Forget the sophmore jinx, Calgary is more familiar with the big contract jinx. Remember Roman Turek? It seemed his play tanked the moment he signed a big contract. I dare say that Phaneuf’s signing was a more responsible one than that of Turek, simply because the Flames have had more time to evaluate Phaneuf; Dion Phaneuf is the real deal.

Still, a $7M contract will put more pressure on Phaneuf to perform, and that pressure could affect his performance. Some guys react very positively to pressure and expectations, while others crumble under it. If he can continue doing what earned him the big contract in the first place, Phaneuf will be fine.

And what is it that got him here? Let’s take a look:

Yup, that’s what we want to see more of!

The acquisition of Mike Cammalleri was arguably [and in my opinion, certainly] the biggest off-season move that the Flames made this year. Losing Alex Tanguay leaves a play-making void that Cammalleri is expected to fill, but additionally, the Flames would like to see him add a big scoring punch.

Two seasons ago, Cammalleri put up big numbers, scoring 34 goals and adding 46 assists. After a similarly explosive start to 2007/08 he was slowed by injury and only tallied 19 goals and 28 assists. Playing with the likes of Jarome Iginla, Daymond Langkow, and Todd Bertuzzi could very well get him back to those numbers of two seasons ago.

The Flames and their fans have high hopes for this young talent. Should he live up to his potential, Cammalleri should help the offence become more consistent and convert more opportunities into goals.

Jarome Iginla has been one of the NHL’s most consistent players of this decade. He is the heart and soul of the Flames due in part to his class, leadership, and intensity. Both tough and a gifted goal scorer, Iginla is from the same mold as such legends as Maurice Richard and Gordie Howe. As Iginla goes, so too go the Flames.

Not since 2000/01 has Iginla scored fewer than 35 goals, and twice he has reached the 50 goal plateau. Last season, Iginla’s point total was 32 points more than his next closest teammate (98 pts vs. Kristian Huselius’ 66), and became the Flames all-time leading goal scorer (374 and counting). It really goes without saying that Iginla is a man to watch once again this season!

Can you believe these ten guys were drafted ahead of Iginla in 1995? I can’t.

• Bryan Berard (Ottawa)
• Wade Redden (NY Islanders)
• Aki Berg (Los Angeles)
• Chad Kilger (Anaheim)
• Daymond Langkow (Tampa Bay)
• Steve Kelly (Edmonton)
• Shane Doan (Winnipeg)
• Terry Ryan (Montreal)
• Kyle McLaren (Boston)
• Radek Dvorak (Florida)

I think maybe Edmonton and Montreal, in particular, would like to have that one back.

The only knock I have on Iginla is being from Edmonton, but we’ll forgive him for that.

In the past few seasons the team has struggled to find consistency over the 82-game schedule. Should the Flames want to earn home ice advantage at any point in the playoffs, a more consistent regular season performance will be required in 2008/09.

Two seasons ago was the hallmark of inconsistency for the Flames, earning 30 wins at home (better than even the President’s Trophy champion Detroit Red Wings) while only mustering 13 on the road. The result was an eighth place conference finish. Last season was a better split of home/road performances (21 wins each), but streaky performances earned the Flames only a 7th place seed in the playoffs. On both occasions the fate was a first round playoff exit.

A more consistent regular season performance this year could give the team a higher playoff seed, home-ice advantage, and a better start to the playoffs.

Let’s continue our preview of the 2008/09 season by taking a look at a guy who has the potential to put up some big points: Matthew Lombardi. As it happens, the Flames official site has pre-empted me with their recent article on Lombardi’s chances at a breakout season. Just see if that stops me.

Trevor and I talked about Lombardi over the summer, and I said that I hoped #18 was spending the summer with a tennis ball to work on his stick handling and breakaway moves. No question, Lombardi is among the most explosive skaters in the NHL; however, time and again last season he wasted breakaway opportunities simply by being unable to finish off scoring opportunities.

Given that Lombardi scored 57 goals in his final season of junior, we know he’s got a nose for the net, and based on his first goal of the preseason, we know he’s still got the hands. If Lombardi stays healthy and can start converting on his chances, I can see him scoring 40 goals this season. This is one guy that could be hugely entertaining to watch this year.

We are now eleven games from the start of the Flames 2008/09 campaign, so it’s time to start getting ourselves into gear for the season again. I’ll be celebrating the new season by counting down 10 things to watch over the 82 game regular season. Today’s subject is prospect Mikael Backlund.

The Flames’ recent draft history has been somewhat suspect, with few bona fide professionals finding their way onto the roster. Consider such first round picks as Chuck Kobasew, Brent Krahn, Oleg Saprykin, Rico Fata, and Daniel Tkaczuk (Dion Phaneuf is an obvious exception, but first round picks in ‘03 couldn’t miss). Recent picks like Leland Irving, Greg Nemisz, and Backlund are looking to change the Flames’ draft fortunes.

