Where do you find a paper bag?

[yave1964]

That is the question Flames fans will be asking themselves this season. Not saying they will challenge the 1974-75 Washington Capitals record of futility, but oh my, will this be a bad team.

First the new division brings them more games against the likes of the Sharks, Kings and Ducks, and the Oilers will be improved, it could ge ugly real fast.

Iggy is gone.

Regher is a memory.

Bouwmeester moved on.

Kipper called it quits.

Tanguay is in Denver.

In goal veteran blue liner Joey Macdonald who is all heart and little talent will compete with veteran European netminder Karri Ramo late of Finland. Ugh.

On defense long time underachievers Wideman and Giordano have been joined by two seventh d-men, Russell from the Blues and O'Brien from the Avalanche. So a bad netminding pair will be defended by the worst blue line in memory. Their prospects, Cundari and Billins are more suspect, I see nothing here that is NHL caliber.

Forwards Glencross and Hudler who cannot pass are joined by David Jones who wont. Their best player is Mike Cammaleri. Reread that sentence carefully. Their best player is Mike Cammelleri. And if anyone would take him he desperately wants off this sinking ship. Sven Baertchi has talent but he needs to get it together soon.

Their centers are wretched as well. Monahan and Reinhart are talented but vey raw, Backlund is turning in to a bust, Stajan, well....

So nothing here except bad hockey. They even swung and missed on local boy Mason Raymond. This is a bad team with very little talent in the pipeline as well, at least at the higher levels. Cover your eyes and hold on Flame fans, it could be a disaster of biblical proportions. The flooding of the Saddledome was a portent of things to come....

[flyercanuck]

@yave1964

They always have the 2014 draft to look forward to.

[goalnut3133]

@yave1964 Well, well, well...our arch rival comes crashing down...heh heh heh, can't say I'm grabbing my hanky...the one & only player I actually did like was Kipper & now even he's gone...And tho' he was on our enemy team, I must admit, I AM sad to see him leave the game...he was a great G & a good guy. It always felt so strange to me to see Cammelleri wearing the Flames logo...just didn't feel right. Actually feel bad for him & hope he does eventually get out. Mason Raymond?? If he couldn't make much smoke in the Canucks' lines, he shore's'hell not gonna do anything in Calgary!! He's got the skills but lacks the brawn, otherwise, he could be a force to reckon with. I'd rather see him end up in Edmonton, where his speed would be a good match with the youngsters pace of Hall, Nugent-Hopkins & the like.

[jammer2]

@yave1964 I don't see how this team is anything but the worst team in the league, by a country mile!!

[fishbulb]

That team's been poor for years... other than a lucky 'streak' to the finals in... '04??... they've been mediocre at best for probably 20 yrs. Underfunded and mismanaged... a dangerous combo.

[TretiakCCCP20]

Let the quest for mediocrity begin. Hard to believe that in 2004 they were within one game of raising the cup.

[yave1964]

Let the quest for mediocrity begin. Hard to believe that in 2004 they were within one game of raising the cup.

Mediocrity? Hell they would kill for mediocrity. Down right suckiness is all these guys have to look forward to.

[flyercanuck]

Ekblad in 2014. McDavid in 2015. Good time to suck, if they do it right!

[TretiakCCCP20]

@yave1964 HAHAHA! I was giving them the benefit of the doubt that they'd do better than the Panthers. Kind of a toss up between those two for last place I bet.