possibility of a few young players really stepping up their game and taking it to the next level, I think most fans need to be realistic in their expectations and understand that there will be some growing pains through this rebuild. Though I still feel the team has pieces remaining to stay out of the metaphorical basement, it will be a fight nonetheless. The only two teams I can see of the list provided,who may fair worse than the Flames, would be the Predators and Sabres.
Though Toronto lost both Grabovski and MacArthur, two of their better possession rate players, they were replaced by Clarkson and Bolland who provide added grit and character. While their possession rates will likely not improve much from last year, solid coaching and defensive systems, alongside strong goaltending should help make up for this particular stat.
The Leafs have a ton of offensive power and have a few defensemen who are improving with age such as Phaneuf, Gunnarsson, and Franson. Additionally, with Gardiner fighting for a spot on the roster himself, the Leafs blueline could be strong enough this year making it tough on opposition to put the puck in the back of the net.
Furthermore, the Leafs now have two strong and young goaltenders who will be fighting for that number one spot…something that is very healthy for a team looking to compete. With their defense getting stronger, goaltenders looking to win over the coaches, and offensive threats (in addition to several young players still looking to make a new for themselves), I do not feel the Leafs could possibly be worse than the current rebuilding Flames roster.
Moving on to the Oilers – Edmonton is really starting to make the right moves bringing in players who can actually help insulate their talented youth, and their young stars are beginning to reach their potential with respect to professional maturation and development. The amount of young somewhat inexperienced talent on their roster is not something to underestimate, regardless of their goaltending or defensive woes displayed in previous years.
The Oilers, provided no unforeseen injuries to any star players arise, should be challenging for a playoff spot this year and not fighting to climb out of the basement…and remember, I said they should…the team is still trying to pull the monkey off their back and realize the potential they feel the team holds.
Outside of these two obvious teams, in my humble opinion, the Lighting are one other team I feel could potentially be placed higher than the Flames this upcoming year. Despite buying out Vinny Lecavalier and having an ageing Marty St Louis, the team still has plenty of young players who can help them battle this year, in addition to two goaltenders who can get the job done in Ben Bishop and Anders Lindback.
While Tampa will likely need to look into addressing a few needs if they would like to remain competitive, I feel that given their current roster in addition to a few strong prospects such as recently drafted Jon Drouin, that the team could surprise. Tampa would be the only team I could see coming close to the Flames in the standings, but I do not feel that the Flames will have what it takes this year to surpass them.
The only two teams remaining are the Predators and Sabres. Though I feel I shouldn’t need to go into too much detail as to why I feel these two teams will likely have struggling seasons, the concern for Buffalo fans will be the potential departure of both Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller. With these guys remaining on their roster there is a chance they can stay somewhat competitive if a few other players can step up. Without these two, the team is in for a rough season…
With respect to the Predators - Though they have some players who I really like to watch such as Rinne, Weber, Legwand, Ellis, and recently drafted Jones, I do not feel the team will be strong enough to place ahead of the Flames this upcoming season. I will say, however, that the Predators have some young players like the Flames who could make an impact on their team and help them compete if goaltending is strong. I still feel, though, that they will struggle if they are unable to get more production out of other players which they have struggled with in recent years.
Concluding remarks; Though the article written was somewhat interesting and raised some good points, I found it to be a little too Flames biased. I wholeheartedly expect the Flames to be near the bottom of the standings this upcoming season, fighting with a few other struggling teams to find some success. There may be a tough season or two ahead of this club, but it is ultimately what is needed if any future success is to be had.
What do you guys think? Are the Flames better than any of these five teams, or should fans expect to spend a lot of time in the NHL's basement?
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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