Flames and Blues offseason plans preview

Here is how I think Calgary and St.Louis can make it back to the playoffs even after having to make a few tough decisions in the offseason

 Calgary

Notable UFA’s: Johnny Gaudreau, Calle Jarnkrok, Ryan Carpenter, Brett Ritchie, Trevor Lewis, Nikita Zadorov, Erik Gudbranson, Michael Stone

Notable RFA’s: Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Tkachuk, Adam Ruzicka, Olivier Kylington 

Draft Picks: CAL 2RD, CAL 5RD, CAL 7RD

Why did they exit the second round.

The Flames had a brilliant regular season , putting up a outstanding 111 points and a lot of their top players played amazingly and while they squeaked by Dallas in a defensive 7 game series, they couldn’t contend with McDavid and the Oilers and there are definitely a few reasons why I think they flopped in the second round this year. First was the inability to shut down the two top guns in Edmonton. McDavid and Draisaitl has a absolutely jaw dropping performance against the Flames as Draisaitl had 17 points in the 5 games and had three points s in each and every games including twice having four points McDavid had 12 points in the 5 games and had at least 2 pints in 4 of the five games and the only one game he didn’t have multiple points in was the game he scored the OT winner so with the Flames not being able to slow McDavid down like LA and allowing Draisaitl to walk all over them with 17 points was really the biggest reason I think that the Flames lost in 5 games. 

Secondly was the absolutely poor play of Markstrom in the second round. Markstrom was a Vezina trophy finalist this season and played outstandingly well in the regular season and was exceptional in the Dallas series with battling Oettinger in a very defensive series but when it came to the Oilers Markstrom never looked like a Vezina caliber goalie. He gave up at least 4 goals in every game vs Edmonton and didn’t have a SV% better then .882 in a game against and whatever the issue was with Markstrom it hurt Calgary and was another huge reason the Flames exited in the second round. And lastly was the fact that the big guns in Calgary couldn’t get on the board in this series and help out Markstrom like they did in the first round. There top line especially went dry because even in a not so offensive first round series, Tkachuk had 6 points, Gaudreau had 8 points and Lindholm had 5 points in the first round, but after game one where they combined for 8 points, the offense dried up as in the following 4 games of the second round they combined for only a mere six points and with the offense drying up it lead to Markstrom needing to make more saves which allowed Edmonton to score more times on them and these three reasons are why I think the Flames are out of the playoffs.

How I think they can improve in the offseason.

The Flames were able to win the Pacific Division with a great 111 points and some of their big time players had career years this year and were able to slip past Dallas in the first round in a defensive battle but could not stop Edmonton in the second round losing in 5 games including four straight and while they had a nice season here is what I think they can do in the offseason to keep this recent playoff success going next year.

First in net as the Flames seem to have their two goalie positions already locked up in my opinion. Markstrom has a tremendous season this year once again as he is a Vezina trophy finalist after putting up a 2.22 GAA and a .922 SV% and won 37 of his 63 regular season games and caries that success into the first round where he helped Calgary get past Dallas and then chocked in the second round and just couldn’t stop pucks against the Oilers. Now I think that even after the rough series against Edmonton, he is still a Vezina trophy level goalie and can play amazingly, and is also signed for 4 more years at $6 Million dollars per year so I don’t think he will leave and he should remain Calgary’s starter for next year. Now as for the backup position I think that they will keep Vladar but Wolf I think would be another option for Calgary. Vladar was a really good backup for Calgary and showed that he can be a NHL caliber backup and I think that he will wind up being the backup next year as he is good and only costs $.750 Thousand for the next year before becoming a RFA but I do think that they might give Dustin Wolf a look. Wolf had a outstanding season in the AHL last year putting up a .924 SV% in 47 AHL games and although Vladar has been great for them I do wonder if they would consider having Wolf the backup instead of Vladar, but even with that thought I think they keep Vladar as the Backup to Markstrom and give Wolf one more year in the AHL and be their 3rd string goalie and then maybe bring him in as backup next year is what I think the Flames will do with their goaltending. 

