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Reinhart is blessed with quite the poker face, so his inner excitement failed to crack the surface when Mark Donnelly belted out O Canada before a television audience from coast to coast.

Most players chop from side to side, some ever so slightly, during the national anthems. Visualizing the task at hand, Reinhart looked like a statue frozen to his spot on the blueline.

“I kind of wish I had another chance to take it all in,” he said after the fact with a wide grin. “But I was trying to focus on the game and not get too distracted.”

A third-round pick (64th overall) in 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Reinhart impressed his superiors in his NHL debut — although his first shift will go down as memorable for the wrong reasons.

Thirty-four seconds after the opening faceoff, Calgary defenceman Mark Giordano got caught on a bad pinch, and Dan Hamhuis converted on a two-on-one to give the Canucks a lead they would never relinquish.

“Definitely a high to a low,” Max said. “Obviously, not the way you want to start, but that kind of stuff happens in hockey. You just have to shake it off and go out and forget that it happened.”

One thing he’ll never forget that happened: a marathon shift as the second period wound down where Reinhart received a free education from two Vancouver icons: Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

“When they throw it through your legs out there, it’s not a lot of fun,” Max said. “But that’s part of what I expected coming up here. I’m definitely learning as I go along.

“I’m hoping to get another shot.”

By the end of the night, Reinhart registered thee shots, one hit and one take-away in 16:08 of ice-time on the win to earn himself another shot Monday in Colorado.

“We want grit in this organization, and he went to the dirty areas,” head coach Bob Hartley said. “He fought in the corners. He was great behind the net.

“For his first game, I was really happy.”

So too was dad Paul, who can look forward to similar debuts for middle son Griffin (a fourth overall pick of the New York Islanders in 2012) and baby Sam (a Kootenay Ice forward projected to go as high as first overall in 2014).

“You know the boys have played a lot of hockey,” he said. “But at the end of the day, this is where they want to be in the National Hockey League. So all their experiences lead to the National Hockey League.

“To have the first of hopefully many come to fruition, It’s a big day.”

The major objective for Max, on his big day? To prove, at spindly six-foot-one 180 pounds, he has the bulk necessary to stick in the NHL.

So far, so good.

“I definitely tried to show them I’m big enough to play here,” he said. “And that was obviously one of the things I was trying to work on today.

“And hopefully it showed.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668715 Calgary Flames

Game Day: Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche

By VICKI HALL, Calgary HeraldApril 8, 2013 12:04 AM135x42RIVlogo

Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche

(13-20-4) (12-21-5)

7 p.m., Monday, Pepsi Center

TV: Sportsnet Radio: SN 960

THE FLAMES

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

LW SVEN BAERTSCHI

The No. 1 prospect in the organization is back after a soul-searching mission in Abbotsford to find his missing swagger. The Flames would dearly love his reinvigorated confidence to translate to the NHL level.

DEPTH CHART

J. Hudler R. Horak M. Cammalleri

S. Baertschi M. Backlund R. Cervenka A. Tanguay M. Stajan L. Stempniak

T. Jackman M. Reinhart S. Begin

M. Giordano D. Wideman

T.J. Brodie C. Sarich

C. Butler B. Carson M. Kiprusoff

J. MacDonald

THE INJURIES

D Derek Smith (upper body), LW Curtis Glencross (leg), RW Brian McGrattan (shoulder) C Paul Byron (hand)

THE AVALANCHE

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

C RYAN O’REILLY

Somehow managed to get lost in the hoopla surrounding the Jarome Iginla trade on his first visit to Calgary since signing an ill-fated offer-sheet (at least from Jay Feaster’s point of view) with the Flames.

