Calgary’s blueline changing of the guard is underway

For the last few years, many have considered Calgary’s group of NHL defencemen an area of strength. That remains a fair observation heading into the 2018-19 season and, thanks to some savvy drafting, the team’s organizational depth at the position is also strong. As a result, when you take ages and contracts into account, the Flames are set to have a very different looking blueline group in the very near future, and it could start as early as this season.

THE PRESENT

Calgary’s NHL personnel for the coming season is similar to last year, albeit for one significant change. The Flames essentially swapped Dougie Hamilton for Noah Hanifin in June, which gives us a decent idea of how things might…