Ramo was not re-signed by Calgary after three years with the club during which he showed flashes of talent, but was mostly inconsistent and disappointing. After a five-year hiatus from the NHL prior to joining Calgary, the 30-year-old had a much better run in his second crack at the NHL, yet the bottom line is that Ramo is not a starting-caliber netminder in the NHL. Teams looking to rotate goalies may find Ramo to be an attractive option, but he may fashion himself as a No. 1 starter, which impedes his job prospects.
In 2014-15, Ramo and Jonas Hiller combined to give the Flames solid enough goaltending to get to the postseason. And by the end of the playoffs, it was Ramo -- and not Hiller -- between the pipes. He earned two wins and coach Bob Hartley’s confidence, and that could give him a leg up on the No. 1 gig come training camp. Unfortunately, the Flames' net is further choked by the inclusion of Joni Ortio, whose one-way contract this season will make him a factor in the competition. Who will win the job? Hiller's greater NHL experience might be enough for him to capture the opening night start if all other things are equal during training camp, but his hold on the top spot will be tenuous at best. Ramo should quickly play his way into a platoon and may even be the top dog when the calendar turns. But for as decent of a combination as Ramo and Hiller project to be, neither man will afford fantasy owners with the kind of production needed to make either a major asset in net.
Ramo didn't have terrific numbers last season, finishing with a 17-15-4 record and a 2.65 goals against average, but found more consistency toward the end of the year. With the signing of Jonas Hiller, however, Ramo will have to seriously improve his play in his second full year in the NHL to be the clear-cut No. 1 in Calgary. Odds are on Hiller to take the starting spot, but Ramo could get a solid share of starts as the Flames showed last year they aren't afraid to use two goalies on a regular basis.
Ramo is thought to be the front-runner in the race to replace Miikka Kiprusoff as the No. 1 goaltender in Calgary. Ramo has dominated in the KHL with three sub-2.00 goals against average seasons in the last four years. He certainly has the potential to win the No. 1 spot, but may find life tough in Calgary, what with a young squad and an even younger defensive corps in front of him, all while adjusting to the NHL ice size. Ramo has the potential to be a good fantasy goalie in the future, but 2013-14 is probably not going to be that year with a rebuilding Calgary team.
Ramo is currently playing in the KHL.
Unhappy with his playing time, Ramo signed to play in the KHL this season. He's a decent talent and his rights still belong to the Bolts. But with Riku Helenius and Dustin Tokarski in the chute, Ramo's stock will likely slip off the edge. Drop him if you're holding him on your keeper squad.
Ramo delivered a 7-11-3 record with a .892 save percentage in the NHL last season. He still needs work as evidenced by the number of holes in his game. And he'll be given a full year in the AHL (as the starter) to work out the kinks and crap.
Ramo is yet another product of the Finnish goaltending machine but we're not sure he's as sound as some of the more recent guys to emerge from there. His upside may only be as a backstop to someone more talented but he could easily prove us wrong.
