Welcome to our offseason initiative — 30 teams in 30 days.
From July 16 until Aug. 14, we’ll be dedicating each day to a new team by recapping the offseason and looking ahead to 2012-13.
There will also be a series of posts looking at key stories, player profiles and burning questions regarding each squad.
Today, we move on to the Calgary Flames.
For the third season in a row, the Flames missed the postseason despite spending big bucks.
This summer brought many changes, even if the organizational game plan remains on “shuffle” instead of embracing a rebuild.
GM Jay Feaster made some risky moves by acquiring Jiri Hudler and Dennis Wideman while allowing surprisingly effective forward Olli Jokinen walk.
Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff remain the franchise’s go-to guys, even with “Iggy” in the last year of his contract. Maybe the Flames’ collective window isn’t closing, but his seems to be.
Wideman’s arrival makes Jay Bouwmeester’s life a little stranger, whether he remains or not.
On the coaching front, Bob Hartley gets another crack at the NHL while Brent Sutter rides off into the unsmiling sunset.
Can all these changes catapult Calgary back to the playoffs or are the Flames in denial? PHT will examine the team’s biggest questions today.