Kipper was a main reason that we did as poorly as we did. I love the guy and respect everything he did as a Flame but last season he was a disaster. With the competition for NHL jobs between Ramo,MacDonald,Berra, and an outside shot of Ortio I think our goaltending will be much better.
I am not saying we will be great or anything but I think we will end up drafting 7-10.
His stats were bad, but realistically, he only played in half of our games. Also, despite the bad stats, a very significant portion of the goals he allowed were due to defensive breakdowns, not just soft goaltending. There was a pattern of those that continued regardless of which netminder was guarding the twine.
That said, I agree with your final assessment. I think that we may experience a little bit of a surge just from sheer youth as opposed to tired, veteran legs, and especially when you consider how many green and maliable players will be learning Hartley's system with the benefit of a full training camp.
I think we'll be hungrier and more energetic, and I think that will balance out the perceived loss of talent.