Post by Calgary Flames on Aug 26, 2024 11:15:15 GMT -6
The Flames had one of the busier offseason in the brief history of the PFHL. In a previous article, the Flames detailed their entry draft results highlighted by drafting the best defender in the NCAA last year, Zeev Buium. Here is a look at the rest of their off-season post draft. The #1 goal of the Flames was to add depth to the line-up as Corey and Aaron posted very mean YouTube review of the team.
Trades
Dan Vladar (G): The Flames traded for Vladar, and in doing so, have their first legitimate 1A goalie with an 80OV rating. Vladar is a big goalie that uses his size and strong positioning to control his crease. While his athleticism is not elite, he also utilizes his strong technique and sound positioning to make all the saves he should. On the financial side he makes under $1.5M and will be an RFA for his next contract.
Mike Reilly (D): Reilly is a solid defender with an 80PA and an 81DF and is expected to be a solid second pairing defender. He is paid $1.5M on a 1 year deal and could hit free agency next season so he could be a one year option pending how things go in Calgary this year but at age 30 it would not be catastrophic to the organization if he chose to find greener pastures.
Jonatan Berggren (F): Rounding out the trades, Berggren is likely to start the season on the farm to maximize his development. He is a high potential (89) forward who immediately becomes the franchises best AHL player and is likely to join Zadina and Texier on the pro roster next season.
Free Agency
Tomas Tatar (F): Tatar provides a solid veteran presence to a relatively young line-up. He is a solid play-maker and is expected to play in the middle-six where he will be a key part of the secondary offense. His $2.5M contract is very reasonable and will not be an albatross when father time starts to win the undefeated battle.
Nick Leddy (D): Another veteran signing, Leddy provides a calming presence to the middle-six and is likely to provide a strong defensive presence to a young defensive corp. He will likely line-up with Olli Juolevi. His 78PA and 77DF makes him a very solid 3rd pairing defender and his $2.1M contract is very reasonable.
Josh Anderson (F): Anderson was a sneaky add at $1.499 million meaning he could sneak through waivers at 73OV and add significant help on the farm with his veteran presence. He is a rugged forward that can score and is "only" 30 years old. He is expected to provide a solid bottom-six presence and provide some veteran depth.
Evan Rodriques (F): Rodriques is a versatile forward that can play all 3 positions. He is a strong skating two-way forward that will likely be a depth player in the bottom-six at 72OV and, at 72OV and 30 years old and a $1.7M contract, he is considered a bit of a bargain at 72OV.
David Savard (D): Savard is another sneaky depth add with a $1.499M contract and a 72OV rating. He really has no offensive ability, but at an 80DF rating he can hold his own on a bottom pair or can mentor some of the young farm defenders. He is currently the teams 7th defender but is likely to slide into the line-up should there be any trades or injuries.
Jake Virtanen (F): Virtanen is another depth signing expected to ply his trade on the 4th line. The 27 year old can play both wings and plays with pace and ruggedness. His $1.499M contract and 72OV rating mean he can play in the farm if further additions are made.
AHL Graduations
Filip Zadina and Alex Texier (F): The progress of these two has already been discussed. Both are 73OV heading into the season and are expected to play a middle-six role. With Zadina having the higher potential he could find himself getting a test on the top line to see if he can find some chemistry while Texier can play all 3 forward positions which could serve him well.
Prospect Creations
Jacob Bernard-Docker (D), Adam Klapka (F), Ilya Solovyov (D): JBD is the highlight of the new AHLers with his strong defensive ability. He is likely a year or two away from the NHL but is a very low risk prospect. Klapka is a massive forward with some offensive skill and Solovyov is a defense first prospect that will get a few years of development time before he has a chance of trying for an NHL roster job.
Conclusion: It's a big year for the Flames which have been a borderline play-off team in the mighty Pacific. Their 99 points last season was very very good. The problem? Not good enough for the play-offs getting eliminated on the last day of the season. If the new additions can make the team get 2 more points they should make the big dance where every team has a chance to win....especially for the mighty Pacific conference teams.
