During the offseason, Calgary knew that it would probably lose a few members to free agency. Some—such as Todd Bertuzzi, Rhett Warrener, and Adrian Aucoin—are expendable and probably won’t be wearing a Flames jersey come October. Others—such as Adam Pardy and Jamie Lundmark—have become important parts of the Calgary side and Calgary would do well to make them offers.
Of all the free agents going on the market from Calgary, however, Mike Cammalleri is the toughest to swallow. With Calgary’s signing of Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary has swallowed $6.6 million of its $10 million cap space, virtually ensuring that Mike Cammalleri will not be returning next season.
The first player to lead the Flames in goals other than Jarome Iginla in years, he was a major factor in Calgary’s building up its 10 point lead in the Northwest Division (before the Flames collapsed to end the season) in the middle of the season. Unfortunately, his awesome season will result in a pretty massive pay increase, and Flames fans will most likely miss him when the players report for the start of the season.
Calgary’s final issue to deal with over the offseason is with its defensemen. Signing Jay Bouwmeester was the first step in bolstering the Flames’ defense. Calgary drafted a defenseman in the first round (Tim Erixon), and should try to resign at least Adam Pardy, if not Adrian Aucoin as well to round out their defensive pairings.
I am really looking forward to the start of hockey season. Some of the most energizing Flames’ seasons have revolved around defense, and with the arrival of Brent Sutter and Jay Bouwmeester, the Flames’ should expect better results.
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