DEPTH CHART

G. Landeskog J. Mitchell C. McLeod

J. McGinn M. Duchene P.A. Parenteau

P. Bordeleau R. O’Reilly B. Malone

M. Olver D. Van Der Gulik A. Palushaj

E. Johnson M. Hunwick

G. Zanon T. Barrie

J. Hejda S. Elliott

S. Varlamov

J.S. Giguere

THE INJURIES

RW Steve Downie (knee), C Paul Stastny (foot), RW Milan Hejduk (shoulder), D Ryan Wilson (ankle), RW Chuck Kobasew (back), RW David Jones (knee)

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Kids on the Scene: Let the rebuild begin. Injuries have paved the way for youngsters Roman Horak, Max Reinhart and Sven Baertschi to work their way into the lineup. And 22-year-old T.J. Brodie is logging the ice-time of a veteran as the coaching staff tries to mould him into top-pairing defenceman. At this point, wins and losses don’t matter nearly as much as the chance to teach — and evaluate — the youngsters in game situations.

2. Only the fourth line by name: Mark Giordano bristled ever so slightly the other night when asked about the performance of the blue-collar trio of Tim Jackman, Steve Begin, and Brian McGrattan. “You can’t call them a fourth line right now with the way they’re playing,” he said. “They’re matching up sometimes against the other team’s top line, and they’re doing a great job. It’s all based on hard work. They’re getting pucks deep. They’re hitting. They’re finishing. They’re getting pucks to the net. It’s pretty to watch.”

3. Don’t go calling him a one-dimensional enforcer: Question is whether the so-called fourth line will keep it going with Brian McGrattan expected to sit out with a shoulder injury suffered Saturday night on a hit by Vancouver forward Dale Weise. He’ll be missed in more ways than one.“I don’t even know if people realize that with how big and tough and scary he is, that Brian is a funny, funny man,” Jackman said. “He says a lot of funny things, and he had the whole penalty box laughing (on Saturday night.).

4. Battle of the Titans (or not): Make no mistake: the major plot line around this game centres on which team will have a better chance at drafting first overall come June. The Flames are riding a five-game losing streak and have somehow dropped 13(!) in a row on the road. The Avs, on the other hand, are coming off a 4-0 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. During the game, Denver Post scribe Adrian Dater (@adater) wrote via Twitter “Avs disgracing the game of hockey again tonight. Just awful performance.”

5. Staying the course: Funny thing is, the Flames likely deserved a better fate Saturday in Vancouver (they ran into a hot goaltender in Cory Schneider) and Friday in San Jose (they ran into a better team.) But the flat-out malaise of last Wednesday’s 8-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers appears to have dissipated. “We just have to keep working,” Begin said. “We’re going to end up winning a game. We’re going to have a break, and it’s all going to go the right direction from there.”

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668716 Calgary Flames

Five questions for the Flames

Staff Report

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:25 PM MDT | Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:33 PM MDT

So how’s that rebuild thing going for you Calgary Flames fans?

Let’s see. No wins since Jarome Iginla has been traded. Most of the games haven’t even been close.

There was that disastrous blowout at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers in the middle of the current five-game losing skid, but at least the last couple of outings weren’t so brutal to watch.

Then again, with the way things are going this season for the Flames, they may as well go big in defeat or don’t bother, eh?

With 11 games remaining in the NHL season, the Flames find themselves in prime position to earn the highest draft pick in the club’s history.

And along the way, fans will get a chance to see more and more young top prospects, with a trio of forwards in Roman Horak, Max Reinhart and 2011 first-round draft choice Sven Baertschi already in the fold.

Will the future draft choices and experience gained by the kids make all this worthwhile?

Only time will tell the answer to that particular question.

But here are five other questions we may find an answer to this week:

1) WHAT CONSTITUTES A 'WINNER' BETWEEN FLAMES AND AVS?

Right now, the Flames are one point ahead of the Avalanche, with the Colorado club holding down last spot in the Western Conference and overall standings.

With a higher draft choice being the only true prize for these teams when the season ends, a victory on the scoreboard really isn’t best for the long-term benefit of either team.

The Avs won two of the three games so far this season, including the last meeting in Denver — the night the Avs erased a three-goal deficit to claim victory.

The Avs weren’t expected to be such a disaster this season, especially with all the young talent they possess, and the temperature is rising around the team. Could you imagine what it would be like in Calgary if the Flames were at the bottom with the likes of Gabe Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly on the roster?

2) WHO'S PLAYING FOR A CONTRACT?

