Shoutbox. » defenceman Deryk Engelland and goaltender

SOCHI, Russia – Since that highly-anticipated day in early January when he was officially named to the Canadian Olympic team, the nerves have not stopped pumping for John Tavares. "I think Ive had em for about a month," he said. "As much as the travels been tough, I think [youre] losing a lot of sleep just because youre so anxious and so excited." Four years ago in Vancouver, it was a then-21-year-old Jonathan Toews who emerged from the lower ranks of a powerhouse roster to steer Canada to gold. Nerves aside, could the 23-year-old Tavares prove a similar dark-horse in the Canadians bid for back-to-back golds in Sochi? Save for the incomparable Sidney Crosby, no Canadian player enters the tournament with more impressive recent credentials than the captain of the New York Islanders. Tucked just behind Crosby and eventual winner Alex Ovechkin in the 2013 Hart Trophy race, Tavares has only continued his rise up the NHL ranks this season. He is now third in league scoring after a 20-point month of January which matched Phil Kessel for the league lead. In fact, only Kessel has more points (28) in 2014 than the Toronto native (22), who is on pace for a career-high 33 goals and 91 points. "I think my mindset is just to go out there and play the best I can and contribute where Im asked in the role Im asked to play in," said Tavares, who, like Toews in Vancouver, is among the younger Canadian Olympians in Sochi. "If that leads to more opportunity, responsibility thats great, but at the end of the day, its about winning one game [Thursday] and building off that and going onto the next one and hopefully, obviously to win a gold medal." Toews was Canadas 13th forward at the outset of the Games in 2010 and though Tavares enters the tournament on a first-unit power-play – alongside Crosby and Chris Kunitz – he is stationed to start Thursdays opener against Norway on a prospective bottom forward unit with fellow Olympic rookie Jamie Benn and vet Patrice Bergeron. With dangerous offensive weaponry, experience on the big ice and versatility, Tavares looks to be a prime option to rise in the lineup if chemistry elsewhere fails to materialize. The Canadian coaching staff, led by Mike Babcock, has promised that patience in that respect will be short. "Its a competitive environment," Babcock said, "and we expect our guys to compete for their ice-time." Though he has yet to appear at the Olympics, Tavares does hold excellent credentials in past appearances on the international stage. He has amassed 16 goals in 22 world championship games, adding 15 points alone in the 2009 world juniors. During the most recent NHL lockout, he produced 17 goals and 42 points in 28 games with Bern of the Swiss league. A natural centre, it was during that stint overseas that he played mostly left wing, offering Babcock versatility with a glut of centres on the roster. He even advised Tavares of that possibility during the summer orientation camp in Calgary. "Those are all things that I can draw on, experience-wise," Tavares said of his international forays. "I think the more youve played on [the big ice], the more youve been in it, the better understanding you have." For Tavares to snatch more opportunity, hell have to make the most of limited ice. Canadian executive director Steve Yzerman said earlier this week that the greatest challenge facing his group of Olympians was not the larger Olympic ice dimensions but the difficulty of making the most of a shrunken role. "He really has to park his ego at the door," said assistant coach Ken Hitchcock, speaking generally about the roster at large. "You have to understand that when its your time and its your time to go, go! Dont sit there and wonder what the coach is thinking, dont sit there and think am I going to get on the ice?, whats my family thinking?, when its your turn to go, go. "Whatever youve got, give us quality and forget about the quantity. Youve got to park the quality right up front and youve got to forget about the quantity because its not going to be the same. No player is going to play the minutes that he plays in the NHL. It isnt even going to be close. Youve got to park it." Toews averaged fewer than 15 minutes in Vancouver and yet finished as the tournaments top forward and Canadas leading scorer. He also helped shut down Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin in a dominant quarterfinal win over Russia. "Theres no time to look around and be wide-eyed," Toews advised of his mindset in 2010. "Youve got to go out there and play and just let it happen. Thats what the Olympics is all about. Theres not much time to adjust." A potent weapon, both as a sniper and playmaker – he is nearing a career-high in assists – Tavares can also be of aid to the Canada power play. The first overall pick from the 2009 draft is tied for fourth in power play points this season, trailing only Crosby, Ovechkin and the league-leader, Nicklas Backstrom. "You understand the responsibility of coming here and having to accept your role," Tavares said. "So youll be ready whenever your names called to go over [the boards] and execute." Matt Gay Jersey .In the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte, German champion Bayern Munich remained third but Barcelona dropped from second to fourth during its trophyless 2014.In the 2013-2014 financial year, Real generated 549. 