To be bleak, the Flames have some very concerning defensive issues. There's a whole number of reasons for this, and one of them could be their timid approach to acquiring new defencemen.
The front office, through three different administrations, rarely splurged on the open market; Deryk Engelland's awful contract is their biggest defensive signing since they gave Cory Sarich $18M for five years. Kris Russell and Dennis Wideman were added through low-risk trades. It's more so dumb luck rather than expert scouting and development that our elite top pairing is a fourth-round pick and an undrafted UFA that we once shipped overseas.