Complete Preview for the Calgary Flames' 2014-15 Season

Though the Calgary Flames finished 27th overall in 2013-14, an unexpected sense of hope surrounds a team that had stripped itself down to its bare bones.

A gritty work ethic and sense of promise surrounding the Flames' young players formed the foundation of what's hoped will be a relatively quick rebuilding process in Calgary.

What We Learned in 2013-14

It would be an understatement to say that expectations for the 2013-14 Calgary Flames were low. Longtime stars Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff had moved on, and the team needed to establish a new identity built around a new core of young players.

The Flames' arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome, was also badly damaged during a summer flood, but the enthusiastic community spirit surrounding the restoration process throughout the city may have set the tone for the commitment and team spirit that Calgary's players showed on the ice during the season.

Rookie Sean Monahan also offered Calgary fans a glimmer of hope for the new regime when the sixth pick from the 2013 NHL draft stepped right into the lineup. Six goals and three assists in his first eight NHL games earned him a spot on the Flames' roster for the full season, where the skilled center finished with 22 goals and 34 points.

The leadership void left in the Flames' room after Iginla's departure was filled admirably by new captain Mark Giordano. The 30-year-old defenseman led by example with a career-high 47 points despite missing 18 games due to injury. Giordano also found himself in consideration for Canada's Olympic team in Sochi.

In the front office, Brian Burke was named president of hockey operations in September 2013, but vowed to stay in the background of the team's organizational structure. "I'm not the general manager of the Calgary Flames," he declared to the Canadian Press (via TSN). "Jay Feaster is. He is going to be in charge, but with my guidance."

On December 12, Burke inevitably moved front and centre when he fired Feaster and assistant general manager John Weisbrod, assuming the role of acting general manager for the rest of the season.

The news of Feaster's dismissal was somewhat overshadowed by Burke's unruly hair at the press conference announcing the dismissal.

The Flames finished 27th overall in 2013-14, missing the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, but their 77 points in 82 games (.939) marked a step forward from 42 points in 48 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season (.875). Defense and goaltending improved slightly, while scoring dropped off.

Outlook for 2014-15

Brian Burke's most significant offseason move was the hiring of new general manager Brad Treliving in April 2014. An assistant coach with the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes for more than a decade, Treliving shares Burke's enthusiasm for teams that play a physical style. At a televised press conference, Treliving said, "I think the style of play, people talk about big and whatever word you want to use, I think you need to have heavy teams now," he said. "I think you have to play a heavy game."

While coach Bob Hartley remains behind the bench, Treliving has spent the summer retooling his management team and his roster.

Top goal scorer Mike Cammalleri moved on as a free agent, as did winger TJ Galiardi and defenseman Chris Butler, while the Flames used a compliance buyout to part ways with Shane O'Brien.

New additions include free-agent acquisitions Mason Raymond, Brandon Bollig and Devin Setoguchi up front, Deryk Engelland and Corey Potter on defense and Jonas Hiller in goal.

After using unproven Karri Ramo and Reto Berra in net 2013-14, established veteran Hiller could be the key to helping Calgary put up more points in the new season.

Here's a look at Calgary's projected roster for the upcoming season.

	Forwards
	Defense
	Goal
Curtis Glencross	Mikael Backlund	Jiri Hudler
Johnny Gaudreau	Sean Monahan	Devin Setoguchi
Mason Raymond	Matt Stajan	David Jones
Brandon Bollig	Joe Colborne	Lance Bouma
Paul Byron		Brian McGrattan
T.J. Brodie		Mark Giordano
Ladislav Smid		Dennis Wideman
Kris Russell		Deryk Engelland
Mark Cundari
	Jonas Hiller
	Karri Ramo

According to Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald, captain Mark Giordano has spent his summer touching base with his new teammates.

"I’ve pretty much reached out to all of the guys that have been signed by our team or added through free agency," says Giordano, who also made a point of speaking with prospect Sam Bennett after the Flames chose him fourth overall in the 2014 NHL draft:

"

I just wanted to make him feel as comfortable as possible. As a young guy, it can be intimidating...but the young guys on our team are the ones coming up and are going to help us push for that playoff spot in years to come.

"

Bennett and talented NCAA alumnus Johnny Gaudreau are the young players with the best chance of cracking Calgary's roster.

According to CapGeek.com, the Flames have built their 23-man NHL roster with $15 million in cap space to spare. They're well positioned as a potential trading partner for cap-challenged teams that need to shed salary before the new season begins.

Though their improvements didn't show in the standings in 2013-14, the Flames look like a team that's poised to take the next step forward in the post-Iginla era, especially with Hiller in net.

Question marks surround the $8.75 million contract handed to third-pairing defenseman Deryk Engelland, while skilled forwards Mason Raymond and Devin Setoguchi aren't the names that come to mind when Treliving talks about his team playing a "heavy" game, but if the Flames stay committed to their team game, they could execute their franchise turnaround much more quickly and effectively than their rivals to the north, the Edmonton Oilers.