Fans ready to send underperformers packing

With the National Hockey League season in the books, the Calgary Flames have already started the process of tweaking and adjusting their club for a better outcome in 2017-18.

Assuming they need a little help with decision making, we let ‘You Be The Boss’ and gave readers an opportunity to play armchair general manager. The results are in …. and, in most cases, they’re not surprising.

Producing one of his best seasons to date, Mikael Backlund earned 52 per cent of the votes as this year’s Flames MVP. This year’s biggest disappointment? Thirty-eight per cent selected the $4.5-million man, Troy Brouwer, who scored only 13 goals and 12 assists in 74 games – a career-worst for the former Stanley Cup winner. The runner-up with 21 per cent was Johnny Gaudreau.

The majority of voters (63 per cent) felt that the 2016-17 campaign was a success, despite a four-game sweep by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of playoffs. The cause? Thirty-seven per cent deemed it to be a combination of puck luck, experience, size, scoring depth and skill.

But there are big expectations in 2017-18 as 85 per cent of voters believe they’ll be post-season bound again next year. The biggest positional need the Flames must address this summer is between the pipes (57 per cent agreed), while 34 per cent indicated signing Ben Bishop as an unrestricted free agent would be the goalie of choice. Interestingly, 65 per cent voted the Flames should keep backup netminder and Calgary product Chad Johnson. Kris Versteeg made it crystal clear he wants to return to the Calgary Flames in 2017-18 and also made it clear that if he’s playing in Switzerland in September (his destination last summer), he’ll have to fire his agent. Sixty per cent of you agree with him, saying Versteeg should be kept by the Flames.

Meanwhile, 81 per cent of voters feel that unrestricted free agent Michael Stone, who was acquired by the Flames at the trade deadline, should be kept.

More than half of the voters also believed the Flames should keep centres Sean Monahan (93 per cent), Mikael Backlund (69 per cent), Sam Bennett (66 per cent), while 27 per cent feel he deserves a raise), Freddie Hamilton (51 per cent) and Curtis Lazar (85 per cent), right-winger Michael Frolik (82 per cent), left-wingers Johnny Gaudreau (83 per cent), Matthew Tkachuk (67 per cent) and Micheal Ferland (52 per cent, and 44 per cent said he deserves a raise), defencemen Mark Giordano (86 per cent), Dougie Hamilton (84 per cent), Matt Bartkowski (61 per cent), Deryk Engelland (62 per cent) and T.J. Brodie (85 per cent).

The farmhands to be kept? Leftwinger Hunter Shinkaruk (65 per cent), defenceman Brett Kulak (65 per cent), Garnet Hathaway (67 per cent) and netminder Jon Gillies (88 per cent).

An overwhelming 94 per cent of voters said the Flames should let go of Dennis Wideman, the subject of an ugly $10.25-million lawsuit from former NHL referee Don Henderson. The 34-year-old was a healthy scratch for 25 games this season and didn’t see a minute of ice time in the post-season. His five-year, $5.25-million contract expired at the end of this season.

Over half of the voters feel the Flames should let go of centre Matt Stajan (70 per cent), left-winger Lance Bouma (81 per cent), rightwinger Troy Brouwer (72 per cent) and netminder Brian Elliott (75 per cent). Only 47 per cent felt right winger Alex Chiasson should go.

Brad Treliving faces an expiring contract this summer and while the Flames – and the GM – have been coy about their plans, 72 per cent of voters agree the team should keep him.