OVERALL: C
Yes, they have more wins than losses… HOWEVER, they have grossly underachieved thus far and should NOT be out of the playoff race at any point this season, but here we are… They rank 14th out of 30 teams and are considered to be the Boston Bruins of the West…
A+/-
Mikka Kiprusoff: 23-15-6 with a 2.25 GAA and .925 Save Percentage, he’s back to his old numbers and most of this if not all is about him as a goalie, having to stand on his head to keep his team in the game and not getting any help from his defence. Kipper has revived himself to the standards he set back in ‘04-’06
B+/-
Rene Bourque: No doubt he’ll score 20 goals and is solid on the second line…. His streaky nature and tendency to stick handle too much keeps him from reaching the A’s in this report card.
Daymond Langkow: Steady vet presence and leadership are seen in his ability to make others better and to find choice scoring chances for himself. Can play with anyone and is versatile but not spectacular in his play.
Curtis Glencross: Has been what he advertises, a hard nose player who likes to grind and get in the corners. Needs to stay out of the penalty box at key times and to continue to check hard and often.
Curtis McElhinney: Yes, I have called on him to be moved in the past but management stuck by him for good reason. He is a steady backup who keeps his team in the game and gives them a shot. Not spectacular but Not a liability anymore, he just doesn’t have the big game experience like Kipper to make it to the A-list.
Mark Giordano: Stepped up his offensive game in a big way, pinches when he needs to and has a great little fake at the point to lure the D away and he’ll sneak in along the boards for an offensive scoring chance. Big hits and has matured very nicely into a top Flames D-man… Averaging 20 mins of Ice Time per game.
Jay Bouwmeester: Logs an average of 26 mins of ice time per game and is a steady defensive presence for the Flames. Although he seems a bit mis-used in this system, and seems lost in the system, he’s the team plus/minus leader at +10 and reminds me of a younger Tomas Kaberle, a steady puck moving defenceman who understands stick work and positioning… his lapses and giveaways keep him off the A-List.
Brent Sutter and Staff: Above average in their performance this far. Initiating a new system is never easy for a coach but Brent Sutter seems diligent and persevering in his attempt to make this team perform to it’s capability. Jamie “Noodles” McLennan I think is the reason Kipper is playing the way he is… he was a voice of reason and seemed like a strong mentor to Kippers mental game when McLennan backed him up. Lowry and McGill are well seasoned well respected and well educated men of Hockey and they’ve really put their noses to the grindstone assisting Brent Sutter. The only thing that’s going against Brent Sutter is that he is not Darryl Sutter. I haven’t seen anyone bring out the best in Calgary players like Darryl Sutter and he was the reason guys like Phaneuf and Iginla are stars.
C+/-
Jarome Iginla: Captain Iggy is struggling this year (this based upon standards that he has established) and seems at a loss in what to do to get going again. Team leader in Goals and Points but only has 5PPG, which is behind players such as… Stephen Weiss FLA, Brooks Laich WAS, and Kristian Husselius CBJ. Simple fact is that Iggy seems ordinary this year and we NEED him to be consistently EXTRAordinary. Enough Said.
Robyn Regehr: Was supposed to be an anchor for the defence but seems like he’s struggling to get a grasp on the Brent Sutter system of defence. Another reason he is in this section on the report card is that he’s not being the leader that the Flames need him to be. Soft spoken players who have the admiration and respect like Robyn Regehr need to speak up… he gives nice analysis in his interviews but if he got into people’s faces a lot more, I have no doubt they’d listen.
Olli Jokinen: #21 is going to cost the Flames their 1st Round Draft choice this coming June and all we got was a player who was supposed to be playing like he did in 2006-2008 in which he averaged 80+ pts. but instead would struggle to produce 50pts this season. He has the potential to break out but seems like he’s lost an edge or some confidence in his play, whatever the case is, he’s playing average and is graded as such.
Nigel Dawes: No one would’ve expected Dawes to score 10 goals all year but here he is just past he mid-point with 10 goals. A nice pickup by the Flames but his streaky-ness in his scoring and his seemingly ability to only connect with Langkow and Bourque limit his potential on this team.
Eric Nystrom: He has a great work ethic and is a perfect fit for this system, however, seems as though he has plateaued in his play. He grinds, he fights, he pesky and a hard nosed player but with a -4 rating, he’s either a liability defensively or is on a line with Dion Phaneuf one too many times.
Dustin Boyd: His game is improving… I suppose expectations were high on my part seeing him as part of the Sidney Crosby lead Canadian World Junior team under Brent Sutter but really, his game is about cycling the puck, digging in the corners and has the hands to be an average goal scorer in this league.
Brandon Prust: Steady. A guy who wants to be a spark plug, energy player and one who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves to make a statement to the crowd and his team. He’s aggressive and tough and the only reason he’s not higher on this report card is his lack of results on the score sheet.
Brian McGrattan: Does what he was signed to do. Fight and Enforce. He does it well and makes the passing grade. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj7gb9AKE_w)
Jamie Lundmark: Great call-up and has a great ice vision but again, his -5 rating puts him at the bottom of the Flame barrell and squeaks by for an average report.
Adam Pardy: His game has improved immensely but not to the point where he makes it higher than a C grade. He was drafted in the same year as Dion but his progress was a lot slower. Seems to be getting the hang of it as a D man on this team and is a steady contributor to the Flames success. Always room for improvement and in this system can only get better.
D+/-
David Moss: You would think that he has it made when he uses his 6-3 frame to screen goalies while having guys like Phaneuf, Bouwmeester, Giordano, Jokinen, Iginla…etc. to feed him shots to deflect or passes to tip and bang home but he really needs to get going and I hope that he gets time on a line with Langkow so he has a consistent guy to feed him the puck. The other reason for a D is his health. We need him to go deep in the playoffs and be the Dave Andreychuk type player who can score 30 goals without thinking.
Craig Conroy: Yes, he does the little things we may not see on a nightly basis and Yes, he’s a great locker room guy and YES, I’d rather have him than Theo Fleury but age shouldn’t be a factor because he can still skate well and has the Hockey IQ that many players can only pray for. Once he steps up his game even a notch or two, the points will come and he’ll have even more credibility in the locker room.
Cory Sarich: He was a rock for the Stanley Cup winning Lightning in 2004 and has brought that swagger with him to Calgary but injuries have cost him a lot. We ’sore’ly missed him in the playoffs last spring against Chicago and the injuries are the only thing keeping him from being a rock on defence for the Flames. He has great rink vision and seems timid to land the big body check to turn a game around, like he did against the Sharks and Patrick Marleau a couple of years back… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIZdg8Smm78
F
Dion Phaneuf: He could be labelled as a scapegoat or a whipping boy but nothing in his play this year suggests that he has taken his game to the next level and being in his early 20’s, his stats shouldn’t be going down… Let’s not blame Elisha because as a sign read in the Dome, “Calgary LOVES sloppy seconds”! My observations from the games I’ve attended and watched is that he is too casual in his play. Moving the puck, chasing the puck, carrying the puck…etc. His Laissez-Faire attitude is driving me nuts and he’s gotten away from the game that made him who he is… Seems like now, he’s looking for the big hit and chasing a big hit instead of letting that big hit come to him.
Always a Pleasure!
Naoto
