Training Camp Battles: The Forwards

Does anyone have an extra roster spot? Anyone at all? No? Well that's a shame because the Flames are currently 17 deep as far as NHL forwards go so.

For arguments sake, and so I am not sitting here till 3am going over every player who many not be here come opening day, let’s just assume that:

Johnny Gaudreau            Sean Monahan                 Jiri Hudler

Michael Ferland              Sam Bennett                    Michael Frolik

Lance Bouma                  Mikael Backlund             Joe Colborne

Josh Jooris                       Matt Stajan                      David Jones

Are the top 12 forwards with Brandon Bollig being one of the extra’s. In my opinion those 13 players have a better chance of being on the opening night roster than not being on it so we will exclude them from this brake down 

That leaves the Flames with 1 forward spot open, baring injuries, and 5 guys left battling for it.

Those 5 guys are Garnet Hathaway, Paul Byron, Mason Raymond, Markus Granlund, and Drew Shore.

Let's get Garnet Hathaway out of the way first as I think he is the easiest to dissect. Hathaway signed with the Adirondack Flames after finishing his collegiate career in 2013-2014, and impressed Flames brass enough last season to earn himself an NHL contract. Picked by many to be this year’s “Josh Jooris”, the energy forward wears his heart on his sleeve, giving 100% every shift, and doing whatever it takes to win.

Guys like Hathaway are going to be very important to the Flames success in the future, but he doesn't look ready quite yet. He is also waiver exempt so it will be easy for the Flames to stash him away in the AHL.

My guess as to why he is getting an extended look at camp is that the coaches probably want to give him a little extra work, but also want to reward Hathaway for the hard work and continued progression over the last calendar year. Hathaway may not make the opening night roster but once injuries crop up his strong training camp will probably make him one of the first call-ups.

Paul Byron is fast. Like, really fast. He’s so fast he just forced me to go valley girl on your ass. The diminutive forward is a quick thinking two-way player who likes to create turnovers defensively then use his speed to turn the puck up the ice and create odd-man rushes. So what is the problem? Well let’s just say he was snake bitten last season, and that’s putting it politely. He also got a late start on training camp as he needed some extra time to rehab his wrist after having wrist surgery in the off-season.

With all that said Paul Byron is a player that Bob Hartley trusts and relies on. Byron isn't the sexiest name on the list, nor is he the most talented player on the roster, but he sets the energy level for the rest of the team. He goes all out on every shift and when the bench see’s 5’7” Paul Byron flying around, using his speed to create chances and surprising the opposition with strong physical play, it's contagious and you can see the play of the team pick up. I suspect he will be on the opening night roster unless he suffers a setback in his injury.

Mason Raymond has become somewhat of a whipping boy for Flames fans over the last year. It’s unfortunate because Raymond is still a decent player. At first glance you’d think that the skills he possesses, very fast, strong two-way play, decent shot, would make him a perfect fit with the Flames. While Raymond hasn't lacked 'try' since donning Flaming C, he hasn't fit in like management thought he would, looking more like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole.

The trouble comes in with Raymond’s contract. He has this season and next at 3.125 million and I don’t see too many teams lining up to take on that deal. If he doesn't make the Flames roster, and it doesn't look like he will at this point, he will be exposed to waivers and sent to Stockton. He could very well be a prime buy out candidate next off season. (He would have a cap hit of just over a 1 million for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons if he is bought out next summer.)

Markus Granlund is making it very difficult for the Flames brass to send him down with his play during training camp. The Flames second round pick in 2011 is thought of as the Flames most NHL ready prospect, after Sam Bennett, and can play in all situations. This preseason he has seemed to find his scoring touch as well. 

The young Finn just has 1 thing going against him. Waiver status. Granlund doesn't need to clear waivers to go down to the AHL, so with all the depth in front of him, barring an injury, it seems unlikely that he will be on the Flames roster on opening night. It’s not a bad thing either. Brad Treliving has been preaching since he took over that you can’t over ripen a prospect in the AHL, but you can rush them. Treliving is also a man who likes to have as many options open to him as possible, so look for Granlund to start the year in the AHL and be the first call up when a forward goes down to injury.

The man who throws a wrench into the Flames forward group is Drew Shore. A 2009 second round pick of the Florida Panthers, he was traded to the Flames last season for Corban Knight. He spent some time in the AHL with the Heat before being promoted to the Flames. He only ended up playing 11 regular season games for the Flames and 1 playoff game, and while he didn't exacty light the world on fire he also didn't look out of place. Flames management also seems pretty high on him.