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With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season.With the regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each NHL team leading up to puck drop. First up is the Calgary Flames - a rebuilding franchise with promising young players like Johnny Gaudreau. Catch up on their off-season moves and the issues they face this season, as well as their analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Pacific GM: Brad Treliving Head Coach: Bob Hartley 2013-14: 35-40-7 (6th in Pacific) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 202 (23rd) Goals Against: 238 (24th) PP: 15.7% (24th) PK: 81.7% (18th) That Was Then: The Flames knew the 2013-14 season was going to be an uphill climb. A year removed from dealing away long-time captain and franchise face and Jarome Iginla, seeing the retirement of netminder Miikka Kiprusoff and just months removed from devastating floods that put the Saddledome partially under water; rebuilding was certainly on their mind at all levels. Mark Giordano was named the 19th captain in team history led a cast of new faces alongside veteran holdovers like Mike Cammalleri and Curtis Glencross. The team got a boost straight out of training camp with 2013 sixth-overall pick Sean Monahan stepping right off the draft floor and into the line-up. The former Ottawa 67 suited up in the teams season opener and scored his first goal in the teams second game of the season. The Flames went 5-5-2 to start the year, spending much of October above .500. But injuries took their toll with Glencross and Giordano both going down for several weeks. In December, Brian Burke - brought in at the start of the season as president of hockey operations - started putting his plan into motion for the front office and fired GM Jay Feaster and assistant GM John Weisbrod. Burke took over for the duration of the season. The home losses then piled up and the Flames set a new record for consecutive home defeats with seven between Dec. 27 and Jan. 16. Despite Giordano receiving some Norris Trophy votes and Jiri Hudler putting up solid numbers (54, his second-highest single-season point total), Calgary finished with the fourth-worst record in the league. Scott Cullens Analytics Flames 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.70 3.50 8.4 .892 48.0% .375 21-41 1.90 2.48 6.7 .918 43.7% .452 42-62 2.29 2.71 7.3 .914 50.0% .500 63-82 3.05 2.75 9.8 .907 47.8% .550 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score),PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Poor goaltending by Ramo and Berra undermined the seasons start. Games 21-41: Possession game plummeted to 43.7% and scoring/shooting dried up. Games 42-62: Possession game improved - driven by Giordano, Brodie, Backlund. Games 63-82: Scoring/shooting improved to season-best marks. Key 2014 Additions: LW Brandon Bollig, D Deryk Engelland, G Jonas Hiller, LW Mason Raymond, RW Devin Setoguchi Key 2014 Subtractions: D Chris Butler, C Mike Cammalleri, LW T.J. Galiardi, C Blair Jones, G Joey MacDonald, D Shane OBrien, D Derek Smith, C Ben Street This Is Now: The rebuilding continues, but now its Brad Trelivings job after Burke selected the former Coyotes assistant to be the eighth GM in club history. Cammalleris second tenure with the Flames came to an end, as the 32-year-old opted to sign with the New Jersey Devils in unrestricted free agency. The Flames hope that new additions Mason Raymond - who enjoyed a renaissance campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season - and Devin Setoguchi are able to pick up the scoring slack on the wing. The good news up the middle is that the future may be set. It just might take a couple years still to fully reap the rewards of two high-end young centres. Monahan had a good rookie season, logging in 15:59 in average ice-time and scoring 22 goals in 75 games. The Flames need him to build on that if they hope to move up the standings. The Flames landed another gem in the draft in June, taking Sam Bennett fourth overall. The Kingston Frontenacs centre was ranked second in TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons final draft ranking and third in Bob McKenzies consensus ranking. Whether he can follow Monahans lead and crack the line-up out of camp remains to be seen, but after 91 points in 57 games in the OHL last season he may be given a fair chance to do so. In goal, veteran Jonas Hiller arrives via free agency and the