The focus of the Flames is on the youngsters, but there are a bunch of players, mainly veterans, with contracts expiring after this season.

Goalie Joey MacDonald is due to be an unrestricted free agent, defencemen T.J. Brodie and Chris Butler are due to be restricted free agents, while Brett Carson and Anton Babchuk are pending UFAs.

At forward, Mikael Backlund is due to be an RFA, while pending UFAs are Brian McGrattan, Steve Begin and Roman Cervenka.

All the RFAs have shown to be solid pieces this team will need going forward. MacDonald may be brought back depending on what goes down with all the other goalies in the system, while Carson and Babchuk won’t likely return to the fold. McGrattan and Begin may return but can’t be the club’s biggest focuses this off-season.

Cervenka is an interesting study. The team thought it was a coup to bring him from Europe, but he’s had more downs than ups in his first NHL season. If he wants to remain in the NHL, it will require a big commitment on his part and the Flames being willing to give him another shot.

3) WILL THE FLAMES WIN ANOTHER ROAD GAME THIS YEAR?

It’s 13 games and counting since the Flames last tasted victory on the road. What’s scary is only one of those came in extra time and 11 straight defeats have come in regulation time.

The Flames end the season with a difficult four-game road swing and have a Battle of Alberta clash Saturday in Edmonton — and it’s starting to feel like that’s going to be a one-sided series for the next few years.

Probably their best chance for a road win will come in the Monday clash in Denver, against an Avalanche team that’s been awful and not even competitive in many games of late.

It’s hard to imagine a 19-game losing slide to end the season, but it’s a very real possibility.

4) WHY IS THE OFFENCE STRUGGLING SO BADLY?

In the season’s early-going, there was a saving grace in that the Flames were losing games by scores such as 5-4. Hey, at least the games were more entertaining than all those 2-1 defeats in the past couple of years.

The goals haven’t come as easy of late. The Flames have managed just seven lamp-lightings in their last four games.

With the departure of Jarome Iginla, a decrease should have been expected. Plus, with Curtis Glencross on the shelf due to a leg injury, that’s another hit to the offence.

But veterans Michael Cammalleri, Jiri Hudler and Alex Tanguay have gone ice-cold over the past month, nearly to the point of being invisible, while Lee Stempniak — always known as a streaky scorer — has struggled.

A few more goals would be appreciated by the fans, who deserve to see some fun.

5) WILL THIS TEAM PLAY THE ROLE OF SPOILERS?

Three of the games this week are against teams not likely to make the playoffs in the Avs, the Phoenix Coyotes and the Oilers, although the latter two are holding hope a late run will get them in the post-season.

For the Flames, their motivation can be to ruin those teams’ chances, or, in the case of the Vancouver Canucks, make it that much harder for them to claim the Northwest Division title again.

If there was one game the Flames would love most to win, it would likely be against the Oilers. They may as well make their biggest rivals have a miserable finish to the season. The Oilers had that goal against the Flames the past few seasons.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668717 Calgary Flames

Prospects should get look in coming weeks

By WES GILBERTSON ,Calgary Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:15 PM MDT | Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 10:24 PM MDT

The Calgary Flames have insisted they would give youngsters a look at the tail-end of their lost NHL season.

On Saturday, they showed it, summoning 21-year-old centre Max Reinhart — a team-worst minus-25 with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat — for his first nibble of big-league action.

On Sunday, they showed it again, bringing 20-year-old Sven Baertschi — an offensive whiz who struggled with the Flames earlier this season — back to the big leagues.

Baertschi and Reinhart will both be in the Flames’ lineup for Monday’s road meeting with the Colorado Avalanche (7 p.m., Sportsnet West, Sportsnet 960) and will undoubtedly benefit from the opportunity to test themselves against proven pros.

Here are four more up-and-comers we would like to see at the Saddledome before the season is over:

C Ben Street

Age: 26

AHL stats: 173 GP, 54 G, 62 A, 116 P, 54 PIM

NHL stats: 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P,

0 PIM

Contract Status: First season of a two-year, two-way deal

Why me?: The third-year pro had a two-game audition with the Flames earlier this season, and — especially in an organization that’s starving for centres — it makes sense to see more of him. Street has shown he can score in the AHL but deserves an extended opportunity to prove it can translate to the top level. If he gets a call from the Flames and has a strong finish, pencil him in to the lineup for next season.