Then on Defence I think that most of last years D-Corp will be back but there will be a couple changes made this year. Now the Flames have three of their top 4 defensemen under contract for next year in Tanev, Andersson and Hanafin. Now Hanafin and Andersson are both still signed for the next few years and will be their top defensive pair next year I have no doubt as those two worked really well together this past year after Giordano left and should continue to be a pair. Now Tanev may miss a few games to start the year after having surgery for multiple reasons but I feel that when he gets back, the Flames will put him back on the 2nd line with Kylington who played great in the regular season and playoffs and we all saw how the Flames defensive game collapsed in the second round when Tanev was hurt so I think that having Tanev on that second pair is crucial and Kylington showed this year that he is capable of playing in a top 4 role  and is need of a new deal so I have no doubt he will be resigned by Calgary and continue to be a effective top 4 defensemen. Now as for the 3rd pair who have Zadorov, Gudbranson and Stone all UFA’s and I’m not sure any of them are back which means they will have to go out and get some more defenders. Now I feel that Jusso Valimaki who got lost on the depth chart after the emergence of Kylington last year will get at least a chance to play on the third pair because he is not to expensive for the next year and I think can he could be a good third pair defensemen for Calgary. Now I also feel that with Tanev out a few games that they should try to sign or trade for a defensemen who can regularly play on the third pair but can start on the 2nd pair until Tanev comes back and if there are any other injuries this season so getting a 3rd pair D-Men who can play top 4 minutes would be smart and then sign 1-2 depth defensemen who can challenge for a 3rd pair spot if the Flames don’t believe Valimaki is the key on their 3rd pairing. So to recap I think you keep Andersson and Hanafin on the top pair, sign Kylington to a new deal as he is a RFA and pair him with Tanev when he gets back from injury, sign a defensemen who is a 3rd pair defensemen but can play 2nd pair minutes until Tanev gets back and give Valimaki a opportunity on the third pair and then sign a couple of depth players to fight for a 3rd pair spot and I believe the Flames could be a better defensive team next year. 

And finally their offense as they have three big contracts to decide on this offseason. Now to start I think that Matthew Tkachuk who is a pending RFA and could be a UFA next year who just had a amazing season putting up 104 points in the regular season isn’t going anywhere. Tkachuk could just take his qualifying offer and be a pending UFA next year but I think the player and team agree to a contract extension that is for 6-8 years at between $9.75-10.25 Million and even though it is a bit rich, for a player of his talent it isn’t that bad and then you can keep him with Lindholm on the top line as those two had good chemistry this year. Now on the second line next year I still see Backlund centering line 2 given the fact that he is on not a favourable contract and has trade protection so even though there were some reports that said he could be on the move I just don’t see that, and I think that no matter what happens with Gaudreau I believe that Toffoli will have a permanent role on the second line with Backlund after the amazing performance he showed with Calgary since they acquired him. Now for Calgary if they are needing new deals for Kylington and Tkachuk and brining in some more depth then I feel that they won’t have enough to bring back both Mangiapane and Gaudreau and even their were to move a few contracts I still can’t see that so I think they will have to chose one or the other to keep and I think they would rather keep Mangiapane then Gaudreau. Now Mangiapane scored 35 goals this year and is a RFA and I think a contract extension for him would be in the 3-5 year range at somewhere between $4-6 Million dollars per year and I think not only is he cheaper to sign then Gaudreau but he is also 2 years younger and probably wouldn’t want Max years so I think that Mangiapane signs and plays with Lindholm and Tkachuk while after trying hard, Gaudreau goes to free agency and signs elsewhere. 

Now I feel that Coleman will continue to play on the third line as he can still be a depth scoring weapon for the Flames next year and with their limited cap space, I think some youngsters will finally get NHL opportunities and that starts with Zary getting to be 3rd line Center. He had a pretty good year in the AHL and I think he can help the Flames next year. Then I believe that they will sign or trade for a middle six forward making under $4 Million dollars who can maybe help replace the production left by Gaudreau and I believe that player and Dillon Dube will battle for right wing spots on the 2nd and 3rd line with the better player getting to play with Backlund on the 2nd line. And then with all of their depth players becoming UFA’s I think that they either bring back a few or sign 2-3 depth forwards who can compete for a fourth line spot and also have some of their young guys such as Pelletier or Ruzicka also challenge for a fourth line spot. And lastly I feel that one way or another they will get out of that Monahan contract even if they have to attach a pick or prospect to move him to a team with cap space then I think they would do that, and I did think that they could try to move Lucic but buying him out doesn’t make sense and I think they would have to retain salary to get a teams interest so while I wouldn’t rule it out I just don’t think it makes sense. So to recap resign RFA’s Tkachuk and Mangiapane to play top line minutes with Lindholm while Gaudreau goes to free agency. Then have Toffoli and Backlund on the second line with Coleman and rookie Zary on the third line with a newly acquired middle six forward and Dube rounding out the top 9, and then bring in some depth forwards and young players like Pelletier or Ruzicka to play on the fourth line and while I’m not sure they would have the offensive success they had this year, with all of these moves I would still peg them as a playoff team and maybe they could get to the Confrence Final next year. 

