Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano wants to ensure his team is in the 2016-17 postseason, with room to spare.
"If you look, 100 points gets you into the playoffs for sure," he told George Johnson of CalgaryFlames.com. "That's gotta be our goal. Ninety-something is usually the cut-off. But 100 gets you in.
"We know that. Now we've gotta get there. That's got to be our mindset. Not to just want to sneak in. We want to be a solid team the whole way."
The Flames finished with 94 points a year ago, and considering at one time in the season they were 24-24-3, 100 points doesn't seem too far-fetched.
"We're excited. Every team's going to tell you the same thing. It's that fresh feeling every time you come into camp," said Giordano, who had 12 goals and 39 points last season. "But for sure, there's an urgency this year. As players, we have to push harder because our management, our coaches, our entire organization, have put us in a great position."
There's no denying that Calgary went home as one of the offseason's biggest winners. Not only did the Flames address their goaltending issue by acquiring veteran Mike Smith from the Coyotes, but they bolstered their blue line by adding shutdown defenseman Travis Hamonic.
With Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, and T.J. Brodie already in the fold, Hamonic gives the Flames one of the best top-four defense units in the entire league. Not unlike the group that carried the Nashville Predators all the way to the Stanley Cup Final as the 16th seed.
"(Hamonic) comes in and that element, the edge, is huge for us,'' said the 33-year-old veteran. "But let's not take away from the other parts of his game - he can really skate, move the puck and contribute."
Given that Giordano spent most of last season paired with Hamilton, it is expected that Hamonic will be partnered up with the smooth-skating Brodie.
"I just think him and Brods, if they start together, are a good fit. Again, the league's sorta gone to the leftie-rightie pairings," Giordano said. "They get together in camp, hopefully, and jell and go from there. I just think you're putting two great hockey players together so it should work out."
The Flames project to be a tough team to score on given their stellar blue line, but given the expected growth of some of their younger forwards - such as Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett - they could also have a potent offense. That's a recipe for a 100-point team.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
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