The 2017-18 edition of the Calgary Flames were a strangely constructed hockey
club. On paper, they were a team with a few sure-fire offensive contributors
among their forward ranks and several question marks further down in the
rotation. The thought was maybe some of their iffy players would take a big
leap forward or at least bounce back from down seasons.(Vince Richard/The
Hockey Writers)

Unfortunately, that generally didn';t happen and the Flames remained a team
that only went as far as their big offensive weapons would take them. It made
them an easy team to game-plan against and, as injury gradually depleted their
line-up, ended up with the Flames sliding out of the Western Conference playoff
 picture. Heading into the 2018-19 season, Flames management has made several
changes to their club with the aim of adding depth and making the team more
difficult to play against.

Following in the footsteps of the glance at the team';s back-end, here';s our
rundown of the Flames'; projected forward ranks heading into training camp.The
Top Six

Johnny GaudreauSean MonahanJames Neal

Matthew TkachukMikael BacklundElias Lindholm

Adding to his club';s top two forward lines was Brad Treliving';s big summer
task and he seems to have delivered in spades. James Neal has been one of the
most consistent goal-scorers in the entire National Hockey League over the past
 several seasons, but he';s also renowned for being a complete pain to play
against. Never afraid to crash and bang in the corners, Neal';s physicality and
 competitiveness will likely fit in nicely on a top Flames forward line that
includes cerebral center Sean Monahan - finally recovered from four offseason
surgeries - and speedster Johnny Gaudreau.Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan.
(Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

The second line gets an injection of youth in the form of former Carolina
Hurricanes forward Elias Lindholm. A two-way forward very much in the mold of
fellow Swede (and new linemate) Mikael Backlund, Lindholm potentially upgrades
a line that also includes fellow up-and-comer Matthew Tkachuk, himself an
offensive-minded pest in the vein of Neal. If Lindholm can spark the offense
for his line a bit, and Tkachuk keeps improving, the offensive drop-off between
 the top two lines might be somewhat muted. Having Backlund and Lindholm
available to take face-offs will help the coaching staff deploy them
strategically, as well.The Bottom Six

Sam BennettDerek RyanMichael Frolik

Dillon DubeMark JankowskiAustin Czarnik

Here';s where the acquisitions of Neal and Lindholm really start to potentially
 strengthen the team';s depth. Adding those two wingers likely bump veteran
Michael Frolik to the third line, where he';ll likely play with Sam Bennett and
 free agent signing Derek Ryan. Ryan gives the team something they haven';t had
 in awhile - a right-shot center - while Bennett can take draws from the left
side. More importantly, Ryan and Frolik both provide some two-way stability
that Bennett';s linemates haven';t had in recent seasons, which could
potentially allow him to pay more attention to creating offense than he has in
the past. Bennett also provides the type of agitating presence that Neal and
Tkachuk bring to the top six.Michael Frolik of the Calgary Flames (Amy Irvin /
The Hockey Writers)

The fourth line will arguably see the biggest change from last season. Mark
Jankowski scored 17 goals as a rookie last season, but depth up the middle
bumps him down to the fourth line, where he';ll likely play with versatile
winger (and free agent signing) Austin Czarnik. The big question mark is who
settles in on the left side of that line. One player that will get a ton of
consideration is rookie Dillon Dube, best known for his strong performances
with the Kelowna Rockets and Team Canada';s last two World Junior squads. Dube
developed into a very tenacious forechecker and a pain to play against while
wearing the maple leaf, which would be a great fit on the Flames'; fourth line.
 The big gap for the Flames last season was the big drop-off - in talent, speed
 and energy - experienced when the fourth line hit the ice; crafting a young,
speedy, tenacious unit would go a long way towards maintaining in-game
momentum.The Extras

Garnet HathawayAnthony Peluso

The Flames have oodles of players that can line up at center in the event of
injury, so their ideal 13th and 14th forwards are players that aren';t
expensive, don';t need to play every day, but can step in and help out on the
wings in a pinch. Garnet Hathaway and free agent signing Anthony Peluso both
have low cap hits ($850,000 for Hathaway and $650,000 for Peluso) and can slot
in on the right side of the bottom six. They';re both at the point where
they';ve topped out development-wise, and having them as players to slot in
every few games and give the team a boost of energy or physicality wouldn';t be
 a bad fit.The Next Men Up

Presuming the prior 14 forwards make the team out of camp, four wingers are the
 most likely candidates for immediate call-ups depending on circumstances and
their performances to begin the season. The quartet are Curtis Lazar, Andrew
Mangiapane, Spencer Foo and Morgan Klimchuk. The Flames have several center
options, which allows them to tap their reserves for help on the wing if
needed.

Lazar may be close to having the "bust" label stamped upon him, but he';s still
 very young and a strong skater. But he needs some time in the AHL - which will
 require clearing waivers - to boost his confidence with the puck. Mangiapane
and Foo were among the Stockton Heat';s best offensive contributors and could
provide some speed and offensive from the left and right wings, respectively.
Finally, Klimchuk is arguably the organization';s best up-and-coming two-way
player and could provide some speed and defensive smarts on the bottom two
forward lines in a pinch.A Deeper Club

After all of Treliving';s summer moves, the Flames have a deeper forward group
headed into 2018-19 than they had in 2017-18. Time will tell if they have a
better, more offensively potent one.

The post Projecting Flames 2018-19 Opening Night Roster: Forwards appeared
first on The Hockey Writers.

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