D Mark Cundari

Age: 22

Measurements: 5-foot-10, 200 lb.

NHL stats: N/A

Acquired: Traded to Flames from St. Louis Blues as part of Jay Bouwmeester deal

Contract Status: Restricted free agent after this season

Why me?: If not for a wrist injury, Cundari might have already made his Flames debut. He won’t have to wait much longer. Cundari won’t scare anybody with his size, but he’s a fearless competitor and has a reputation as one of the AHL’s hardest hitters. He has impressive offensive numbers in the minors, but the Flames need to see that he can be reliable in his own zone.

C/W Greg Nemisz

Age: 22

Measurements: 6-foot-3, 197 lb.

NHL stats: 15 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, 0 PIM

Acquired: Selected by the Flames in the first round, 25th overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft

Contract Status: Restricted free agent after this season

Why me?: It would be easy to label Nemisz a draft bust — he was, after all, selected only three picks after the Edmonton Oilers nabbed Jordan Eberle in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft — but he could have a future as a fourth-liner.

Nemisz is capable of holding his own at all three forward positions and has solid leadership abilities.

He’s not going to be an NHL sniper, but a rebuilding team still needs a checking line.

LW Johnny Gaudreau

Age: 19

Measurements: 5-foot-6, 141 lb.

AHL stats: N/A

NHL stats: N/A

Acquired: Selected by the Flames in the fourth round, 104th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Contract Status: Unsigned, must ink an entry-level deal before turning professional

Why me?: Maybe this is crazy talk, but if the Boston College Eagles sniper is ready to go pro (he hasn’t revealed his decision yet), then why not bring him straight to The Show? His size is a concern, but there are big boys in the AHL, too, and his former linemate Chris Kreider stepped right in for the New York Rangers last spring. If the Hobey Baker Award finalist gets a shot with the Flames, he’ll need a bodyguard.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.08.2013

668718 Calgary Flames

Project: Draft 2013 for Flames

By Scott Mitchell ,Calgary Sun

First posted: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:22 AM MDT | Updated: Sunday, April 07, 2013 11:39 AM MDT

At this point, it's something you're as likely to see on HGTV as you are on TSN.

The Calgary Flames have torn down the drywall, moved around some framing, and now they're working on a new blueprint.

The project might seem like a little much for even the most experienced do-it-yourselfers.

Flames GM Jay Feaster knows this renovation can't go awry and it begins in earnest June 30 at the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“This (draft) will be the one that, 10 years from now, people will talk about and say either we got this right or 'holy cow,' ” Feaster said Wednesday during a radio interview with the Fan960 about an hour after the trade deadline came and went.

There's no doubt, it's a crucial draft.

With three first round picks to play with — and nine picks overall — Feaster will be a popular man in the Garden State.

He'll have the ability to move up and move down, but the one way he can't go is sideways.

With less than a month to go in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, exactly what chips Feaster, assistant GM of player personnel John Weisbrod and director of amateur scouting Tod Button have to play in Newark are yet to be determined.

Their own pick could be in the top five, putting them in position to possibly add one of Seth Jones, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin or Aleksander Barkov, the consensus top four available.

“I was in Boston for the Taylor Hall-Tyler Seguin draft, where it feels like a two-horse race and it's just a matter of what the order is and now you define those two players,” Weisbrod said. “And then there are other drafts, where you can throw a blanket over six or seven names. I think this draft is closer to the latter. There are five or six names, in my mind, that could still conceivably be worthy of first-pick consideration. The comfort of that is, even picking at No. 5 or No. 6, a team can feel comfortable that they'll get a very, very high calibre player, and that's not always the case.”

The St. Louis Blues first-round pick, acquired for Jay Bouwmeester, is conditional based on the Blues making the playoffs this season. If they don't, it turns into a 2014 first rounder and the Blues will also ship a 2013 fourth rounder to Calgary.

