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Calgary Flames: On Goaltending Targets, The Draft, & More

April 23, 2016, 2:35 PM ET [69 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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Since there isn't much going on with the Calgary Flames right now I decided it's as good of a time as any to do a Q&A blog.

Let's get right to it.



That's the big elephant in the room for the Flames right now and is obviously the biggest thing that needs to be addressed.

Last season the Flames' goaltenders combined to post 38 quality starts in 82 games. More often than not the Flames had to deal with sub par goaltending, which makes it impossible to win with any regularity.

As to who they'll target? I think Frederik Andersen is the guy that makes the most sense on the trade market. Should they decide to go with a stop gap in free agency James Reimer would be a perfectly suitable option.



Should the Flames drop down from 5th overall due to some bad luck in the lottery I think there will be a few really good options available.

The top half of the 1st round is really good this year and there are several high-end players up front and on the back end. Since the Flames have core players up front and on defense they won't be tempted to draft based off need, which I don't believe in, and can simply take the best player on their board.

If the Flames take a forward I don't think they can go wrong with Pierre-Luc Dubois, Clayton Keller or Alex Nylander while if they want a blue liner Mikhail Sergachev - not Jakob Chychrun - would be the highest guy on my board, although I have the two very close.

I'll go much more in-depth on possible targets and what I think the Flames could/should do once the draft order is finalized.



Personally I'd take Patrik Laine without thinking twice. He's big, he's strong, he can skate and he has an unbelievable shot. Imagine the damage a 6'4' goal scoring winger could do with Johnny Gaudreau playing opposite side.



The Flames' blue line was a disaster for much of the season but I think it is something that can easily be fixed.

First and foremost I'd trade Dennis Wideman. He can put up some points but he's a disaster defensively and his dollars can certainly be allocated better. I would also try and get rid of Deryk Engelland, though I expect he'll stay put.

If they rid themselves of Wideman, and perhaps Engelland, play Hamilton more, play Nakladal more and go bargain bin shopping for another depth blue liner with good underlying numbers (such as former Flame David Schlemko) I think they can be a very good unit next year.

Recent posts:

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Eastern Conference playoff predictions
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