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**Update The team has announced that Cammalleri won't be playing tonight to give him an extra day of practice to get up to a better fitness level. I have an impression that interest is actually warming up in terms of trade talks and that they'd rather play it safe against a team like the Sharks and keep him sidelined. He'll play Saturday if still a Calgary Flame.
It’s game day folks, but even more important, it’s welcome Mike Cammalleri back day!
As I mentioned and also discussed over Twitter last night, Cammalleri has been cleared to play tonight against the Sharks just as yours truly predicted given the seriousness of his injury in addition to updates I was receiving.
Being the main focus of not only Flames related trade discussions but also league wide, Mike is being coveted by up to 4-5 teams as a rental player, reports indicate. While I can’t confirm how much all or any of these teams remain interested given his injury, the fact that he missed a total of eight games shouldn’t scare off too many interested GM’s, I should think.
Outside of his most recent injury, Cammalleri has not missed any time due to concussions throughout his NHL career. While it is good news that this was not a repeated injury, concussions can be a very scary and serious sports injury if not properly treated. That said, Calgary has taken their time and played it very safe with Mike given his importance to the team while playing among the group, but also as a potential tradable commodity.
"I'm excited to play," Cammalleri said. "I'm just excited to get back with the boys here. The guys are playing well. It's fun to be a part of it. It's been fun watching the guys do well."
The Flames are scheduled to play the Sharks tonight who have just recently been shutout in back to back games against the LA Kings and most recently the Edmonton Oilers. Despite their current struggles and outside of their last two games, the Sharks have had no issues finding the back of the net as they rank 6th league wide in goals per game. Moreover, and similar to the Flames, the Sharks have been able to keep most games quite close in order to earn wins, something Calgary will need to battle through.
With their goaltending being off and on, depending on who has been playing, the Flames will need a solid performance by Karri Ramo tonight as Calgary gives the night off to Reto Berra. Still struggling to show consistency, Berra hasn’t quite earned the coaches trust as of yet and will need to continue to work on his positioning and composure between the pipes. That said, both goalies have shown some flashes of brilliance and have certainly helped their team through a few close games.
"There have been so many times where we haven't supported our goalies enough," forward Joe Colborne told the team's official website. "It's nice to return the favor a little bit and get them some goal support."
As we’ve expressed many times throughout the year, the Flames have been working on maintaining a high level of work ethic and competiveness. Acknowledging their need for a rebuild, the Flames organization have simply not welcomed nor excused any reasons for losing games and are looking to instill a proper and professional working environment.
Their current three game win streak has been a testament to their hard work. As discussed, the Flames dropped seven straight home games and were quite embarrassed about it. Since, they have clinched three straight home wins and are looking for their fourth tonight with the help of Mike Cammalleri.
"It's the feel-good attitude. It's the feel you're accomplishing something and getting a result. It's a much easier sell for me and the players' confidence," Hartley said. "This is a business of winning and the more we cultivate winning, I think we're going to fast-forward our progression."
With respect to the line combinations for tonight, Cammalleri will be placed on the 3rd line with Sean Monahan and TJ Galiardi, while Ben Street will be scratched.
Given his strong play of late, Lance Bouma will be given some time on the 2nd line with Matt Stajan and David Jones. They should not only provide a solid secondary scoring line, but also one that can create a strong fore-check. As such, the Flames will ice Joe Colborne between Kevin Westgarth and Brian McGrattan on the 4th line.
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As promised, below is today’s Q&A which will cover questions submitted to me via Hockebuzz PM’s and also over Twitter. If you’d like to have a question answered in the next Flames Mailbag, simply send it my way!
@Cflames47: Colin, when do you think Calgary will call up Baertschi? This is a good and tricky question Scott! The issue at hand here is that while Baertschi is working on his 200ft game in the AHL, his overall performance has not been overly strong. With just four points in 15 games playing for a strong Abbotsford team, Baertschi has not made enough of an impression to be called back up to the NHL.
What needs to be considered here is that there is no real need or timeline for Sven’s development, given the current state of the franchise. Only 21 years old and having played a total of 51 NHL games to date, there is still plenty of time for the rookie to find his game and confidence at the professional level.
While Burke may have criticized his play and may not be fond of his current skillsets, there is a ton of raw talent with this player and there is really no need to worry about him at this point in his career.
@OmarWelat: Top trade destinations for Cammalleri and who they could get from those teams? This question has come up a lot in recent thread discussions and my blogs, and my thoughts haven’t really changed at all since last writing about it. That said, here were my latest remarks regarding the above.
It has been made clear by the Flames that the asking price for Mike Cammalleri is currently a first round draft selection and a prospect, according to Brian Burke.
While I am sure that this is exactly what fans are hoping for, I remain irresolute that Cammalleri will in fact yield such a price. And though I could see a team or two needing his services enough to pay the price, I feel that Burke may be more interested in a higher level prospect and a 2nd round draft pick which could speed up their current rebuild plan.
As I’ve made it known, the teams which I feel are the most likely to show interest for Mike’s services are the LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks, and Pittsburgh Penguins. That said, below are the players I feel that Brian Burke will try and pry out of each team if he’s able to find a deal.
