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Frank Doyle
Calgary Flames 2014-2015 Preview: Flames Could Be Betting Favorite
The Calgary Flames may be restocking the shelves with young talent, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be an entertaining team to watch.
Calgary Flames odds
Odds to make Stanley Cup playoffs: +255
Over/under regular season points: 73.5
What’s new
Who’s in
Jonas Hiller, Deryk Engelland, Mason Raymond, Devin Setoguchi. Hiller is the big acquisition and should face a lot of rubber this year. Raymond needs to rejuvenate his career and Engelland will provide some toughness on the blue line.
Who’s out
Mike Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak, T.J. Galiardi. No surprises with any of the departures. This was the last wave of departures after mainstays like Jerome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester already out of the picture.
The skinny
This team lacks skill and experience but what it lacks there, it makes up with effort. Coach Bob Hartley won’t stand for anything else. Last year the Flames finished with 35 wins and 77 points but ranked second in the NHL on the moneyline at 52-30.
Overview
There’s a lot to like about this hard-working bunch. Up front, Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett, Michael Backlund and Johnny Gadreau are the future and while fans may have to wait for a while, it does look bright. Meanwhile, Mark Giordano has been a fantastic choice as captain for this team and leads by example from the blue line. The Flames should be in a lot of games this year as long as Hiller holds up his end of the bargain between the pipes.
Betting preview
The Flames are expected to finish in the bottom five in the league and be in the mix for a lottery pick. That’s a strong possibility. They’ll face stiff competition in the West every night and their young forwards aren’t ready to outplay stacked offenses in the conference. Still, this team won’t roll over against any team. Calgary is building around an attitude of toughness from management on down and won’t put up with a team that doesn’t battle every night. That, combined with the addition of Hiller should make this team another strong bet on the puckline. The under should be worth a look most nights too.
