While expectations are rightfully high for the Calgary Flames, there are some question marks surrounding the team that will ultimately decide whether they live up to the hype.
Let's take a look at three of them.
1. Will the goaltending be good enough?
In 2015-16, the Flames took a big step back from the year prior. Part of that was expected regression becoming reality for a lot of players, and the team as a whole, but goaltending was also a factor. The Flames had three goaltenders play at least 20 games and none of them came close to posting a save percentage near league average.
Brad Treliving smartly decided to bring in a new tandem for the 2016-17 season and, while there was improvement, the Flames still didn't get league average goaltending.
As a result, Treliving has yet again brought in two new goaltenders. Whether or not they are the right goaltenders remains to be seen.
Over the last two seasons, Mike Smith ranked 8th among 37 eligible goaltenders in 5v5 save percentage and ahead of notables like Henrik Lundqvist, Frederik Andersen, Ben Bishop and Pekka Rinne, among others. That's very impressive given the team he was playing behind.
Smith's overall numbers were mediocre, though, and he did run into some injury problems that held him to 87 games (43.5 per) during that window.
If injuries continue to be a problem, the Flames will be relying on Eddie Lack. He was pretty good in Vancouver but posted a .901 save percentage during his two-year stint with the Carolina Hurricanes so, even behind a strong defense, he's probably not a guy you want in the net on a regular basis.
The Flames better hope Smith can replicate his 5v5 success in Calgary while also staying healthy. If he can't, the team will have a tough time meeting expectations.
2. Can Sam Bennett take the next step?
During his rookie season in 2015-16, Bennett tallied 36 points in 77 games and looked well on his way to becoming an impact player for the Flames.
Bennett was anything but that in a very disappointing sophomore season. His production dipped 10 points despite playing in more games, he took a ton of bad penalties, and looked like a shell of the player we saw the year prior.
The good news is there are reasons to be optimistic. Last season Bennett piled up 5v5 assists and shots a near identical to his rookie campaign. He scored a few less goals but part of that is shooting percentage driven (he shot 7.55% after shooting 13.2% the year prior) and being weighed down by Troy Brouwer for a large chunk of the season didn't help his cause, either.
I think Bennett fell behind the 8-ball early last season and never really recovered. With renewed confidence, and potentially a steady dose of minutes alongside Kris Versteeg and the AHL's WAR leader, Mark Jankowski, on the 3rd line, I expect a much better season from Bennett.
3. Can the Flames stay healthy?
This is imperative to every team's success. If your best players miss big chunks of games, you're not going to very far regardless of how much depth you have (see Tampa Bay).
Last season, the Flames had luck on their side and were really healthy.
Sean Monahan, Michael Frolik, and T.J. Brodie played 82 games. Mikael Backlund, Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and Bennett played 81 games. Micheal Ferland and Matthew Tkachuk played 76 games (and the few he missed were due to early season scratches or suspension). Johnny Gaudreau was the only key player to miss a string of games and he still ended up playing 72.
It'll be tough for the Flames' key players to duplicate that kind of health again this season but if they do, they'll win a lot of games.
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