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What's left to do for the Calgary Flames?

July 5, 2018, 11:22 AM ET [66 Comments]
Todd Cordell
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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To say that Brad Treliving has been a busy man this off-season would be an understatement.

He started things off with a blockbuster trade that sent Micheal Ferland, Dougie Hamilton and highly touted prospect Adam Fox to Carolina in exchange for a pair of former top-5 picks in Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.

Then he addressed the team's lack of depth, and scoring ability, by signing forwards James Neal, Derek Ryan, and Austin Czarnik to multi-year contracts.

In terms of personnel moves, the heavy lifting is clearly done but there are still a few things Treliving could do to really put the icing on the cake.

Let's take a closer look.

Trade Michael Stone

This would be the top priority for me. Stone is one of those guys whose results don't match the tools. He has just six goals and 25 points over his last 146 games and his underlying numbers are downright horrific.

In 2017-18, Stone shared the ice with 14 different players for at least 150 minutes during 5v5 play. All 14 of them posted a higher Corsi For% – most times significantly – away from Stone.

That's not at all surprising given he struggles to defend the line, break out of the defensive zone, and create once shop is setup in the offensive zone.



He's not an effective player by pretty much any statistical measure and he's making $3.5 million to play on the 3rd pairing. Trading him would not only open up a good chunk of cap space, which could come handy next year when Matthew Tkachuk gets a significant raise, but also a roster spot for a more modern day defender – Rasmus Andersson! – to crack the lineup.

Maybe the Flames can reunite Stone with his brother in Ottawa when they inevitably trade Erik Karlsson.

Add insurance in goal

It's possible, perhaps even likely, the Flames stick with Jon Gillies and David Rittich hoping one of the two steps up. I think a good case can be made to add a little insurance.

Rittich posted a .904 save percentage in 21 NHL games and ranked 52nd among 61 eligible goaltenders (700+ minutes) in 5v5 SV%.

Gillies posted an .896 overall save percentage and ranked 71st among 72 eligible goaltenders (400+ minutes) in 5v5 SV%. His numbers in Stockton were fairly good but his test drive with the Flames left a lot to be desired.

There are still some established options out there. Kari Lehtonen posted a respectable .912 save percentage in 37 games last season. Steve Mason missed a lot of time with injuries but posted a .915 save percentage or better in three of four seasons from 2013-17.

I'd strongly consider giving one of them a cheap one-year deal and making Rittich and/or Gillies beat them out to earn an NHL job.

Dump Troy Brouwer

The Flames would probably have to buy Brouwer out in order to get rid of him, which seems unlikely, but that may not be the worst idea in the world.

They'd save $3 million against the cap in each of the next two seasons before being hit with a $1.5 million penalty in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

More importantly, dumping Brouwer would give many – myself included – peace of mind knowing he's not going to be playing on a team that can trot out James Neal, Elias Lindholm, Michael Frolik, Austin Czarnik and, potentially, Spencer Foo on the right side. Nor would we have to suffer through any more #BrouwerPlays.

Recent posts:

​James Neal a necessary signing for the Flames

​Flames sign Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik

​Reviewing the Flames' 2018 draft class

​On the blockbuster trade between the Flames and Hurricanes

Flames name Hakan Loob head European pro scout

​Dynamite U21 seasons from Andersson + Kylington put them in good company
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