The NHL playoffs begin in a couple days and, for the fifth time in six years, the Calgary Flames will not be participating.
There are a handful of reasons why but the biggest of which, simply put, is goaltending.
From the word go that was a problem and none of Jonas Hiller, Karri Ramo, Joni Ortio or Niklas Backstrom ever really stepped up and stabilized things for an extended period of time.
All four of those guys are without contracts and, maybe Ortio aside, I very much doubt they will be brought back.
GM Brad Treliving has not hid from the fact the Flames need to upgrade in goal - it's hard to argue when the team ranked 30th in save percentage - and will undoubtedly make finding a starter a big priority this summer.
That may not be the biggest item on the to-do list, though, as star forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are both in need of new contracts and will surely be looking to cash in on the excellent starts to their respective careers.
The team also has to lock up the likes of Joe Colborne, who played excellent hockey down the stretch, and Josh Jooris, among others, but there isn't as much urgency to take care of those guys.
I don't anticipate Treliving will be crazy active this summer - most of his biggest tasks are in-house - but with a (likely) top-5 pick in his back pocket and the need for a starting goaltender he won't be sitting on his hands.
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