The Calgary Flames have made big strides in addressing organizational needs
this off-season. They brought in a new head coach and added not one but two
top-six forwards, James Neal and Elias Lindholm, signing both to long-term
deals. The Flames now look more like a team that can return to the postseason
in 2018-19.

The way the roster stacks up, on paper anyway, draws an intriguing comparison
to another NHL franchise that built its team in a similar way, around similar
core pieces, and went on to win three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015 - the
Chicago Blackhawks.The Canadian Centers: Toews/Monahan

Every championship team needs a bona fide top-line center and Chicago
Blackhawks captain, Jonathan Toews, is just that. Sean Monahan, the Flames';
top-line center, has played five seasons in the NHL. How do his numbers match
up with Toews'; first five NHL campaigns?

Toews and Monahan played in over 350 games through their first five seasons,
with the majority of those games spent on the top line. As a rule of thumb, a
top NHL center should be consistently above 50 percent in the face-off dot.
Toews has never dipped below that mark in his career and while Monahan roughly
averaged a 48 percent face-off rating in his first two seasons, he has
consistently stayed above 50 percent in the last three.Jonathan Toews (Gary A.
 Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

In their first five seasons, Toews and Monahan recorded 144 goals and 138 goals
 respectively. Neither player scored less than 20 goals in a season and both
recorded 30 or more tallies twice in that span. Both averaged a shooting
percentage hovering around 15 percent and while Toews has the edge in that
category, Monahan recorded four more game-winning goals (30) than Toews (26).

A glaring difference between the two, however, comes on the defensive side of
the game. Toews posted an impressive plus-87 in his first five seasons while
Monahan is a disappointing minus-16. It';s a vital area that needs improvement
from the 23-year-old Flames center.Related: Top 3 Centers in Blackhawks History

Toews'; leadership, intangibles and winning pedigree are almost unrivalled but
it';s positive to see Sean Monahan consistently growing into an elite player
with each season.

*Stat comparisons for first five respective NHL regular seasons

Jonathan Toews (2007-2012)Sean Monahan (2013-2018)

Games Played361393

Goals144138

Points324281

Powerplay Goals4337

Faceoff %56.3%49.9%

Plus/Minus+87-16

The Dynamic Americans: Kane/Gaudreau

When it comes to forwards Patrick Kane and Johnny Gaudreau, the immediate
comparison is their size. Kane and Gaudreau each measure at under six-feet tall
 but are packed with skill, speed and dynamic playmaking ability, making them
two of the most exciting players to watch in the game today.

It';s fair to say that the success they';ve achieved in their careers has paved
 the way for a new generation of smaller, skilled forwards. Both players grew
up in the eastern United States, as Gaudreau hails from Salem, NJ, and Kane
from Buffalo, NY.Related: Top 10 Undersized NHL Players

Gaudreau played one game in his first year, scoring his first NHL goal in the
last game of the Flames'; regular season in 2013-14. Since then, he';s been a
mainstay on the roster and has finished four full NHL seasons. Excluding that
first season for now, how do Kane and Gaudreau';s first four full campaigns
compare?Patrick Kane (Rob Grabowski, USA TODAY Sports)

Gaudreau and Kane both recorded over 300 games played in their first four full
seasons. Kane was almost a point-per-game player from the outset of his career,
 compiling 303 points in 317 regular season games, while Gaudreau has recorded
287 points in 311 games so far. In terms of goals scored, Kane has a slight
edge with 103 goals to Gaudreau';s 96. Gaudreau tips the scales in
game-winners, with 17 over Kane';s 16, but it';s hard to argue against who has
scored the biggest game-winner of the two.

*Stat comparisons for first four full NHL regular seasons

Patrick Kane (2007-2011)Johnny Gaudreau           (2014-2018)

Games  Played317311

Goals10396

Points303287

Shooting Percentage11.2%12.2%

Plus/Minus+16+10

Full of First-Round Picks

For any successful franchise, the road to the Stanley Cup starts with the
draft. Bringing the right players into the mix, introducing them to the system
early in their development and immersing them in the team';s culture is key to
building a cohesive group. While predicting what a player will develop into can
 be hit or miss, both the 2009-10 Blackhawks and the 2018-19 Flames have hit
the mark with the number of roster players that were selected in the first
round.Related: Opportunities Abound for Blackhawks Youngsters

When the Blackhawks made a push for their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, they
boasted nine first-round picks in the lineup. Of those nine, five were drafted
by the organization while the rest were acquired. Similarly, the Flames have
nine first-round picks on their roster, five of which were drafted by the club.
 Of those first-round selections, both the 'Hawks then and the Flames now have
five players selected in the top 10 of their draft class.

*2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks first-round picks on active roster

PlayerDrafted (1st Round)YearTeam

1Marian Hossa12th overall1999Ottawa

2Nic Boynton21st overall1999Boston

3Ben Eager23rd overall2002Phoenix

4Brent Seabrook14th overall2003Chicago

5Cam Barker*3rd overall2004Chicago

6Andrew Ladd4th overall2004Carolina

7Jack Skille7th overall2005Chicago

8Jonathan Toews3rd overall2006Chicago

9Patrick Kane1st overall2007Chicago

Note: Cam Barker was traded to Minnesota on February 12, 2010*

Sean Monahan (Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)

*2018-19 Calgary Flames first-round picks on active roster

PlayerDrafted (1st Round)YearTeam

1Michael Frolik10th overall2006Florida

2Mikael Backlund24th overall2007Calgary

3Mark Jankowski21st overall2012Calgary

4Sean Monahan6th overall2013Calgary

5Elias Lindholm5th overall2013Carolina

6Curtis Lazar17th overall2013Ottawa

7Sam Bennett4th overall2014Calgary

8Noah Hanafin5th overall2015Carolina

9Matthew Tkachuk6th overall2016Calgary

Note: (D) Juuso Valimaki - 1st round, 16th overall (2017) and (F) Morgan
Klimchuk - 1st round, 28th overall (2013) may potentially crack the lineup this
 season*The Third Time';s the Charm: Hossa/Neal

Marian Hossa etched his name in the NHL record books when he appeared in the
2010 Stanley Cup Final with the Blackhawks. He had appeared in back-to-back
Finals with two different teams prior to that and is the first player in NHL
history to reach the Final with three different teams in consecutive years. 
Unfortunately, he came up empty-handed in his first two attempts. First, in
2008, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who fell to the Detroit Red Wings in six
games. Then, in 2009, as a member of the Red Wings, Hossa watched his former
Penguins teammates hoist the Cup at the end of a hard-fought, seven-game
series.

Only when he landed in Chicago the following season would he finally get his
turn to raise Lord Stanley';s mug. He went on to win two more Cups with Chicago
 between 2010-2015.

Flames forward, James Neal, who signed a five-year, $28.75 million deal with
the Flames on July 2, 2018, has appeared in back-to-back Cup Finals in the last
 two seasons with two different teams. Neal was traded to the Nashville
Predators from the Penguins on June 27, 2014 and met the Penguins in the 2017
Cup Final, losing in six games.Vegas Golden Knights left winger James Neal
(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Neal was unprotected by the Predators in the 2017 expansion draft and was
quickly claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights where he was a key contributor to
the Golden Knights'; magical run to the Final in 2018. The run ended in five
games, as Vegas bowed to Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Now with
his third team in three years, could Neal be the next Hossa?

It all looks good on paper but as we know, the game is played on the ice, but
the Flames have some scintillating symmetry with the Blackhawks'; championship
model heading into 2018-19.

The post Are the Flames Building a Winning Team? appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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