Flicker of Hope

For the first half of the 2010-11 season, the Calgary Flames were in the hunt for a lottery pick in the NHL draft.  A change in GMs later, and they were on the verge of the playoffs.  Like every year, the Flames' offensive hopes rise and fall with the captain Jarome Iginla.  It's hard to dispute where the Flames would be without him, but he does need help.  That help begins with Jay Bouwmeester, who hasn't been the offensive presence from the blue line that Calgary thought they were getting when they acquired him a couple of years ago.  Mikael Backlund had a respectable rookie season, and figures to be better centering a line with Iginla and Alex Tanguay.

Prediction: 9th in the West

Movie: Inferno

Much like the Dario Argento movie, the Flames have promise, but ultimately fall short of expectations seemingly every year.