1) There are no shortage of players struggling on the Calgary Flames right now but one guy in particular I want to focus on is Sean Monahan.
Over the last couple seasons he has averaged 63 points per 82 games and at 22 years of age one would think he may be able to take it up another notch.
The season is still young but to this point that hasn't happened. Monahan has just five points in 14 games thus far, which equates to less than 30 points over an 82 game schedule. As it stands he is 9th(!) in team scoring.
One worrisome trend in the early going is that Monahan's shot rates are down.
Given he is the best pure goal scorer on the team that is not what you want to see. If anything the team should want him to be shooting more. It's worth noting .75 fewer shots per game isn't the sole reason his point production is currently cut in half but it certainly doesn't help his cause.
This isn't a case where a player is playing well, generating chances and just can't get a bounce. He is struggling right now. In saying that I think he'll figure things out sooner than later. He has too much talent not to.
2) Not that anyone needed to see more than the disaster that was opening night but I think waiving Nicklas Grossmann was certainly the right thing to do. He doesn't have the talent to make any sort of skilled play with the puck and any time he tries he ends up turning it over. He doesn't have the foot speed to get back and recover, either, so those blunders are even more costly.
Credit to him for carving out a pretty good career in pro hockey but he is not a player capable of contributing in today's NHL.
3) Brett Kulak is quietly playing some very good hockey. He looks confident with the puck and has done a nice job of helping the team transition from defense to offense in short succession.
Through six games the Flames are controlling 57.8% of the shot attempts, 59.3% of the shots, 57.1% of the scoring chances and out scoring the opposition 5-1 at full-strength with Kulak on the ice. He has brought some much needed stability to the back end.
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