Why the Flames Need a Rebuild
Over the past five seasons the Calgary Flames have not been able to get past the first round in the National Hockey League playoffs. Despite their inability to progress any further general manager Darryl Sutter has refused to take the Flames apart and build them back up from scratch. Whichever method Sutter has used to put together this Flames line-up it has not worked, and they are in need of a serious makeover.
Since 2005-06
In the 2005-06 season the Flames were a strong squad, making the playoffs in the third spot and were expected to go deep into the playoffs. However, in the first round they were upset by a strong Anaheim Ducks side. The following season saw the Flames drop to eighth place, and they suffered another first round loss, this time to the Detroit Red Wings.
In 2007-08 the Flames once again scraped into the play-offs as the seventh seed, and were once again disappointed this time by the San Jose Sharks. The following season they put together a run and earned the right to play the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, a series which they lost in six games.
Finally last season Calgary failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003-04. The failure did not seem to spark any real change in the Flames organization as the franchise welcomed back Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay. This decision leaves many Flames fans scratching their heads, asking why has nothing changed.
2009-10 Season
The 2009-10 season was awful as the Flames finished in 10th place, five points out of a play-off spot. However, what was even worse was the attempt Sutter made at making the post-season. Sutter acquired perennial Toronto Maple Leafs underachievers Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, Vesa Toskala and Ian White, as well as the overpaid Ales Kotalik from the New York Rangers. Sutter adopted five players from a Maple Leafs team that was in last place in the Eastern Conference, while trading away 25-year-old Dion Phaneuf.
Off-Season
This off-season has been a disaster for the Flames, as they resigned Stajan to a four-year contract worth $3.5 million a season. The 26-year-old had his best season last year, registering 56 points. To make matters worse Sutter signed 31-year-old Jokinen to a two-year deal worth $6 million, and 30-year-old Tanguay to a one-year deal worth $1.7 million. The two forwards combined for only 87 points last year.
The Rebuild
The Flames are a team on the decline, trying to keep their play-off hopes alive by pulling in random parts and attempting to make it work. Sutter sees an aging team that is bogged down with large long term contracts to Jarome Iglina, Rene Bourque, Jay Bouwmeester and now Stajan. The key for the Flames moving forward should have been youth, but they have continued to sign veterans to outrageous deals. Sutter has lost his touch, and has struggled to put a working team together in the post lockout era. The Flames brass should have realized that they were in need of a rebuild, and needed to start by changing the general manager. Unfortunately for them it is too late, as none of the Flames major contracts come up next year, and it will be very hard to move the player they do have signed long-term.
Calgary find themselves in a similar position as the Toronto Maple Leafs two seasons ago. The Leafs owned a team that could finish in the middle of the pack but did not house the talent to take them a step further. It looks as though next season will be Sutter’s last chance to get the Flames over the hump, after that, changes are imminent.
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