Backlund, the 19-year old Swede, was one of the more intriguing and most highly anticipated players at the rookie camp, and has survived thus far in main camp. Last season, he begain the year in Vasteras, Sweeden, tallying 13 points in 9 games with the junior club before rounding out the season on the second-division club, earning 15 points (11-4) in 46 games. Modest numbers to be sure, but not bad for an 18-year old. Flames fans were also impressed with his 7 points (3-4) in 6 games with the Swedish junior team at the U-20 championships a year ago.

Given his experience from parts of three seasons in the Swedish second division and the considerable skill that Backlund has shown at the Flames’ camp thus far, the rookie stands a good shot at cracking the roster this season. His combination of speed and passing ability could help to fill the void left by the departures Kristian Huselius and Alex Tanguay, complementing the grit that composes so much of the Flames’ roster.

Given what we’ve seen of Mikael Backlund up to this point, I won’t hesitate to say that as a late first round pick, he certainly looks better than some of our top ten picks of the last decade. I hope we do get to watch him this year and see what he can do at the NHL level.

Western Conference

An upset isn’t out of the question in this series. Nashville has shown this year that they can compete with the big boys. As the season has progressed Detroit has looked increasingly vulnerable as well. The Wings could be prime for an upset, but I think their vetran experience will be enough to earn the win in this round. I doubt they’ll have enough left in the tank to go beyond the next round though.

Joshua’s Pick: DETROIT IN SEVEN

Ouch. I was really hoping for a Minnesota regulation win on Sunday to prevent this match-up. Calgary has been inconsistent all year, so it’s tough to tell what team is going to show up for the playoffs. San Jose, meanwhile, has closed out the season on a tear. Eighteen wins in their final 21 games is evidence that this team means business. I think Calgary will bring a strong game, but at the same time, I think San Jose is too hot to be stopped by the likes of the Flames right now.

Joshua’s Pick: SAN JOSE IN SIX (but I’d like to be wrong)

This one could go either way. These teams weren’t separated by very much this season. I like Colorado on a resurgent performance from Jose Theodore. Minnesota has pretty good fire power, but then so does Colorado. I think this will be an entertaining series to watch with plenty of scoring.

Joshua’s pick: COLORADO IN SEVEN

It looked like life was going to be sweet for Dallas in the Brad Richards era, but it turns out he’s becoming a bit of a flop.  Unless Richards plays like he did in 2004, I don’t see the Stars going very far against a very deeply talented Ducks team. Mike Ribiero can’t carry this team very far in the playoffs. There’s a reason Anaheim won the Cup last year, and Dallas is about to find that out.

Joshua’s Pick: ANAHEIM IN FIVE

Eastern Conference

I love this series already. Yes, I will now disclose my allegiance to Les Canadiens. In September I proclaimed that “this will be a tough year to be a Canadiens fan”. Wow, was I ever wrong! Much like last year, the Habs were dominant on the powerplay, but Alex Kovalev has been a totally new man this season. Montreal has capitalized on Ottawa’s downfall to win the Northeast division, and ultimately the conference. If I recall correctly, no two teams have ever met each other more times in the playoffs of any professional sport, and that includes some recent Montreal upsets in recent years, along with some bad blood (recall McLaren’s elbow on Zednik). Add that to Montreal’s 8-0 record against Boston this year, and this series has some real intrigue. I’m a little concerned about injuries to Komiserik and Koivu, but am still going to let my bias show and pick Montreal to go 12-0 against the Bruins this season. Price and Kovalev to dominate the B’s.

Joshua’s Pick: MONTREAL IN FOUR

Two teams moving in opposite directions makes this an easy series to pick. Ottawa has been awful down the stretch, and the loss of their captain makes a bad situation worse. Pittsburgh is relatively healthy, incredibly skilled, and cruising right now. I’m going to give Ottawa a single win here based on the skill they’ve got on their roster, but I almost feel like I’m being generous.

Joshua’s Pick: PITTSBURGH IN FIVE

Daniel Briere was a nice acquisition for a team that really turned the corner this year. But he’s no Alexnder Ovechkin. The Caps’ turn-around this year has been amazing to watch, and I dare say anyone who doesn’t support Carolina has probably enjoyed watching Washington over the second half of this season. Ovechkin plays with a whole lot of passion, and I think that’s what’s driving this team right now.  That can be hard to stop.

Joshua’s Pick: WASHINGTON IN FIVE

Sutter coaching and Brodeur goaltending will beat Ranger star-power. These guys aren’t far apart though, and several games will probably go to overtime.

Joshua’s Pick: NEW JERSEY IN SEVEN

Disagree? Let’s hear it in the comments.