 St.Louis 

Notable UFA’s: David Perron, Tyler Bozak, James Neal, Mackenzie Maceachern, Dakota Joshua, Nick Leddy, Ville Husso

Notable RFA’s: Klim Kostin, Scott Perunovich, Nikko Mikkola

Draft Picks: ST.L 1RD, ST.L 3RD, ST.L 4RD, ST.L 5RD, ST.L 6RD

Why did they exit the second round.

The Blues were able to have a brilliant year this season as they put up 109 points and went on to beat the Wild in 6 games but when they can face to face with the division champs it was a whole different story as they quickly went down 3-1 and while they got a game back to make it interesting they still lost in 6 and I have some reasons that I think they fell in the second round. First would be the untimely injury to their starter in Binnington in game 2 of the second round. Binnington didn’t start for St.Louis in the playoffs but did get the starter role in Game 3 of the first round and was playing at a very high level from when he got the crease back as he played to the level he had when he won the cup a few years ago and had a 1.72 GAA and a .949 SV% and had he remained in the series I think St.Louis could have won this series but he wound up getting injured in Game 3 and while Husso played valiantly, not having Binnington was the biggest problem for this team. Secondly would have to be the state of their battered and bruised D-Corp. While the Blues has done a pretty good job shutting the Wild and Avalanche offense for most of the games that was because of Binnington and all the healthy bodies left on the St.Louis D-Corp because they just couldn’t stay healthy. Only Faulk, Parayko and Mikkola played in every game, Bertuzzi missed 2 due to injury, Leddy missed 3 due to injury, Perunovich missed the first 5 due to injury, and Scandella was out 8 with Krug out 9 both due to injury and while I would not pinpoint it on this, the amount of banged up D-Men they had was shocking and definitely a reason they missed. And lastly would be the inability to get a win on home ice in the second round. Now in the first round St.Louis was able to get 2 of 3 wins on home ice against Minnesota including the series clincher, but it was a different story in the second round as they lost games 3 and 4 to the Avalanche on home ice to fall down 3-1 and after they sent it back to St.Louis for game 6 down 3-2, they would have their season end in their home building so these three reasons are why I feel that the Blues couldn’t get past the Avalanche in the second round. 

How I think they can improve in the offseason.

The Blues had a pretty good season getting 3rd in the Central with a astounding 109 points and while tough at times were able to get past Minnesota in the first round and while the Blues started well in the second round against Colorado they faded as the series went on and Binnington got injured and even though they made it interesting they still couldn’t comeback against Colorado and while they had a good season here is what I think they will do to improve in the offseason.

First in net as I think they already have their starter for next year but the backup position is a question mark for me. After a season where Binnington lost the starting job to Husso and wasn’t playing good hockey as he had the worst stats of his career and has slowly declined since winning the Stanley Cup but after Husso was pulled in the playoffs Binnington came in and was able to regain his form from a few years ago as he won 4 of his five games as starter before he was injured in Game 3 of the second round and had put up a astounding .949 SV% and a 1.72 GAA and the fact that they went 2-5 with Husso in net and the fact that Binnington is still signed for 5 years at $6 Million dollars, I think that he will return next year as the starter in St.Louis. Now for the backup position as much time as the Blues have put into developing him and even though they want to keep him, I think that Husso regular season play had proved himself out of St.Louis and he will probably go to a team where they could pay him and he could be a 1A instead of being stuck behind Binnington so I personally don’t see Husso back with St.Louis next year. Now that leaves them with one of two options in my opinion, either A bring in youngster Joel Hofer to the NHL to backup Binnington cause he seems to be a goalie that is close to NHL ready and put up some great numbers in the AHL but if they want to give Hofer another year or two in the AHL for him to develop then I would suspect the Blues bring in a capable backup either via free agency or trade that has a contract between $2-3 Million dollars who could serve as I viable backup for the next few years until Hofer is ready. So to recap the Blues in my opinion should keep Binnington as the starter, as much as it hurts let Husso walk to free agency, and then either have Hofer, the blues young goalie take the backup role or get a new goalie and let him be backup to Binnington next year.