If the Blues make the playoff dance, the Flames could end up exercising that pick as high as No. 15 or as low as No. 30.

The Penguins pick, which isn't conditional, is in the same boat.

Weisbrod says the depth of this year's draft played a role in the organization's recent moves.

“There's no getting around the fact you can't sustain excellence in the NHL without drafting well,” Weisbrod said. “The draft is of the utmost importance every year, but obviously this is a year that was chosen to move some players to acquire picks, and to some degree, that was based on the strength of this year's draft.

“I consider this draft to be a really deep one,” added Weisbrod, who spent close to five years in the Bruins' scouting department before joining the Flames in 2011. “And usually what that depth means, is that depth shows up starting in the latter part of round one and carries as far as the middle of round three. Sometimes it's very clear that there's a cliff in the middle of round two, where at that point, you're looking at a completely different calibre of player.

“I think you'll have players go in the early part of round three this year, that in in a different year, might have gone in the early second or late first.”

Feaster shipped his 2013 second-rounder to the Montreal Canadiens in the Michael Cammalleri trade, but there are ways to recoup that pick, and Weisbrod talked about the potential to move up and down the draft board, similar to last year's moves that netted the Flames Mark Jankowski at No. 21 and Patrick Sieloff at No. 42, after finding a willing trade partner in the Buffalo Sabres and moving down from No. 14.

“I think so,” Weisbrod said when asked if they'll potentially be looking to move back. “Those moves will depend on where we finally stand when we evaluate the late first and early second and even into the third.

“We, obviously, did that last year and regained our second-round pick.”

Wednesday's deal that shipped Blake Comeau to the Columbus Blue Jackets gives the Flames a fifth-round pick, as they dealt their own to the Washington Capitals last summer for the rights to Dennis Wideman.

They also have two seventh-rounders thanks to the Henrik Karlsson trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Weisbrod doesn't discount late selections, even though they're obviously tougher to hit on.

“If you look, statistically and historically, at the teams that have been really successful drafting teams — the New Jerseys and Detroits and Dallas — the separating factor is that they nail a pick in round four or five or six or seven, and teams that are less successful don't do that,” Weisbrod said. “I consider late picks to be a really good indicator as to how thorough and complete a job you're doing as a staff and we put a lot of value on those picks.”

With only two regulars on the current Flames roster — Mikael Backlund and T.J. Brodie — produced via the draft, there's nowhere to go but up.

scott.mitchell@sunmedia.ca

www.twitter.com/SUNMitchell

Sure, the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is still 84 days away, but it's never too early to take a look at how the first round might shake down. The standings and draft order will change over the next two and a half months, but many of the names will remain the same.

Here's an April look at this year's draft using the standings as of Friday, April 5.

1.Colorado Avalanche — D Seth Jones, Portland Winterhawks (WHL), 6-foot-4, 205 lb.

The stars align for the Avs. He's the top player on the board and the need matches up, as well.

2.Florida Panthers — C Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 6-foot, 180 lb.

He'll team with fellow QMJHLer Jonathan Huberdeau for the next decade in the Sunshine State.

3.Calgary Flames — C Aleksander Barkov, Tappara (Finland), 6-foot-2, 205 lb.

Passing on a dynamic winger for a potential franchise centre in the Evgeni Malkin mould.

4.Tampa Bay Lightning — LW Jonathan Drouin, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 5-foot-11, 175 lb.

Vinny and Marty aren't getting any younger. Here's Steven Stamkos' new running-mate.

5.Carolina Hurricanes — LW Valeri Nichushkin, Chelyabinsk Traktor (KHL), 6-foot-3, 175 lb.

'Canes have talent up front, but they would have trouble passing on a guy who could be in mix at No. 2.

6.Dallas Stars — C Sean Monahan, Ottawa 67s (OHL), 6-foot-2, 186 lb.

Big pivot could play second fiddle to Jamie Benn for years to come. Offensive game developing.

7.Buffalo Sabres — D Darnell Nurse, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL), 6-foot-4, 185 lb.

Lanky rearguard has some offensive upside and a mean streak. Plus, he's from up the road in Hamilton.