As some other more timely and astute bloggers have already pointed out, the Flames recently recalled Omaha stand-outs Dustin Boyd and Brandon Prust for tonight's match against the Red Wings.
Boyd will no doubt be placed among the top 6 forwards tonight. Whether due to someone like Kobasew sitting out or Langkow/Lombardi moving down the depth chart is yet to be determined. Boyd was tested with Iginla and Tanguay during the preseason and his 4 goals and 13 points in the AHL thus far are further proof of his offensive prowess.
On the other hand, Prust will be asked to assume a 4th liner/energy-player type role. Im guessing the perpetually injured and slow-of-foot Darren McCarty will be getting the boot in favor of Prust.
Course, not that there isn't a vast list of underachievers management could choose to replace. Here's my nominations for the "not-good-enough" player so far this year:
1.) Alex Tanguay. Yeah I started off with the no brainer. Tanguay has looked...mostly confused so far. His bad passes far outweigh his good ones and he's only collected 5 points in 10 games. There have been a precious few flashes of his offensive skill - his goal against Boston for instance - but, more often than not, Tanguay has been a non-factor.
2.) Damond Langkow. Points-wise, Langkow is off to a decent start. That's where the "decent" part ends, however. Langkow has been worse than average in his own end and his face-off performance has been outright embarrassing. That guy being out-muscled by Chris Clarke in front of the Flames empty-net on Monday? That was Langkow. How about his attrocious give-away against Montreal that lead to Radek Bonk's second goal? And nothing sums up the Flames season (thus far) better than Langkow being robbed of a tap-in by Vesa Toskala and then smashing his $200 composite stick to bits on the cross-bar. At this point, I consider both Lombardi and Iginla better options for the #1 center position.
3.) Tony Amonte. He skates fast and he works hard but he just doesn't get anything accomplished. I nearly punched the TV on Monday night when Amonte flubbed yet another prime scoring chance by fanning on the puck. If Tony doesn't turn things around soon and become at least a minor offensive threat I think it would be prudent to replace him with a younger, cheaper 3rd line checking type player.
4.) Andrew Ference. Still makes some of the dumbest mistakes on the ice. Nothing new here.
5.) Chuck Kobasew. Charles has thus far done little to persuade the coaching staff he's deserving of top line minutes. Kobasew is still a "hot-or-not" commodity: he'll look great for a game or two and then totally disappear for 3 more after that. Also, he still tends to get run over by the opposing defensemen a lot. I would hazard a guess that this is Chuck's last kick at the cat here in Calgary. If he doesn't prove to be a genuine top 6 forward by the trade deadline, expect him to be dealt to Carolina for a roster player and a draft pick.
6.) Rhett Warrener. Maybe he's just getting over his knee injury or maybe he's just too damn slow. Whatever it is, Warrener has looked very much like a 6th (or 8th) defenseman this year. His much ballyhooed leadership abilities have been worth about as much as a wooden nickel in a brothel: the Flames struggle in 1 goal games, frequently give up goals in the last minutes of periods and are almost always flat at the onset of each contest. Right now, I'd consider Mark Giordano a better option for Warrener's position: younger, faster and more of an offensive threat.
7.) Jeff Friesen. Lots of folks like what Friesen has done so far. And what he's done is get 1 assist in 10 games. He doesn't even look as fast as Donovan out there and his penalty killing is adequate but hadly stellar. $1.6 million that could have been better spent elsewhere (consider that Amonte and Friesen's combined 3 points and -3 rating are worth $3.4 million in cap space. Hmmm).
8.) Darren McCarty. Ol' Grinder just doesn't have the will or the wheels to provide that spark anymore. He's been reduced to 5 minute/game heavy-weight punching-bag fodder. Im guessing he will be permanently replaced in the starting line-up once Nystrom's shoulder heals. I hope he likes the view from the press-box.
This is, as I see it, the worst of the worst. Those left off the list have mostly been merely "average" with the possible exception of Jarome Iginla, Matthew Lombardi and pre-flu Dion Phaneuf. Probably two of the above will sub-out tonight for Boyd or Prust, but the long-term health of this club will be predicated upon those listed vastly improving their play. The farm-hand motivational ploy may work for now, but the Flames will eventually need their established veterans to contribute appropriately in order to succeed this season.
