Meet the 2014-15 Calgary Flames
By Ryan Pike
9 years agoThe Calgary Flames finalized and announced their 2014-15 opening roster this afternoon. But with 23 bodies on the team, it can be a bit hard to keep them all straight. In an effort to provide clarity on who’s who on the 2014-15 Flames, here’s a handy primer put together by FlamesNation’s crack team of researchers, reporters and hired goons.
#1 JONAS HILLER (GOALTENDER)
- 32 years old; from Felben Wellhausen, Switzerland (population 2,600)
- $4.5 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Acquired as a free agent signing this past off-season.
- 326 NHL games played (all with Anaheim)
- Might be the only active NHLer wearing Koho goalie equipment.
- Has represented Switzerland in two Olympic games.
#4 KRIS RUSSELL (DEFENSE)
- 27 years old; from Caroline, Alberta
- Alternate captain
- $2.6 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with the St. Louis Blues last off-season.
- 432 NHL games played (Calgary, St. Louis and Columbus)
- Good offensive player, but under-sized. Third-best defender on the team behind Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie.
#5 MARK GIORDANO (DEFENSE)
- 31 years old; from Toronto, Ontario
- Team captain
- $4.02 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Acquired as a free agent to help Calgary fill out their shared AHL team prior to the 2004-05 season
- 449 NHL games played (all Calgary)
- Unsigned, undrafted player has somehow worked his way into an NHL captaincy and Norris contention
#6 DENNIS WIDEMAN (DEFENSE)
- 31 years old; from Kitchener, Ontario
- $5.25 million cap hit through 2016-17
- Acquired via trade with Washington (Feaster sent a pick and a player for his rights)
- 627 NHL games played (Calgary, Washington, Florida, Boston and St. Louis)
- Power-play specialist, primarily.
#7 T.J. BRODIE (DEFENSE)
- 24 years old; from Chatham, Ontario
- $2.125 million cap hit through 2014-15 (pending RFA)
- Calgary’s fourth round selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
- 185 NHL games played (all Calgary)
- Has progressed from a green tentative player a few seasons ago to being Calgary’s best non-Giordano defender. He’s still only 24, so there’s no telling how good he’ll get with a bit more experience.
#8 JOE COLBORNE (CENTER/RIGHT WING)
- 24 years old; from Calgary, Alberta
- $1.275 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Acquired from Toronto last season on the day before rosters needed to be finalized with the league
- 96 NHL games (Calgary and Toronto)
- Has filled out and added some weight in the off-season so he can be better in the corners. Now he’s thick in addition to being crazy-tall.
#11 MIKAEL BACKLUND (CENTER)
- 25 years old; from Vasteras, Sweden
- $1.5 million cap hit through 2014-15 (pending RFA)
- Calgary’s first round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft
- 246 NHL games (all Calgary)
- Calgary’s best center, or would be considered it if he could stay healthy. Good at everything, strong two-way player, and offensive game chugs along really well when he’s feeling confident.
#13 JOHNNY GAUDREAU (LEFT WING)
- 21 years old; from Carney’s Point, New Jersey
- Bonus-aided $1.85 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Calgary’s fourth round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
- 1 NHL game (Calgary)
- A scary-good NCAA player (175 points in 119 games) despite being smaller and younger than his opposition.
#15 LADISLAV SMID (DEFENSE)
- 28 years old; from Frydlant, Czech Republic (population 7,600)
- $3.5 million cap hit through 2016-17
- Acquired from Edmonton in the second trade ever between the two bitter Alberta rivals
- 530 NHL games (Calgary and Edmonton)
- Perfectly acceptable stay-at-home defender. Doesn’t have a lot to offer beyond that, but he’s good in his own zone when on his game.
#16 BRIAN McGRATTAN (RIGHT WING)
- 33 years old; from Hamilton, Ontario
- $750,000 cap hit through 2014-15 (pending UFA)
- Acquired from Nashville a few seasons back for minor-league defender Joe Piskula (Brodie’s AHL partner)
- 309 NHL games (Calgary, Nashville, Phoenix and Ottawa)
- Resident plugger is renowned for being good in the room but doesn’t offer a heck of a lot on the offensively or defensively.
#17 LANCE BOUMA (CENTER/LEFT WING)
- 24 years old; from Provost, Alberta
- $775,000 cap hit through 2014-15
- Calgary’s third round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
- 121 NHL games (all Calgary)
- All heart and hustle, Bouma’s developed a niche as a shot-blocker and penalty-killer. Hopefully he can develop his (to this point) non-existent offensive side.