Projected Lines: These are the lines projected for game 1 of the pre-season. Based on the above discussion, these lines could be very fluid as the team seeks to find which players can generate the best chemistry. (LW-C-RW and Avg OV rating)
Debrincat-Trochek-Nylander (82OV)
Zadina-Lindholm-Necas (77OV)
Tatar-Texier-Anderson (73OV)
Scherback-Rodrigues-Virtanen (71OV)
Dahlin-Heiskanen (83OV)
Timmins-Reilly (76OV)
Juolevi-Leddy (74OV)
Vladar-DeSmith (78)
Trades
Dan Vladar (G): The Flames traded for Vladar, and in doing so, have their first legitimate 1A goalie with an 80OV rating. Vladar is a big goalie that uses his size and strong positioning to control his crease. While his athleticism is not elite, he also utilizes his strong technique and sound positioning to make all the saves he should. On the financial side he makes under $1.5M and will be an RFA for his next contract.
Mike Reilly (D): Reilly is a solid defender with an 80PA and an 81DF and is expected to be a solid second pairing defender. He is paid $1.5M on a 1 year deal and could hit free agency next season so he could be a one year option pending how things go in Calgary this year but at age 30 it would not be catastrophic to the organization if he chose to find greener pastures.
Jonatan Berggren (F): Rounding out the trades, Berggren is likely to start the season on the farm to maximize his development. He is a high potential (89) forward who immediately becomes the franchises best AHL player and is likely to join Zadina and Texier on the pro roster next season.
Free Agency
Tomas Tatar (F): Tatar provides a solid veteran presence to a relatively young line-up. He is a solid play-maker and is expected to play in the middle-six where he will be a key part of the secondary offense. His $2.5M contract is very reasonable and will not be an albatross when father time starts to win the undefeated battle.
Nick Leddy (D): Another veteran signing, Leddy provides a calming presence to the middle-six and is likely to provide a strong defensive presence to a young defensive corp. He will likely line-up with Olli Juolevi. His 78PA and 77DF makes him a very solid 3rd pairing defender and his $2.1M contract is very reasonable.
Josh Anderson (F): Anderson was a sneaky add at $1.499 million meaning he could sneak through waivers at 73OV and add significant help on the farm with his veteran presence. He is a rugged forward that can score and is "only" 30 years old. He is expected to provide a solid bottom-six presence and provide some veteran depth.
Evan Rodriques (F): Rodriques is a versatile forward that can play all 3 positions. He is a strong skating two-way forward that will likely be a depth player in the bottom-six at 72OV and, at 72OV and 30 years old and a $1.7M contract, he is considered a bit of a bargain at 72OV.
David Savard (D): Savard is another sneaky depth add with a $1.499M contract and a 72OV rating. He really has no offensive ability, but at an 80DF rating he can hold his own on a bottom pair or can mentor some of the young farm defenders. He is currently the teams 7th defender but is likely to slide into the line-up should there be any trades or injuries.
Jake Virtanen (F): Virtanen is another depth signing expected to ply his trade on the 4th line. The 27 year old can play both wings and plays with pace and ruggedness. His $1.499M contract and 72OV rating mean he can play in the farm if further additions are made.
AHL Graduations
Filip Zadina and Alex Texier (F): The progress of these two has already been discussed. Both are 73OV heading into the season and are expected to play a middle-six role. With Zadina having the higher potential he could find himself getting a test on the top line to see if he can find some chemistry while Texier can play all 3 forward positions which could serve him well.
Prospect Creations
Jacob Bernard-Docker (D), Adam Klapka (F), Ilya Solovyov (D): JBD is the highlight of the new AHLers with his strong defensive ability. He is likely a year or two away from the NHL but is a very low risk prospect. Klapka is a massive forward with some offensive skill and Solovyov is a defense first prospect that will get a few years of development time before he has a chance of trying for an NHL roster job.
Conclusion: It's a big year for the Flames which have been a borderline play-off team in the mighty Pacific. Their 99 points last season was very very good. The problem? Not good enough for the play-offs getting eliminated on the last day of the season. If the new additions can make the team get 2 more points they should make the big dance where every team has a chance to win....especially for the mighty Pacific conference teams.
Projected Lines: These are the lines projected for game 1 of the pre-season. Based on the above discussion, these lines could be very fluid as the team seeks to find which players can generate the best chemistry. (LW-C-RW and Avg OV rating)
Debrincat-Trochek-Nylander (82OV)
Zadina-Lindholm-Necas (77OV)
Tatar-Texier-Anderson (73OV)
Scherback-Rodrigues-Virtanen (71OV)
Dahlin-Heiskanen (83OV)
Timmins-Reilly (76OV)
Juolevi-Leddy (74OV)
Vladar-DeSmith (78)
