Fansided

Projecting every NHL team’s chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2019

By Griffin Youngs

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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CALGARY, AB – MARCH 2: Sean Monahan #23 of the Calgary Flames skates against the New York Rangers during an NHL game on March 2, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB – MARCH 2: Sean Monahan #23 of the Calgary Flames skates against the New York Rangers during an NHL game on March 2, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images) /

10. Calgary Flames

Not making the playoffs last year was a failure for the Calgary Flames, but the Flames are a team that should absolutely be competing for a playoff spot this season after some big additions to improve the team.

Last season, the Calgary Flames finished outside the playoffs in 19th with 84 points, but a significant improvement is on the horizon after a great offseason.

Why they could win

The Flames really should have made the playoffs last year with their lineup. Now that lineup is looking even better, and the Pacific Division is as wide open as ever. This is the Flames’ year to really make a push with all the talent they have in the lineup.

The Flames replaced Michael Ferland with James Neal on the first line. That will put Neal as the deadly finishing touch to the already dynamic duo of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, and could turn into one of the league’s most prolific scoring lines.

The depth after the first line is no slouch either, and they can run a solid three line attack. Matthew Tkachuk should take another step in development this year, along with Mark Jankowski and some of the other youth on the team. 

The Flames look like what the Winnipeg Jets were last year, a young team ready to explode into Cup contention but with plenty of questions. Even if Calgary can somewhat be what Winnipeg was last year, that’s great news with how wide open the Pacific is at the moment.

Why they won’t win

The Flames always look like the team that’s going to take massive step the next year, but every time there is a hole in the lineup that causes their downfall.

The real concern for the Flames still lies in the net with Mike Smith. He’s a solid goaltender for sure, but he has been prone to injury the last few seasons at 36 years old. If he stayed healthy last year, the Flames probably make the playoffs. Behind Smith is the unproven Jon Gilles, who will have to prove himself to be able to handle an NHL workload if Smith falters.

Also on the back end, Calgary made their defense worse with the trading of Dougie Hamilton, even though they got Noah Hanifin back. T.J Brodie will need to prove himself as a top pairing defenseman this season to pick up the slack left behind.

Conclusion

The Flames are a popular dark horse team for this season and for good reason. They’ve got elite talent backed up by depth on both offense and defense and a serviceable goaltender in net. If you’re looking to place a value bet on a team before the season starts, the Flames are probably the best realistic value you can get at 28/1 odds, so it might not be a bad idea to drop a few bucks on these guys. But, they still have a ton of questions to answer when the season, so be cautious for the time being.

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