3rd in the Pacific? Other than EDM who finishes ahead of them?

VGK just lost Max Pacioretty, Evgenii Dadonov, Matttias Jandmark and Dylan Coghlan for literally no return. Now Lehner is out for most of the year with an injury and their G tandem is currently Logan Thompson and Michael Hutchinson. And this is a team that missed playoffs last year. Hard for me to see them being better than CGY this year.

Zary isn't making the NHL this year. He needs at least one full, healthy year of the AHL before the's an option. You could slot Ruzicka in there instead probably (maybe even for a little less money). But Rooney wasn't paid $1.3M (oops) to be a healthy scratch, so he'll get every chance he can get to be that 4C.

Don't think Valimaki sticks around either if he can't grab a top6 spot, which seems unlikely. Too much money to be having him as your 7th (or in the AHL) and he needs to play, but is no longer waiver exempt and has a $1.8(ish) QO coming up after the season. I think he's gone.

Hot take here, but LA is actually one point ahead of Calgary. The Flames could easily get 2nd.

Agreed, I also have the Kings finishing 2nd.

CGY will be even better than last year and I believe there's another 1-2 Big moves and a couple signings still to come

Huberdeau replaces and is > Gaudreau, while Magiapane and/or Toffoli will attempt to replace Tkachuk's Scoring. Kadri is the 2C we desperately needed. If we can add another Top-6 RW or Playmaker, that would be ideal, otherwise Dube is ready for a Breakout Season and being their 2nd Season with the Flames: Coleman, Toffoli, Zadorov, Kylington, Ruzicka & Vladar will all play even better than last season. Rooney was brought in to be 4LW/C and to Kill Penalties, so he should be in the lineup

I see Lucic, Kylington and/or Hanifin being moved for another Top Player and I'd like to see Valimaki moved for another Bottom-6 piece of a Waivers Exempt Prospect (like Joe Veleno or Nils Lundkvist) rather than a Pick which won't help the Flames other than clearing up some Cap Space. Pelletier will be brought up but mainly as injury coverage, unless he impresses in which case he might stick, especially if he becomes the Playmaker I was talking about needing

Low Cost (= League Minimum - $1mil/yr MAX) Free Agents's I'd still consider signing or offering PTO's too are C/W's *Victor Rask, Tyler Motte, Zach Aston-Reese, *Carter Rowney or Sam Gagner, RW *Jake Virtanen or LW/RW Evgeny Svechnikov, LD Ryan Murray & RD's *Anton Stralman and *Michael Stone

Huberdeau-Lindholm-Mangiapane
Toffoli-Kadri-Dube
(V.Rask/Svechnikov)-Backlund-Coleman
(Rooney/Aston-Reese)-Ruzicka-Virtanen
Scratches: (Aston-Reese/T.Motte)-(T.Lewis/C.Rowney/S.Gagner)
Minors:
Pelletier-J.Veleno-M.Phillips
Kerins-Zary-Schwindt
Prospisal-B.Jones-Duehr
C.Bishop-Emilio-Petterson-Klapka

Hanifin-Andersson
Zadorov-Weegar
Kylington-Tanev
Scratch: Stralman
Minors:
C.Mackey-M.Stone
R.Murray-N.Lundkvist
D.Gilbert-N.DeSimone

1. Calgary Flames
2. Edmonton Oilers
3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Las Vegas Knights
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. Seattle Kraken
7. Anaheim Ducks
8. San jose Sharks