Kings: Valentin Zykov, Wings: Martin Frk, Ducks: Emerson Etem, Canucks: Brendan Gaunce, Pens: Brian Dumoulin
@goheconfused: Colin, it seems like Shane O’Brien won’t play for the Flames again. Was the demotion all because his horrible play in Nashville, or more factors? Shane’s demotion was ultimately due to the fact that, while he possessed the size needed to play a Burke/Hartley still game, he simply didn’t have the right skill sets. Not being able to effectively move the puck or skate his way out of trouble when needed, O’Brien would often cause poorly executed turn overs and was seeing less ice time with the team.
As such, the Flames called up Chris Breen to take his place (albeit in the pressbox) as the 24 year old defenseman has size, but can use it to his advantage a little better than O’Brien was demonstrating. I don’t see Shane playing too many more games, if any with the Flames and likely let go when his contract expires next year, unless Burke can find him and his $2M cap hit a new home.
Saskabush: What future do you think Butler has with the team? Trade or Resign? I can say with confidence that two months ago I wouldn’t be here typing this – resign. Thing is, Butler has been without a doubt improving his play and further, can be resigned for rather cheap. Currently signed at $1.7M per, they can likely keep him in the 1.5M range for another two years and keep pressure off the youth.
At 27 years old and with 320 NHL games under his belt, Butler should be able to provide a level of veteran presence to any younger defensemen making their way up. His game is nothing to applaud, per se, but has been simple and effective of late essentially earning himself a new contract.
Guys like Butler simply won’t yield much in trade value, and are likely worth more to the team playing alongside the rest of the rebuilding roster.
mykokes: When are they going to play Chad Billins again, or even Cundari? Not anytime soon, in my humble opinion. As things stand, they have simply moving a little too far down the depth charts and are being slowly replaced by others every passing year. That said, both players still have some value to the organization with strong seasons playing for the Abbotsford Heat. Both as defenseman, Billins currently sits with 31pts in 42 games, and Mark Cundari with 10pts in 32 games played.
Both players are a big part of the success of the Heat, though their skillsets have not been dominant enough for an NHL call up anytime soon.
TandA4Flames: Assuming CGY fails to finish with one of the top 2 picks, what do you think their draft strategy should be? Again, assuming they acquire another 1st for Cammi etc. should they make a package to move up, try to trade down for multiple picks or stand pat with a #3-5 pick? This is going to be a very big discussion as the 2013-14 season comes to a close. Given that I do not personally feel that the Flames will land a 1st round draft pick in exchange for Mike Cammalleri(alone), I am not sure I can appropriately answer this question.
That said, and if Calgary were to have two first round draft picks for the 2014 NHL draft, I do not feel that they will in fact be making any moves to acquire a top 2 draft selection. It has always been of my belief that drafting twice in the first round (unless of course it’s thought to be quite weak), could yield more talent in the long run for the organization.
There is not much doubt in my mind that the Flames draft outside of the top five, and any further draft selections which they may acquire would likely be in the in the 20+ range as I assume the teams which will be looking for rentals from Calgary will be pushing for a playoff run.
Long answer short? Get as many picks as possible in the two first rounds, and draft the best player available to you with said selection(s).
MattWM: Why has Byron been a healthy scratch lately? I thought he was playing well and even though he's small he showed a hell of a lot more truculence than 6'5 Colborne Paul Byon has been a healthy scratch not only due to his size, but also his projected future with the team, in my opinion. Thing is, guys like Colborne (arguably) have more potential than would a player like Byron. As such, it is to the benefit of the team to try and develop someone like Colborne over a player like Byron unless the latter is playing much beyond expectations.
Byron has simply not played “above and beyond… his skillset and as such, has not been awarded with ice time. And don’t get me wrong, he plays a competitive game despite his size, but his skillset simply isn’t strong enough to make a claim for a roster spot at the moment.
Mr.Pink - Colin, what is the realistic outlook (1st , 2nd, or 3rd pairing) for the Flames top 3 defensive prospects? This is a very good question, and although it is difficult to predict these things, what we can assess is how said players have developed in comparison to other successful defenseman currently in the NHL. Take note, however, that not all players develop the same, so this is simply a guide not a rule.
Patrick Sieloff – Despite not being overly large, Sieloff plays a tough game and has a strong skating game as well. Unfortunately due to a staph infection we have not had a chance to see a lot of Pat this year with the Heat, however he looked quite strong in preseason and over the summer. That said, Sieloff has the potential to be a number one or two shutdown guy if he continues to develop at his current pace.
Tyler Wotherspoon – Tyler has been having a strong season with the Heat, as the 20 year has been logging some important minutes with the team. That said, Wotherspoon is not going to be a flashy player, heck, when on his game you likely won’t notice him much. Being a safe, defensive defenseman, Tyler has the potential to become a 2nd pairing guy, depending on the type of partner found at the NHL level.
John Ramage – Another shutdown defender (the Flames have a few), Ramage is next in line in terms of readiness for an NHL season debut. While still a year/two removed from playing with the Flames, the 23 year old is showing a lot of promise, character, and leadership with the Abbotsford Heat. Ramage is currently projected as a bottom pairing defenseman in the NHL, unless he can even further elevate his compete level.
That’s all for today’s Q&A folks, thanks to those who submitted their questions!