So what’s the problem? The big bodied, right handed centre has to go on waivers if they try to send him to the AHL and he is almost guaranteed to be claimed. He either needs to be on the Flames roster, or he will be shipped out for a mid round pick. Either that or they will lose Shore for nothing, and I have a hard time seeing Flames management doing that. There’s also a possibility that the Flames could swap Shore to another team for a defenseman who is in a similar situation. As I covered yesterday, the Flames have a lot of options with their young defenders and Flames management seems to covet defensive depth.

Out of the blue: The Flames trade David Jones. I'm not saying that because I don’t like Jones. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Jones was acquired from Colorado in the Alex Tanguay trade and, despite a few injuries, he has been a valuable member of the team. He has scored 23 goals and amassed 47 points in 115 games playing a secondary scoring role for the Flames. He brings a physical presence to the small and skilled Flames squad, while possessing the speed and hands to play with them. He is also a right handed shot, which the Flames didn't have a lot of when they acquired him. Plus the man has one of the best smiles in hockey. It’s hard not to like David Jones.

But the Flames have a bunch of younger cheaper options now. Josh Jooris and Drew Shore are both right handed shots who fall under this category. Joe Colborne is also a left handed shot who plays on the right side and is one of a couple Flames players who do this (primarily Jiri Hudler and Michael Frolik). 

Jones is owed 4 million this season, which is definitely a bit of an overpayment, but his contract is up at the end of the season so it isn't impossible to think someone would take it on. It would also allow Calgary to continue to accumulate assets for expiring contracts, even though this isn't a move they would be able to make while in the middle of a play-off race. If the Flames made this move it would open up a roster spot and allow the Flames to keep both Paul Byron and Drew Shore.

Training Camp Battles: The Defenders

Yesterday we took a look at the battle going on in the Flames crease. Today we are going to continue to look at the Flames camp battles by working out way from the net outwards.

The Flames defensive corps got a huge upgrade in both the top end, with the addition of Dougie Hamilton, as well as with the depth with the signing of a number of players and the development of their own young players.

The Flames have sent top prospect Rasmus Andersson back to his junior team and have sent Oliver Kylington and several other players down to Stockton. Ladislav Smid hasn't played hockey in almost a full season and doesn't look like he will be ready until probably a month into the season. The Flames have also just put T.J. Brodie on the IR with a broken hand that will take 3-6 weeks to heal, so the Flames are looking for a couple of replacement players to start the NHL season and the battle seems to have come down to 4 players.

Ryan Wilson, Brett Kulak, Tyler Wotherspoon and Jakub Nakladal are the 4 “extra” defensemen who remain in camp and 2 of the 4 of them are most likely to start the season in the NHL.

Ryan Wilson is in Flames camp on a PTO. Once considered a solid NHL defender, Wilson has had some troubles staying healthy lately, playing only 3 games for the Avalanche last season. The veteran defender has come into camp and been a steadying presence on the Flames blueline. The Flames have had some success with defenders on PTO’s, with Raphael Diaz playing very well for the Flames down the stretch last season. I would not be surprised to see him handed a contract with the camp he has had. You can never have too much defensive depth.

Tyler Wortherspoon was the Flames top defensive prospect last season and was able to get himself into some NHL game action last season. However, the Flames coaches did not seem to have a lot of trust in Wotherspoon as he only averaged 6:51 minutes in his 6 playoff games last season. That is not as un-expected as you might think for someone rated as the organizations top defensive prospect though, as the Flames system demands a lot from their defensemen and Wotherspoon is entering this season at a very young 22 years old. He has had a strong camp but he doesn't have to clear waivers so while he may start the season in Calgary, he will have to be playing out of his mind or rely on other injuries to stay at the NHL level once Brodie and Smid return.

Jakub Nakladal is billed as a steadying force from the back end with a big shot. The Flames signed the big Czech defender as a free agent this off-season and, while many thought he would need some time in the AHL to adjust his game, he has seemingly slid right in and not looked out of place at all. Like Wotherspoon he doesn’t need to clear waivers so he would be a likely candidate to head to Stockton once the injured players return. Nakladal suffered an injury in a pre-season game against Colorado but was seen back on the ice practising today so not a lot of time was missed.

Last, but not least, we have Brett Kulak. The young unheralded defender has mostly slipped under the radar since being drafted in the 4^th round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Last season was his first as a pro and he had some troubles adjusting to the pro game early on. Inconsistent play and minor league depth at the defensive position lead to Kulak being shipped to the ECHL so he could log more ice time. It was the right move for him as he scored 30 points in 39 games while playing for the Colorado Eagles. He was brought back to the AHL and played 26 games while establishing himself as one of Adirondack’s top defenders towards the end of the season.