On the defensive side i think that there is going to be changes to the Blues D-Corp and they will make a few moves to get better. Okay so to start I feel that their entire right side of the defence is already set as Parayko who will have his 8 year extension kick in this year is still a amazing defender and number one on this team so I would keep him on the top pair, Faulk isn’t going anywhere given he has 5 years left on his contract at $6.5 Million dollars and he is still a pretty good defensemen so if I was St.Louis I would keep him on the second line and older defensemen Robert Bortuzzo will have his cheap two year extension kick in this year and given he is still a solid 3rd pair defensemen, I would keep him on the 3rd pair for next year. Now you also still have Torey Krug signed for 5 years at $6.5 Million dollars and I think that he still works well with Faulk and would keep him on the second pair. Then they have two young defensemen who are RFA’s in Perunovich and Mikkola and both have NHL experience but I would say Perunovich has more offensive upside and I would sign both to new deals at just under $2 Million dollars and have them battle to figure out who will be on the 3rd pair with Bortuzzo and who will be the 7th defensemen. Now they need cap space this year and I fully suspect that versatile D-Men Marco Scandella who has 2 years left on his deal at $3.28 Million dollars is just too expensive for St.Louis and will be moved as a cap casualty and then you have one top 4 hole left so you either sign or trade for a left handed defensemen who could play with Parayko. The Blues acquired Leddy at the trade deadline and that was a short term fix in my opinion but I think they need a long term fit. Now I know they have been linked to Chychrun and Provorov recently and I could see either play left side with Parayko but they might decide those are two rich to acquire and go in a different direction but I definitely feel they will add a top 4 defensemen this season. So to recap have Parayko play top pair minutes this year with a new top 4 defensemen whether it be Provorov from Philly, Chychrun from Arizona or Someone else, have Faulk and Krug be your second pair next year, signe Perunovich and Mikkola to extensions as they are RFA’s and have them battle for a spot on the 3rd pair with Bortuzzo who I think is a perfect fit on the 3rd pair and then have Scandella who is still making a lot of money over the next two years become a cap casualty and be traded and I think that this would make their D-Corp much better then this year. 

And finally on the offensive side where they will be trying to improve their team with a tight amount of cap space. I believe that they already have their top nine for next year they will just have to make some tough decisions on who stays and who goes. So the first is that in my opinion they can’t keep all of the forwards they had this year due to their cap problems especially if they need new contracts for their young defensemen as well as a top pair defensemen and backup goalie so they in my opinion will have to chose between Perron and Tarasenko. Both these players had great years with Tarasenko proving doubters that he can still play at high levels after he was over a point per game pace this year and Perron had a huge impact in the playoffs and drove the team to victory some nights. Now Tarasenko has reportedly  rescinded his trade request and said he was okay riding out the final year of his construct in St.Louis while there is speculation that Perron and St.Louis have mutual interest in a extension but for me I think that they keep Tarasenko and let Perron walk. Tarasenko still has a year left and I wouldn’t rule out a extension after the year to stay in St.Louis given his resurgence but I feel that even though Perron is a good player he is just a luxury this team can’t have anymore and they will be forced to part ways. Now I feel that after the chemistry between the three went through the roof this year, I think that St.Louis will bring back the Tarasenko-Buchnevich-Thomas line as the second line as those 3 led the offensive push in the regular season and I think they would be smart to keep them. Now I believe that even though he is entering the final year of his deal O’Reilly will remain top line Center with Saad being on one of his wings and that Schenn will continue to be the 3RD line Center to give the team great depth again and pair him with Barbashev who had a breakout year this year. Then I would have the remaining two top 9 spots be taken by Jake Neighbours and Jordan Kyrou as Kyrou had a amazing year this year and Neighbours is ready for a full time NHL role in my opinion and then have one of those two play with O’Reilly on the top line and the other play on Schenn’s 3rd line. Then after a better year then any other he has had, I think that Brown will be the fourth line Center next year as he has really rejuvenated his career and on top of that I would say that 2 of Toropochenko, Walker, Joshua, Maceachern ot Kostin will get two have a shot at a fourth line spot while the Blues wshoild also sign a couple of depth players too challenge for a fourth line role as well. So to recap let Perron walk as he is a luxury they can’t afford, have the Tarasenko, Buchnevich, Thomas line be back as the second line, have O’Reilly and Saad on the top line and Scheen with Barbashev on the 3rd line with Kyrou and Neighbours rounding out the top nine with one playing on the third line and the other the first. Have Brown Center the fourth line with a couple of the five young forwards I mentioned above and some depth players who I think they will bring in who will all compete for a fourth line role and if they make all of these moves I could see them being a playoff team next year and maybe even getting to the Confrence Finals.