Giordano believes Flames are 'better, deeper team' after busy offseason

CALGARY -- Mark Giordano said he understood the need for significant changes after the Calgary Flames failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.

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Now he's ready to see if the moves pay off.
"As players, we knew we didn't have success last year," the defenseman said Monday before teeing off in the Calgary Italian Open in support of his Team Giordano community initiative. "It was a disappointing year. [General manager Brad Treliving] sent us the message: It's not OK. As a player, as a captain of the team, I was happy to see that, and I'm looking forward to seeing all the changes and how they work out."
The changes were plenty.
After finishing fifth in the Pacific Division (37-35-10) and 11 points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, the Flames fired Glen Gulutzan on April 17 and replaced him with Bill Peters six days later.
The biggest turnover came June 23, when defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Micheal Ferland were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin.

"Anytime you make a big trade like that, it's a little bit of a shocker no matter what you're expecting," said Giordano, who turns 35 on Oct. 3, when Calgary opens its season at the Vancouver Canucks. "We all expected change. We had a good team last year and didn't get into the playoffs. It was disappointing. We changed coaches. There's always a little bit of shock when there's a big trade. I talked to [Treliving] a lot over the summer, and I sort of knew he was thinking of different things. He made some pretty significant moves, and if you look at our roster today, we're a better team and a deeper team."
The Flames, who also signed forwards James Neal, Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik as free agents in early July, are an improved team on paper.
Giordano said he knows the Flames must jell and perform to their reputation to get results.
"That's the thing … I've played on a lot of teams where we were ranked as the No. 1 this or the No. 1 that … D corps, whatever," he said. "That's the biggest thing is, as players, is you have to make it count and work it out on the ice. Chemistry is a big thing, so we have to do that. Whether it be D partners or forward lines, we need to get that in camp and start off the season really fast because you can't fall behind in the League."
The Flames will spend a significant portion of training camp in China, where they'll play two preseasons games against the Boston Bruins for the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games (Sept. 15 in Shenzhen, Sept. 19 in Beijing).
Giordano said Calgary plans to take advantage of the trip by taking a veteran roster.
"With the new staff, it's going to be an important camp and I think it really sets up well for us that we're going away to China and we're going to be together for a while as a group and really form those bonds," he said. "I think that's really important.
"I can't remember the last camp where you basically start with a lot of your team right off the start of camp and are able to travel together and go away together and spend that week-plus as a team. We've got to use it the right way. We've got to get all that stuff, that team bonding, those things out of the way and bring it on the ice."