Goodness is a relative concept

Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald

Biggest group disappointment

That annual bugaboo -- also known as October-- once again plagued the local gentlemen. They talk about it. They claim they've addressed it. Then? They repeat it. Every autumn. A single win in their first five outings -- not exactly facing a murderer's row of opposition (Vancouver, Vancouver, Colorado, Edmonton, Edmonton) --slapped the starch out of the opening weeks. Sure, they rallied valiantly, but the surge of desperation comes at a price. For instance, making a long season seem even longer, with must-wins arriving before Halloween. For instance, no rest for the No. 1 net-minder, lest the team lose more ground.

Biggest individual surprise

The high quality of incoming wingers Curtis Glencross and Bourque. In the aftermath of the 2004 Stanley Cup run, remember, GM Sutter had declared his team needed to get younger and faster. Finally --four years later--he heeded his own advice. As a result, the team's original identity under the old cowboy's watch--speed, aggression, grit--is back. It would be difficult to find two players who are happier to take hits in order to make plays. Glencross and Bourque, blue-collar beauts both, provided instant lift and depth for the forward ranks.

Biggest individual disappointment

At the risk of piling on, look no further than No. 3. For whatever reason, it hasn't been The Dion's year. So far, anyway. Defensively, he'll never be Robyn Regehr, but Phaneuf could always be counted on to wake up the squad, the fans, himself. However, the winter's first half--Wednesday's boarding major aside--featured an oddly subdued Phaneuf. His trademark energy--the kick behind those hellacious hits and that aggravating on-ice behaviour--vanished. Count on the all-star snub to give him wings.

Biggest individual improvement

David Moss followed up his freshman flourish --10 goals in 41 games--with a sophomore snoozer. Sure, there were injuries. Sure, he needed to get accustomed to Mixmaster Mike Keenan's demands.

But it appeared that Moss had lost his way professionally. No more. Rebounding splendidly -- and eager to mimic Tomas Holmstrom's irritatingly effective crease-sitting -- Moss has given the third line plenty of punch.

Most bittersweet development

Phaneuf's surprising struggles have allowed Robyn Regehr to emerge from the shadows. Not that the broad-shouldered rearguard is doing anything different than he normally does.

Surprisingly swift, the six-foot-three, 224-pounder is defending as well as ever. Drawing the top assignments. Thriving on the work. Plus-nine. But, suddenly, with hockey observers trying to explain the Flames' first-half success (and Phaneuf's fade), Regehr is getting loads of (long overdue) credit. The team may very well campaign on his behalf for Norris Trophy consideration -- it wouldn't be a stretch.

MVP To Date

Once upon a time, the Flames had high hopes -- that Robyn Regehr could eventually evolve into a Derian Hatcher clone. Then again, there was that hot gossip, years ago, that the team would flip him to Dallas in exchange for Brenden Morrow.

These days, of course, there are no trade rumours, and there are no comparisons -- except to say that few current players in the NHL defend their position as well as Regehr. Steady. Consistent. All that. The club's single most important player. An authority figure in the dressing room, too.

Flames fall short of "great," "excellent" or even "quite good."

Jean Lefebvre, Calgary Herald

Biggest group disappointment

That would have to be the 18-game stretch that preceded the surge in the standings. The 9-8-1 record doesn't seem especially awful, but a six-game winning streak was bracketed by hockey that was atrocious even by the Flames' slow-start standards. This certainly looked nothing like a squad that was on the verge of spitting out a 19-6-3 run.

Biggest individual surprise

It's hard to argue against Rene Bourque, who has already matched his career high with 16 goals, but we're going to try, anyway. The nod here goes to David Moss, who with 15 tallies has already surpassed his career total from two previous half-seasons.

Moss's 2007-08 campaign was severely compromised by injuries, but even when healthy he never looked like anything more than a nice guy who worked hard, but just didn't have the hands to contribute many goals to the kitty. He's proven the skeptics wrong by substituting gumption and a nose for the net for pure offensive skill.

Biggest individual disappointment

Too many critics have lingered on Dion Phaneuf's comparatively paltry goal total --four--in dissecting his season to date. Truth is, the larger issue has been the defensive lapses that shouldn't be surprising for a 23-year-old blueliner, but at the same time are absolutely stunning to those who tabbed the lad as the heir apparent for the Norris Trophy.

Biggest individual improvement

In October, there were serious questions about Adam Pardy being a legitimate NHL defenceman, even as a seldom-used seventh man. The rookie has since goosed up his game to the point Jim Vandermeer has so far been unable to reclaim his spot on the blueline brigade since recovering from a broken ankle. He still seems best-suited for a third-pairing role, but you hardly hear anyone say Pardy doesn't belong in the big leagues anymore.

Most bittersweet development

That would have to be Michael Cammalleri's emergence as the Flames' leading goal-scorer. For one thing, it means Jarome Iginla is having -- by his king-sized standards -- a down year when it comes to burying pucks. Iginla is on pace to score 34 goals, which would be his lowest total since the 2000-01 campaign, which was in the midst of the old dead-puck era.

In addition, Cammalleri -- an impending UFA -- gets a little further away from Calgary every time he turns on the red light. Calgary has about $43 million in salary commitments for the 2009-10 season and it's getting more and more difficult to imagine a way for the Flames to afford the contract the 26-year-old is bound to receive on the open market.

In any event, the Flames are reaping the benefits in the short term while Cammalleri goes about the business of making himself a very rich man.

MVP To Date

Kiprusoff leads the NHL in victories. Iginla is among the league's top 10 point-getters. Phaneuf is among the top 10 in blueline scoring. Cammalleri ranks seventh in goals. And yet, it's entirely possible the Flames' most valuable player so far this season is none of the above.

Consider Regehr, despite his incredibly modest stat line of zero goals and five assists. In the wrong hands, the plus-minus stat can be a poor tool to determine a player's worth, but think about this when you look at Regehr's solid plus-9. Firstly, he's obviously not the kind of player who'll make a bunch of pluses for himself by creating offence. Secondly, he typically is matched up with the opposition's top players.