You know what they say about working with family.
Don’t.
Darryl Sutter paid for the right to get his brother Brent from the New Jersey Devils so that he could coach the Calgary Flames. He must sometimes wonder if it was the right decision. Since Darryl coached Calgary to Stanley Cup Final loss in 2004, the Flames have not won a playoff series. Under Brent’s stewardship, they completed the slide in 2009/10 by missing the playoffs altogether. The GM has perpetually made questionable personnel decisions and the team has regressed. This season will likely be no different.
Flames Stanley Cup Betting Odds for 2010-2011:
Flames To Win Stanley Cup =+4000 or 40/1 @ Sportsbook.com
Flames To Win Western Conference = +1800 or 18/1 @ Sportsbook.com
NHL Betting can be done at www.Sportsbook.com and new sign ups will receive $250 FREE on their first deposit!
Jarome Iginla hasn’t scored less than 30 goals in a season since 1999/2000 (when he scored 29). The return of Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay is where the team has pinned the balance of their offensive hopes. They also hope that Matt Stajan, who was acquired in the Dion Phaneuf trade, can realize some chemistry with Iginla on his wing. In what seemed like a bit of a desperation move, Calgary signed veteran centreman Brendan Morrison to a 1 year, $725,000 contract just days after he was cut from the Vancouver Canucks. It is hoped Morrison can fill the void left by the injured Daymond Langkow who has averaged 24 goals per season in 5 years with Calgary. Mikael Backlund (1st round pick in 2007) is expected to progress into a more offensive force after scoring one goal in a 23 game audition in 2009/10. This forward group will be tough to play against but goals will be hard to come by.
The defense corps is led by veteran Robyn Regehr. Jay Bouwmeester, Ian White and Mark Giordano are all puck moving defensemen and Cory Sarich is a solid force on the back end. They will be sound in their own end (a long time Flames trait) but don’t expect much offense from this group. Bouwmeester did not come as advertised last season, scoring only 3 goals in 2009/10 after three seasons of 12, 15, and 15. If his smooth skating and puck moving abilities don’t translate into more points, his signing will look worse for Darryl Sutter.
The last line of defense (as usual) is Miikka Kiprusoff. He hasn’t played less than 73 games in the 5 seasons since the lockout and is likely going to need to play that many again if the Flames are to make the playoffs.
If they don’t, expect Brent and Darryl Sutter to NOT be working together at the end of the season.
Tags: calgary flames, flames stanley cup odds, stanley cup betting odds
Nice read Eldon. If the Flames make the playoffs this year it will be 7th or 8th place in the West at best in my opinion. Something needs to change in Calgary!