former Anaheim Duck enters camp as the Flames top option in net. The team also added some size and grit to its line-up, acquiring Brandon Bollig from the Chicago Blackhawks on the draft floor. Bollig comes with a winning pedigree, having already won a Stanley Cup. He and newly-acquired muscle Deryk Engelland (who signed a three-year, $8.7 million contract) will be integral in keeping the opposition honest against a young roster with Monahan, Sven Baertschi and Markus Granlund still finding their feet in the league. The rest is up to the veteran holdovers. If Hudler can have another strong season and if Giordano can stay healthy and continue to provide strong leadership, the Flames might win a few more games than they should.dddddddddddd Calgary is still very much a team with its eyes on the future. But the closer their young core gets to competing early, the brighter the future will be. TSN Calgary reporter Jermain Franklins Five Key Storylines heading into training camp: 1. What impact will Johnny Gaudreau (a.k.a. Johnny Hockey) have in his rookie NHL season? The 21-year-old Boston College standout and 2014 Hobey Baker Award winner, who scored a goal in his only NHL game last season, has dominated at every level on his path to the NHL. Size - Gaudreau is just five-foot-nine and 150 pounds - has not held him back so far, but will it in the worlds biggest and best league? Bennett is looking to force his way into the lineup as Monahan did last season. 2. Is Jonas Hiller still a No. 1 NHL goalie? The Flames signed Hiller to a two-year deal that pays him $1.75 million more than Karri Ramo this season, yet they insist it will be a full competition for the top goaltending position. Hiller is motivated to prove hes still a starter after losing the No. 1 position in Anaheim first to Frederik Andersen during the regular season and again to rookie John Gibson in the playoffs. 3. Will Bob Hartley continue to have his players focused? Despite finishing 27th in the league last season, the Flames earned a reputation for being a tough team to play against. The Flames were competitive because they gave their maximum effort every night. Can Bob Hartley continue to motivate this team or will the message get stale if the losses pile up for another season? 4. How will the new acquisitions fit in? Forwards Mason Raymond, Devin Setoguchi and Brandon Bollig, defenceman Deryk Engelland and goaltender Jonas Hiller are Calgarys key summer additions. Bollig and Engelland add size and toughness while Raymond is being counted on to supply speed and offence to soften the blow of losing top goal producer Mike Cammalleri. 5. How will new GM Brad Treliving put his stamp on the team? Treliving faces a huge challenge in his first job at the helm of an NHL team after seven seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes. Calgary has missed the playoffs for five straight years, the third-longest such streak in the league (tied with Carolina and Columbus and behind only Edmontons eight and the Jets franchises seven). DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Curtis Glencross Mikael Backlund Jiri Hudler Mason Raymond Sean Monahan Joe Colborne Johnny Gaudreau Matt Stajan David Jones Brandon Bollig Lance Bouma Brian McGrattan Paul Byron Markus Granlund Devin Setoguchi Sven Baertschi Sam Bennett Ben Hanowski Defence Left Right Mark Giordano T.J. Brodie Kris Russell Dennis Wideman Ladislav Smid Deryk Engelland Tyler Wotherspoon John Ramage Mark Cundari Keegan Kanzig Patrick Sieloff Sena Acolatse Goaltenders Jonas Hiller Karri Ramo Joni Ortio Craigs List A list of the Flames top prospects as ranked by TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button. A-Level Prospects No. Name Pos. 2013-14 Club 1 Johnny Gaudreau LW Boston College (HE) 2 Sam Bennett C Kingston (OHL) 3 Markus Granlund C Abbotsford (AHL) 4 Mark Jankowski C Providence (HE) 5 Mason McDonald G Charlottetown (QMJHL) B-Level Prospects No. Name Pos. 2013-14 Club 6 Morgan Klimchuk LW Regina (WHL) 7 Emile Poirier RW Gatineau (QMJHL) 8 Tyler Wotherspoon D Abbotsford (AHL) 9 Max Reinhart C Abbotsford (AHL) 10 Joni Ortio G Abbotsford (AHL) Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Johnny Gaudreau Any rookie forward that is poised to get regular playing time can be interesting from a fantasy perspective, but Gaudreau is no ordinary rookie. The Hobey Baker Award winner as the best player in college hockey last year, Gaudreau scored 80 points in 40 games as a junior for Boston College. Using typical league equivalency calculations, 21-year-old Gaudreau should be projected for 50-plus points as a rookie, this on a team that returns one player (Hudler) that scored more than 50 points last season. There are concerns about Gaudreaus size and whether that will hinder his adjustment to the pro game, but if he has an adequate supporting cast to help generate offence, Gaudreau is one of the few Flames with high-end offensive potential.