Kulak has carried that momentum into this training camp. The youngest of the defensemen left in camp, he is, in my opinion, also have the best camp of the 4 listed. He is a quick skater who can cover a lot of ground, he has the smarts to know when to jump into the rush, and has a strong first pass out of the zone. While he may start the season with the Flames, he would be in tough to stay at the NHL level, especially if the Flames do sign Ryan Wilson. No matter how the defensive battle shakes down one thing is for certain. Brett Kulak is no longer flying under the radar.

Out of the blue: I don’t really see an out of the blue option here. 3 of the players I mentioned have the ability to go to the AHL without passing through waivers and the other is on a PTO. Flames management has been preaching the need for defensive depth for quite a while and the team is finally starting the bare the fruits of management’s labour. The ONLY thing I could see is the team looking to add another defenseman if they don’t plan on signing Ryan Wilson, but Wilson has had a pretty good camp so I don’t know if that would be the best use of assets unless it was for a player the management really believed in.

Tomorrow we will wrap up the Flames Camp Battles by looking at the Flames forward group, 

Training Camp Battles: Goaltending Edition

The Flames have started to make a number of cuts to their training camp roster and despite the fact they have had a few injuries happen the Flames appear to have a problem on their hands.

A very good problem.

The Flames are suffering from depth at all positions as it appears they have too many capable bodies and not enough roster spots for them. The real issue is some of these NHL ready bodies have to be exposed to waivers before being sent down and, as such, Brad Treliving and co. have some very difficult decisions to make over the next week.

Over the next few days I am going to attempt to break down Calgary’s glut of NHL players, what their options are, and the possible outcomes.

So, what are Calgary’s options?

Today I am going to look at the Flames goaltending situation.

Goalies

The Flames have a 3 headed monster crowding their crease at the moment. Jonas Hiller and Kari Ramo are both NHL calibre goaltenders who patrolled Calgary’s crease last season in a 1A/1B fashion. The 2 goaltenders had pretty good years, helping the Flames get all the way to the second round of the play-off's. 

Both goaltenders have their faults and I am not sure  either one of them is a true #1 goaltender, but they both seemed to feed off of the competition last year and any time one hit a slump the other was there to take the ball and run with it for a bit. It worked out well, but if the Flames are looking to be a better team this year they will need to improve on this.

Enter Joni Ortio.

The young Finnish goaltender, who was seemingly hand picked by Miika Kiprussoff in the 2009 entry draft, has taken a while to develop within the Flames system. Chosen in the 6^th, round, Ortio came over to North America in the 2010-2011 season, only to get off to a rough start and decide to head back to Finland for the rest of the season. He did the same in the 2011-2012 season, this time not returning to North America until the 2013-2014 season when he took over the starting goaltender role for the Baby Flames. 

The young goaltender has seen some NHL action over the last 2 seasons while being one of the top goaltenders in the AHL. Most recently Ortio had a 5 game run in January for the Flames where he won the first 4 games, posting a .949 Sv% and a 1.25 GAA including a shut-out in his first game against the Vancouver Canucks before having a tough outing and being sent back to the AHL due to a number of players coming back from the IR.

Joni Ortio finds himself waiver eligible this season and while it isn't a certainty that he would be claimed off waivers, it wouldn't be a risk I imagine Flames brass would be willing to make considering that Ramo and Hiller have expiring contracts and the Flames top goalie prospect, Jon Gillies,  is playing his first pro season this year and is probably still a few years away.

So who goes?

It’s a tough call. My gut says that Ramo has a higher upside than Hiller but the Flames will probably move whoever has the higher value at the moment. Having to go into the season with a Hiller/Ortio combo isn't a bad thing, especially if Ortio can live up to the good run that he had last year and push Hiller for starts.

Another reason I would be surprised to see Ortio and his 600K contract put on waivers is that moving one of Jonas Hiller (4.5 million) or Kari Ramo (3.8 million) would free up some cap space for the Flames. Even if they end up having to eat ½ of their salary for the season it would be worth it for Calgary. If the Flames find themselves in the middle of a play-off push like they did last season they will almost undoubtedly look to bolster their roster at the trade deadline. Having cap space will give them more options.

The question is, will they be able to find a taker?

Out of the blue: Brad Treliving and co. aren't happy with the goaltending options they have, or find themselves a more long term solution in net and make a trade. All 3 goalies have looked pretty good this training camp, so that probably rules out the former. I also don’t think there are many, if any, long term solutions out there at this time so I don’t see this one happening. I do however bring it up because there is a chance, even if it is a miniscule one.

Tomorrow I will be breaking down the Flames battle on the blueline.