It’ll Be Difficult To Douse The Flames In 2008-2009

Club: Calgary Flames
Fantasy Impact Rating: Hot

Superstars: Jarome Iginla, Dion Phaneuf
Big Producers: Michael Cammalleri, Daymond Langkow
Mid-Level Flyers: Todd Bertuzzi
Rookies/Prospects: Leland Irving, Mikael Backlund
Sleepers: Dustin Boyd
Avoid The Hype: None

Analysis:
The Calgary Flames bring an abundance of fantasy players to the table in 2008-2009 and could easily make a case for having one of the best power plays in the league this upcoming season.

Jarome Iginla may be one of the most well rounded fantasy players any one team could own. Iggy notched 50 goals and had 48 helpers with 83 penalty minutes last season. There isn’t much more to say to try and sell his services to you. Easily a first rounder in any format, plus, with a little more around him this year, it’s a good possibility he breaks that 100 point threshold. Dion Phaneuf contends with Chris Pronger as the best defender in fantasy hockey. Dion will get you power play points, penalty minutes and may score a goal here and there. He finished last season with 60 points and 183 penalty minutes. He should be one of the first defenders drafted in any format, especially in keeper/dynasty leagues. In terms of where to draft, if Phaneuf is around in round 3, it wouldn’t be a bad play whatsoever.

Michael Cammalleri was brought over from the Kings to anchor the Flames’ left side on their top line. Cams is a nice option to have as a first line left winger for any fantasy team. He’s going to be in good company with Iggy and Langkow, plus he’ll see significant time on the power play. We know he can produce, but he’s going to have to avoid injuries in order to reach the 70-80 point plateau he’s capable of. Daymond Langkow will provide top line center duties for the Flames once again this season. Langkow has shown us consistency in point totals over his career, and because of the depth at center around the league, you may be able to use Langkow as a number two option at center to start the season.

Injuries have plagued Todd Bertuzzi over the past several seasons, putting a damper on his fantasy potential. Bertuzzi, however, appears to be ready for training camp this year and will be slotted in as the Flames’ second line right winger. Calgary’s fantasy production depth is somewhat up in the air this season, so it’s difficult to say how Bertuzzi will do playing with the likes of Rene Bourque and Matthew Lombardi; just a couple of low-level fantasy flyers in their own respect. Treat Bertuzzi as a number 3 right winger on your team until we can really see what he’s capable of.

There are two young guns looking to make a splash in Calgary this season. Dustin Boyd should be a 4th line winger to start the season in Calgary, but with his talent and potential, he might be able to work his way up very, very quickly. Boyd has put up excellent numbers at a variety of different levels so far in his career and can hopefully apply his skills to a team that may need some secondary scoring this season. Avoid drafting Boyd for now until you see him making his way up the ranks. Mikael Backlund may be one of the best up and coming centers in the world right now. The 19 year old possesses the speed and all around mindset to be a number one center during his career. If you happen to catch him in a Flame uniform this season, flag him, and monitor his progress. If not, keeper and dynasty managers may want to pull the trigger this season and sit on him until it is apparent that he will be a regular in the Flames’ lineup. The same may go for goaltending prospect Leland Irving. Irving will sit backseat to Kippers for another couple of years, but again, keeper and dynasty players looking to get a jump start on the younger talent coming up through the systems may want to consider Irving long term.

Goaltending:
Situation: Rock Solid
Grade: A-
1. Miikka Kiprusoff
2. Curtis McElhinney

Miikka Kiprusoff is easily one of the NHL’s premier goaltenders and should be considered as any fantasy team’s number one guy. Kippers had a bit of a down season in 2007-2008 recording a 39-26 record with a 2.69 goals against average and a .906 save percentage, which is down from the 2006-2007 campaign, but still not terrible by any means. Kippers will certainly get almost every start this season and should be able to improve upon the last year’s performance. Kippers will be a late 2nd, early 3rd round draft pick in a 12 manager draft.

Fantasy Hockey Team Breakdowns List