Only one year ago, the Calgary Flames were among hockey's hottest teams.
A second round loss to the Anaheim Ducks - Calgary's first playoff appearance since 2009 - was viewed as a learning curve for a team made up of budding stars like Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
The Flames pushed the needle that offseason, bolstering their blue line with young defenseman Dougie Hamilton, fresh off a 42-point campaign with the Boston Bruins.
But the good times in Calgary took a turn for the worst, as the Flames won 10 fewer games than the year before.
Veteran winger Jiri Hudler, now 32, tailed off after a career-best 76 points. Between the pipes, the Flames allowed nearly 50 more goals, as netminders Karri Ramo, Joni Ortio, and Jonas Hiller posted some of the NHL's worst numbers.
The Flames hope to reverse that trend this season, following their acquisition of goalie Brian Elliott from the St. Louis Blues.
New head coach Glen Gulutzan, who brings a fresh voice behind the bench, is sure to heavily rely on Elliott. The former Blues goalie was among the league leaders last season, posting a 2.07 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Flames center Matt Stajan is among the returning players looking to shake off last season's memory. The 32-year-old has posted back-to-back career lows of 17 points, and realizes he must pick up his own game in order for the team to improve.
"I think we have something to prove as a team that two years ago wasn’t a fluke," Stajan told the team's official site. "I think we want to bounce back from last season because it didn’t go the way we wanted it to.
"We’ve had some nice additions coming in that are going to want to make a difference and that’ll be great for our hockey club."
The Flames open their season Oct. 12 vs. the rival Edmonton Oilers.
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