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The Calgary Flames have not made the playoffs for six consecutive seasons.

Let that sink in a little bit.

The Kings have qualified for the postseason four times in that span, winning one series and pushing the Colorado Avalanche to seven games on two occasions. The Coyotes have been there four times. The Mighty Ducks twice. And the greatest ignominy of it all, the Oilers have played postseason hockey five of the last six seasons, twice winning series.

PROJECTED CONFERENCE FINISH. . . 13th

STRENGTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The work ethic and no-nonsense approach of GM/Coach Darryl Sutter. Up to the end, Sutter told the San Jose Sharks they had to work harder and be smarter or they wouldn't take the next step. When the whole thing blew up in San Jose, Sutter was the one who had to take the fall. He'll be even tougher after lessons like that. WEAKNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The overall inconsistency between great and mediocre that seems to characterize many of the team's leaders. Goalie Roman Turek is the poster child for inconsistency. Jarome Iginla is falling into that territory. And the entire defense is a case study in "great one game, bad the next." BEST OFFSEASON MOVE . . . . . . . . . . . Trading Chris Drury and getting Steve Reinprecht and Rhett Warrener in return. Drury wasn't a good fit in Calgary and Sutter sensed it. Warrener is a great role model for the young defensemen. WORST OFFSEASON MOVE . . . . . . . . . Gritty kids like Steve Begin and Blake Sloan were cheap pluggers who helped the franchise. Are they really better off with Krzysztof Oliwa? PLAYER TO WATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You have to tie Turek and Iginla together. One controls the defense, the other the offense. Together, they make $11.5 million or about a third of the Flames' $34 million payroll. In Calgary, that means both are under the microscope every single day. FANTASY FIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chuck Kobasew. The Flames aren't entirely a one-man team -- Craig Conroy, Martin Gelinas and the departed Chris Drury all topped 20 goals last season -- but Jarome Iginla could use some help. Kobasew wasn't ready for the job last season, but he gets another chance this fall. If the talented 21-year-old can work his way onto the second or third line, he could make a run at 50 points and fantasy relevance. -- Graham Hays AT A GLANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003-04: Schedule | Roster 2002-03: Schedule/Results | Stats

So what's the excuse in Calgary? Bottom line, there are none left.

You can't say it's because of payroll or small-market problems or the Canadian dollar. You can't blame a conference loaded with big spenders or a division full of tough teams. While every other team in the Flames' boat has gone out and made the playoffs at least once (Minnesota did it in just three years), Calgary's boys have failed miserably.

And that's where Darryl Sutter comes in. Never one to mince words, the Alberta native has taken over as coach and GM. He will lay down the law and he will attempt to will this team to get better, because the acceptance of this kind of performance just isn't anywhere in his makeup.

The Flames have been searching for a guy like Sutter for years, but they have to trust the guy and have a little patience. While former GM Craig Button always seemed under the gun running through three different coaches, Sutter has to be allowed to get his plan in place. While the revolving door of team leadership has seen the forward group turned over in three years, Sutter has to be able to mold the youngsters.

Will he get that time? Who knows. The pieces are in place to compete now. If the coach can possibly inject a little stability and a little consistency, the answers might be easier than first thought.

Then again, patience is hard to come by when you haven't made the playoffs in six years.

A decent mix of veterans and youth, the Flames should be better than the 186 goals they produced last season (ranking 27th in the league). Iginla suffered a broken hand early in the season during a fight and that caused his numbers to drop significantly (from 96 points to 67). If he can get back in the groove, the Flames will follow. Iginla's physical style and skilled hands make his linemates better. If his linemates get better, that forces the opposition to concentrate on his line. When his line draws all the attention, it opens up space for the second line.

The domino theory could very well be in place on this team, because there is very good second-level talent here, it just needs a top player to bring it up.

Expect Iginla to play again beside Craig Conroy and look for the two to strike up a little magic with Dean MacAmmond. If that line clicks, as it did two years ago, everything else could fall in place.

Steve Reinprecht, acquired as part of the Chris Drury trade, is expected to center the second line and could have two talented youngsters in Chuck Kobasew and Oleg Saprykin on his wings. If Kobasew picks it up, he could be a real surprise this season. The third line will be anchored by veterans Stephane Yelle and Martin Gelinas, while the fourth line will probably feature youngster Blair Betts.

All in all, there is potential (and much room) for improvement. One of the keys to that improvement will be putting some teeth in the power play. The Flames ranked 29th in the NHL last season at 12.1 percent and were only a 17th the year before when the top line was clicking. Getting some contributions from the defensemen is key to the improvement.

What the Flames would like from summer acquisition Rhett Warrener is a little bit of what Keith Carney gives to the Mighty Ducks. They'd like veteran with a little skill and a solid game to give some glue to a unit that is looking for direction.

Denis Gauthier is a physical bruiser. Robyn Regehr showed he has fantastic upside. Toni Lydman is a decent all-around guy with enough skill to help the power play. And Jordan Leopold expects a big improvement in his first full season.

The components are there to put together a talented group that can grow. Even after losing Derek Morris via trade, the Flames still are stocked with great blueliners, but they need direction and they need chemistry. That's where Warrener's value could be highest.

The Flames' penalty killing was decent last year (16th at 83.3 percent), but expect Sutter to try to dial it up another notch.

The Flames have hitched their wagon to Roman Turek's $4 million star, so they need to try to get the most out of the big (6-foot-3, 215 pound) Czech. Turek has the physical skills to earn his money, but he needs plenty of support so he doesn't lose his confidence. A laid-back, low maintenance kind of guy, Turek's one drawback is he doesn't react well to failure.

Still, he's learned a lot from the recent struggles of the team and his numbers haven't been horrible (2.57 GAA and .902 save percentage last season, 2.53 GAA and .906 save percentage the year before). What he needs is his defense to mature a little, and Sutter's system should take care of that. Of course, he could also use a little goal support so that every game isn't 1-0.

That could take a little more time to develop.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com.