#18 MATT STAJAN (CENTER)
- 30 years old; from Mississauga, Ontario
- $3.125 million cap hit through 2017-18
- Acquired from Toronto in the infamous Dion Phaneuf trade
- 715 NHL games (Calgary and Toronto)
- Arguably the team’s best all-around center, but Backlund likely supplants him if he stays healthy.
#19 DAVID JONES (RIGHT WING)
- 30 years old; from Guelph, Ontario
- $4 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Acquired form Colorado in an off-season trade last year
- 320 NHL games (Calgary and Colorado)
- Completely fine third line guy who got a big contract from Colorado because he scored 20 goals. Hard to tell what he is right now because he was hurt most of last season.
#20 CURTIS GLENCROSS (LEFT WING)
- 31 years old; from Kindersley, Saskatchewan
- Alternate captain
- $2.55 million cap hit through 2014-15
- Signed as a free agent years ago when the Edmonton Oilers decided they didn’t want him
- 436 NHL games (Calgary, Edmonton and Columbus)
- Rugged winger with good hands around the net. He had awful injury luck last season and desperately wants/needs a full season without any missed time.
#21 MASON RAYMOND (LEFT/RIGHT WING)
- 29 years old; from Cochrane, Alberta
- $3.17 million cap hit through 2016-17
- Signed a free agent this off-season
- 456 NHL games (Toronto and Vancouver)
- Speedy winger with good scoring touch. Injuries may be a minor concern, but if he’s healthy he’s a huge boost for the Flames and can be used anywhere on the top three lines.
#22 DEVIN SETOGUCHI (RIGHT WING)
- 27 years old; from Taber, Alberta
- $750,000 cap hit through 2014-15 (pending UFA)
- Signed a free agent this off-season
- 459 NHL games (Winnipeg, Minnesota and San Jose)
- Two-way player with an offensive touch. He’s scored 20+ goals in the past, but in recent years has been used as a complementary asset.
#23 SEAN MONAHAN (CENTER)
- 20 years old; from Brampton, Ontario
- Bonus-aided $1.775 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Calgary’s first round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft
- 75 NHL games (all Calgary)
- Big, strong 19-year old, 20+ goal-scoring rookie added muscle over the off-season, presumably so he can be bigger, stronger and score more goals. It’s not an awful plan.
#24 JIRI HUDLER (LEFT/RIGHT WING)
- 30 years old; from Olomouc, Czech Republic
- $4 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Signed as a free agent a few summers ago
- 526 NHL games (Calgary and Detroit)
- Not overly physical, but this skilled Czech just figures out ways to get to the net. Led the Flames in points last season.
#25 BRANDON BOLLIG (LEFT WING)
- 27 years old; from St. Charles, Missouri
- $1.25 million cap hit through 2015-16
- Acquired in a draft-day trade with the Chicago Blackhawks
- 125 NHL games (all Chicago)
- Physical bottom-six fixture for Blackhawks. Has a beard and a Stanley Cup ring. A key component in Calgary’s “tougher to play against” stance, but he’s also a situationally useful player (PK, defensive zone starts).
#29 DERYK ENGELLAND (DEFENSE/RIGHT WING)
- 32 years old; from Edmonton, Alberta
- $2.917 million cap hit through 2016-17
- Signed as a free agent this off-season
- 243 NHL games (all Pittsburgh)
- Big, physical, right-shooting defenseman. Basically similar to Ladislav Smid, except he plays physical all the time.
#31 KARRI RAMO (GOALIE)
- 28 years old; from Asikkala, Finland (population 8,400)
- $2.75 million cap hit through 2014-15 (pending UFA)
- Acquired by trade with Montreal (in the six-asset Rene Bourque/Mike Cammalleri deal).
- 88 NHL games (Calgary and Tampa Bay)
- Positionally-sound, calm goaltender. Doesn’t rattle, doesn’t get caught out of position much. He had some injury issues last year, and recurring hip issue this off-season may lead to some injury concerns in the future.
#32 PAUL BYRON (LEFT/RIGHT WING)
- 25 years old; from Ottawa, Ontario
- $600,000 cap hit through 2014-15 (pending RFA)
- Acquired from Buffalo Sabres in Robyn Regehr trade.
- 81 NHL games (Calgary and Buffalo)
- Small and agile, Byron’s a good forechecker and a strong penalty-killer. Might not be able to progress above third line status due to his size, though.
#33 RAPHAEL (RAFFA) DIAZ (DEFENSE)
- 28 years old; from Baar, Switzerland
- $700,000 cap hit through 2014-15 (pending UFA)
- Signed as a free agent after attending camp as a try-out player
- 145 NHL games (NY Rangers, Montreal and Vancouver)
- Power-play specialist.
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