=== 2003-04 Calgary Flames Preview ===

By Matt Canamucio, NHL Editor

(My Sportsbook) - The streak continues.

The 2002-03 season marked the seventh consecutive time the Calgary Flames were home for the playoffs. No other NHL team has a current streak of futility that lengthy.

But entering this campaign there is somewhat of a promising vibe surrounding the Flames. Darryl Sutter, after being fired as coach of the Sharks, was hired to lead Calgary in late December and then handed the title of general manager following the conclusion of the regular season.

Sutter immediately got to work and pulled off what amounted to a three-team trade early in the summer, obtaining center Steve Reinprecht and defenseman Rhett Warrener for forwards Chris Drury and Steve Begin.

Even with the trade, though, the most glaring weakness of the Flames roster remains its lack of firepower. Six Calgary skaters scored 10 goals or more in 02-03, but after that there was a significant drop-off in terms of production. As a team, the Flames placed 27th in the league with a mere 186 tallies.

AT THE HELM - Sutter, who went 19-18-8-1 in the final 46 games, will take no bull, that's for sure. He doesn't hold back words, and his track record, namely as the coach of the Sharks, speaks for itself. Fairly or unfairly, he and GM Dean Lombardi took the fall for San Jose's horrid season but at the same time he must be given credit for building the Sharks to the point where they were on the cusp of true contention. Of course, he doesn't have as much to work with from the start in Calgary.

ON THE ATTACK - The Flames' offense begins and ends with Jarome Iginla, who came down from his breakout 2001-02 effort. Iginla, who broke his hand early on, scored 35 goals with 32 assists in 75 games last season and was back to his normal spot below the elite class. While it may be a lot to ask him to repeat his Art Ross-winning 96-point (52g, 44a) showing, he must at least get close to it.

Iginla, captain Craig Conroy (22g), the departed Drury and Martin Gelinas (21g) were the only Flames to reach 20 goals in 02-03, and Stephane Yelle and Chris Clark both chipped in 10. Conroy, who has become a terrific leader, is a pest as well as a high point producer.

Reinprecht, after playing a supporting role in Colorado for two-plus seasons, will be expected to make an impact north of the border. The University of Wisconsin product has scored 18 and 19 goals, respectively, in his first two full NHL seasons, and totaled 51 points last year.

Aside from Reinprecht, the Flames will be looking for impact showings from youngsters Oleg Saprykin and Chuck Kobasew. Saprykin was up and down from the AHL a season ago and scored eight goals in 52 tilts. Another member of the NHL's Draft Class of 1999 who we're waiting on, Saprykin, has the skills necessary to be a top-six forward but his potential is still ahead of him.

Kobasew was the team's top pick in 2001 and his 23-game stint with the Flames wasn't enough of an audition. The 21-year-old could be a Calder candidate if all goes right.

Like most offense-poor clubs, the Flames sported a horrid power play. Calgary ranked 29th in the NHL last season at 12.1 percent.

ON DEFENSE - Despite the trading away of the budding Derek Morris before last season, the Flames possess a promising young defense. Robyn Regehr was the club's anchor a year ago, and he's only 23, while Denis Gauthier is the corps' physical force. Toni Lydman was the club's leader in ice time in 02-03 -- over 25 minutes per-match -- and was counted on in each and every situation. Lydman was the Flames' highest-scoring defenseman as well, chipping in six goals and 20 assists.

Much of the potential on the Calgary backline lies within Jordan Leopold, the 2002 Hobey Baker Award Winner. The 23-year-old can definitely be classified as an "offensive defenseman" and will be expected to boost the Calgary power play. Leopold started off a bit slowly in his rookie season but came on strong late after a mid-year demotion to the AHL.

Warrener, meanwhile, is no All-Star but he is extremely dependable and the hope is that he'll act as a guide for his young cohorts. The 6-2, 217-pounder is a veteran of eight NHL seasons and has played in a Stanley Cup Finals with the Buffalo Sabres. If he talks, they should listen.

IN THE CREASE - Roman Turek received a hefty contract a couple years back and the team has received a mixed return. Last season the former Blue and Star posted a 27-29-9 record, 2.57 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. The Czech native has imposing size and takes up a good part of the net, and as this defense corps improves it will be interesting to see how it affects his performance.

Jamie McLennan will again be Turek's understudy. He recorded a mediocre 2.99 GAA and .892 SP in 02-03, and more importantly won only two games (2-11-4).

X-FACTOR - This team must light up the scoreboard on a more consistent basis, because trying to win games 1-0 and 2-1 won't earn a playoff berth in the competitive Western Conference. Aside from Iginla staying healthy and getting back to form, the likes of Reinprecht, Kobasew and Saprykin will have to remove the training wheels and become impact players immediately.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - That last part sounds all well and good, but do you really see it happening? The Flames need proven goal-scoring talent to cure their woes, and until that is obtained in some fashion it will be the same ol' story in Cowtown.