NHL: Flames or Canadiens?

Hosts Tim and Sid on Sportsnet were talking with hockey analyst John Shannon on Thursday night, and asked the question, “Are the Montreal Canadiens still the best team in Canada?” John Shannon replied by suggesting that the Calgary Flames had to be the best team in Canada. He may have a point.

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It’s not a knock on the Canadiens by any means. But we’re going to state the obvious. This team is carried by its all-world goaltending from Carey Price. They also have one of the league’s best young defenseman in P.K Subban. But we’ve all been waiting too many years for this team to find some quality offense.

There are some nice young prospects in the mix that could help with that in the future, but for now, there’s just not enough front-end talent in that top six. And sorry, Alex Semin is not going to be the answer for that. All that signing did was strip one of Mike McCarron or Nikita Scherbak from a roster spot.

May 12, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens defenseman

P.K. Subban

(76) skates in game six of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated Montreal Canadiens 4-1 to win the series 4 games to 2. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Flames were definitely overachievers last year. It would make sense that a team like that might suffer a step back. But that’s a little hard to fathom after essentially stealing Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins. Not to mention adding Michael Frolik and getting a healthy Sam Bennett for an entire season.

Yes the Flames do lack a bit of front-end talent, as you’d prefer to have a more productive scorer in Jiri Hudler’s spot. But perhaps if Bennett can transition to the off-wing, they may be able to stick him alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Regardless, this top 6 is better than Montreal.

Prior to the offseason, the Flames were already in the conversation as top 5 defense core in the NHL. Add Dougie Hamilton, and it’s difficult to argue when someone says “this is the best back-end in hockey”.

The Flames obviously can’t compare in goal. But they’ve got a nice productivity by committee type of chemistry going on. Jonas Hiller may have had a chip on his shoulder last season coming over from Anaheim, so hopefully he can match last season’s performance. He’s got Karri Ramo pushing behind him, who plays well and is ready to step in when need be.

They’ve also got Joni Ortio in the minors, who looks as though he might be ready for the big stage. Following behind is Jon Gillies and Mason McDonald. The Flames should be able to find their starter of the future sometime along the way.

Both the Flames and Canadiens look poised to be playoff teams once again this season, the Flames are better built for longevity within the playoffs. But who knows, 82 games from now our opinions could be very different. Which other Canadian clubs look poised to be playoff contenders?

Next: 5 bold predictions for the upcoming season

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