• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Calgary Flames

Flames Will Need A Strong Supporting Cast

By Jon Bateman April 10th, 2017

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The Calgary Flames will need outstanding performances from their entire supporting cast of players if they want to upset the Anaheim Ducks in the playoffs. Late in the season, head coach Glen Gulutzan found some good chemistry on a third line composed of Kris Versteeg, Sam Bennett, and Alex Chiasson, which was an encouraging development.

However, the Flames will need to find even more answers on their depth chart to address some key questions as the postseason begins, especially if they want to win at the Honda Center.

http://gty.im/658569756

What’s Wrong With Troy Brouwer?

Brouwer may have 98 career playoff games on his resume, but he has underperformed in a massive way since joining the Flames at the beginning of the season. Every Flames fan would love to see the best of his playoff expertise, but right now he looks like a player who may have lost his nerve. He doesn’t seem willing to initiate contact and create space for his teammates in the way that he did even just last season. His 25-point total is also the lowest of his career to go along with the second-lowest plus-minus rating of his 10-year career at minus-11.

On most nights this season, Brouwer has consistently been one or two strides away from where he needs to be and has not lived up to the reputation he earned as a warrior and hard-nosed winger who can be the difference between a win and a loss for his team. It’s a baffling situation because Brouwer has been given every opportunity this season to succeed.

Still, given his big contract and significant playoff experience, it’s unlikely the Flames will send Brouwer to the press box anytime soon. Let’s just hope he finds a way to produce on the ice soon.

Can Curtis Lazar Force His Way Into the Lineup?

It took a long time for Curtis Lazar to find his way into the Flames lineup after being traded to Calgary from the Ottawa Senators at the NHL Trade Deadline. His much-anticipated debut has been met with a lot of hope that Lazar can be an offensive dark horse for the team, and after ringing up three points in his first four games as a Flame, he has definitely gotten the conversation started.

Since the trade deadline: Troy Brouwer has 4 points in 18 games, Curtis Lazar has 3 points in 4 games.

— Ryan Pike (@RyanNPike) April 9, 2017

However, let’s not forget that Lazar is a very young player who only had one point in 33 games with the Ottawa Senators before he was traded. Lazar hasn’t played in big games for the Flames, let alone in the NHL playoffs, so it’s a good bet that he might need a little more time to prepare for the opportunity.

Still, even though he might not replace Brouwer and his extensive playoff experience, it would be wise for Lance Bouma to step up his game if he wants to keep Lazar from taking his roster spot on the fourth line, especially if the Flames find they need more scoring capability in a playoff matchup.

Do the Flames Have Enough Depth on Defense?

Michael Stone and Matt Bartkowski were exactly what the Flames needed to solidify their defense down the stretch. Those two acquisitions are probably the biggest single reason that the Flames made the playoffs. However, an injury to anyone on defense could mess things up in a hurry for the Flames because they really don’t have any good options for the role of the seventh defenseman.

Veteran Dennis Wideman finds himself in that role at the moment, and even though he has performed slightly better for the Flames in spot duty since Stone was acquired, it’s not easy to forget that his poor defensive coverage and awful foot speed were the primary reasons that T.J. Brodie held one of the worst plus-minus ratings in the NHL for most of the season. Yet, when Stone was acquired he fit in immediately, which allowed Brodie to play his free-wheeling style of hockey, and the pair flourished together.

The third defense pairing of Deryk Engelland and Bartkowski has also been fairly effective since the trade deadline. Bartkowski is a good skater and Engelland is a steady defenseman who plays with an edge while adding some intimidation to a Flames lineup that sometimes can lack it. However, late in the season, Bartkowski got caught out of position a couple of times while trying to contribute offensively, and the end result has often been a goal against like the one below. He will need to eliminate those mental errors against the Ducks.

The Flames face a huge task in the opening round. It’s true that they recently were one of the hottest teams in the NHL and that they were one of only two clubs to win 10 straight games this season. At times the Flames have looked like an unstoppable juggernaut but they don’t have solid defensive depth and they will struggle to match the scoring capability and fit that the Ducks can put on the ice.

This combined with the almost unfathomable losing streak that they have going at the Honda Center in Anaheim makes them a hard team to bet on in this series. Yet, the Flames have also proven they are nothing if not completely unpredictable, so maybe they will find a way to keep surprising people.

  • Tags
  • 2017 NHL Playoffs
  • Curtis Lazar
  • Dennis Wideman
  • Lance Bouma
  • Troy Brouwer
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 21st 5:55 PM
Edmonton Oilers

McDavid Has the Maple Leafs’ Number and Needs to Keep it That Way

Jan 21st 5:08 PM
Archives

NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World

Jan 21st 4:50 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Missing Klefbom and Neal on Power Play

Jan 21st 4:40 PM
Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Soucy & Sturm Look Comfortable Filling Roster Gaps

Jan 21st 4:30 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche With Career Milestones in Sight in 2020-21 Season

Jan 21st 3:45 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning & Pat Maroon Are a Really Good Fit…For Now

Jan 21st 3:35 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Depth Separates Them From the Rest

Jan 21st 3:15 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets’ Alexandre Texier, New Faces Shine to Begin Season

Jan 21st 2:45 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News & Rumors: Neal, Yamamoto, Tippett, More

Jan 21st 2:15 PM
Column

Senators News & Rumours: Stützle, Norris, Galchenyuk and More

Editor’s Picks
NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information