This season was practically a tale of two seasons for the Calgary Flames, who were destined for a lottery pick at the time of GM Darryl Sutter's resignation. When Jay Feaster took over in the interim, it seemed that the Flames were making their charge to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the charge fell short, and the Flames are home again for the playoffs.
Jarome Iginla compiled 86 points, which are a norm for him, and on many nights, he was the only true option on offense. One of those who was supposed to be an offensive option was Olli Jokinen. 54 points is a few more than his 50 from last season, but the Flames were expecting more from him. Another Flames castoff that returned, Alex Tanguay, put up better numbers than him. Ian White was traded twice, once to Carolina, where his impact was negligible, and then to San Jose, where he became an integral part of the Sharks blue line.
Goaltending is not a problem as long as Miika Kiprusoff is on his game, and like the rest of the Flames early in the season, that wasn't often. So, it was no coincidence that Kiprusoff's game resulted in the Flames' game being raised, as well. The major key will be finding a backup capable of 15-20 games, as Henrik Karlsson didn't do too much. Offensively, a second option would be a great help for Iginla, particularly the center position. The blue line should be better than it is, but when the best player is Mark Giordano, that speaks of the underachieving aspect of Jay Bouwmeester.
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