Hey everyone, my name is Chad and I've decided it's time to try this out and do some digging on the Calgary Flames for you. In reality I'm not really a Flames fan, truth be told I'm a true blue Avs fan that lives in Calgary. I grew up north of Moose Jaw and cheered on Joe Sakic and Theoren Fleury while they played junior... Joe is still my favorite player ever. Even my two boys (8 and 5) are Caps and Bruins fans respectively, though my 5 year old loves his "C" jersey so he has a bit of a team identity crisis going on right now. I've lived here in Calgary for the past 13 years and been around hockey all my life, plus I run two keeper fantasy leagues that carry tons of prospects (of which Calgary has very few but are slowly are getting better). I just love hockey!!

I am in admiration of some of the team coverage pages already, so while I can't promise the world I will do what I can. I will add some links from a few sites I've seen, it may not be ground-breaking reporting but at the very least maybe I can at least get some info out there for people who are having a hard time finding Flames coverage? I've found it to be a bit weak at times in the past - which for a Canadian team does surprise me a little. Oh, and since I'm an engineer by trade, creative writing may not be my strong suit, but information and opinions are!

Hope to find some good information for you this upcoming year! I'll have no problem posting the good and the bad, and give you my thoughts of what the Flames are (or aren't) doing right. Maybe Jay Feaster will hire me too!!

First Round Pick

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XGL Commissioner - 16 Team, Points Only
$108M cap, 54+ Players
2x Reigning Champion

F: Ovechkin, Datsyuk, Kessel, Benn, Couture, Heatley, Steen, Landeskog, Brouwer, Doan, Peverley, Bonino
D: Subban, Yandle, Edler, Goligoski, Brodie, A MacDonald, Cowen, Tanev
G: Lundqvist, Smith, Allen
- - - -
Prospects:
F: Etem, Bennett, Killorn, Spooner, Hartikainen, Gaunce, Mk. Granlund
D: Clendening, Donovan, Lindell, Schmaltz, Forbort, Burlon

Welcome aboard Chad!

When does the rebuild begin?

Welcome aboard.... P.S. Flames Suck! Just kidding (kind of).

Actually like several flames players just can't cheer for the team as a whole, being an Oiler fan and all!

Welcome Chad - looking forward to your contributions.

Dyz - I'll pretend you didn't say that!

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All I've got...all I've got is insane!

good luck and have fun writing chad.

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10 team Keeper Roto League
4C-4LW-4RW-6D-2G-5bench-unlimited farm.

C= crosby,m.koivu,malkin,zajak,grabovski,j.jokinen,
LW= ovechkin,nash,s.gagner,dubinsky
RW= downie,hemsky,callahan,voracek,perry,mueller
D= green,doughty,phaneuf,wisniewski,girardi,karlsson
G= rask,lundqvist,ward,price

FARM=kreider,grachev,petrov,enroth,kuznetsov,ennis ,rundblad,bjugstad,radulov,montoya, adam,t.erixon,cowan,s.elliot,j.faulk,cormier,petro v,orlov,stone,eakin,grigorenko,silfverberg,brodin, atkinson

--G,A,P,PPP,SHP,GWG,PIMS,+/-,SOG,hits,FOW,blocks-Wins,GAA,SV%,saves,SO

My personal opinion is it should have started two years ago. However Iginla is simply a proud guy and a virtual city icon here (maybe second only to Lanny MacDonald... yes, Lanny still draws tons of people here). When they first missed the playoffs it should have been time to trade out, only at that time they had the largest number of no-movement clauses in the league. Bringing on J-Bo has been a flop at best, and though people here knew Phaneuf was severely resting on his laurels after his Norris candidacy, that trade simply pushed the organization back three years behind in developing what they should have had. How do you trade Phaneuf (and include Aulie) and not bring back a single draft pick in return? That in itself was the beginning of the end of Sutter. Imagine what a team with a prospect system similar to LA (though they never would make that deal) could have given the Flames? Or San Jose two years ago? Instead Stajan will make 3.5 million on the 3rd/4th line...

Ok, enough ranting for a moment. I like this site the best for Flames coverage and the write-ups are interesting, not just from a Flames angle either. This was linked in the Ramblings last week but it's appropriate to post here for info purposes.

http://flamesnation.ca/2011/7/13/fla...-and-interview

1. Sven Bartschi, Left Wing
2. T.J. Brodie, Defense
3. Greg Nemisz, Right Wing
4. Max Reinhart, Center
5. Ryan Howse, Left Wing
6. Chris Breen, Defense
7. Paul Byron, Center
8. Mitch Wahl, Center
9. Roman Horak, Center
10. Lance Bouma, Center

One final look at trade history... if Calgary doesn't make the Jokinen deal, they keep their 1st round pick to get Gormley. Then they aren't cap restrained from signing Erixon to 1st round pick money and don't trade him away this summer... those two on the back end with J-Bo and Giordano would have been a nice top-4.

__________________
XGL Commissioner - 16 Team, Points Only
$108M cap, 54+ Players
2x Reigning Champion

F: Ovechkin, Datsyuk, Kessel, Benn, Couture, Heatley, Steen, Landeskog, Brouwer, Doan, Peverley, Bonino
D: Subban, Yandle, Edler, Goligoski, Brodie, A MacDonald, Cowen, Tanev
G: Lundqvist, Smith, Allen
- - - -
Prospects:
F: Etem, Bennett, Killorn, Spooner, Hartikainen, Gaunce, Mk. Granlund
D: Clendening, Donovan, Lindell, Schmaltz, Forbort, Burlon

Welcome aboard Chad

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Off to a great start, Chad!

Looking forward to the direction you take this thread!

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Gates Imbeau
Assistant Manager - DobberSports.com
Writer - Fantrax.com
Regular Guest - The York Report via NextSportStar.com
Email: gates@dobbersports.com
Twitter: @GM_Gates

Heard the Flames offered Entry Level max to Erixon, he just didn't want to sign with the Flames. At least Feaster got something for him.

Good luck Chad!

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The Ultimate Fantasy Hockey League. (Keep 17)
3C 3LW 3RW 6D 2G 6BE.
G,A,+-,PIM,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,FW,HIT; GS,W,L,GAA,SA,SV, SV%,SO
(C) Bergeron, Spezza, Ribeiro, R. O'Reilly
(LW) Ovechkin(RW), Clowe(RW), Hagelin
(RW) Eberle, Stewart
(D) Subban, Pietrangelo, Green, Byfuglien(RW), Bogosian
(G) Crawford, Varlamov, Neuvirth

8 Person Farm:
(C), Couturier, Teravainen
(LW) Kreider
(RW) Etem
(D) Dumba
(G) Holtby, Ramo, Subban