Snapshots: Flames, Ryan, McKeown

The Calgary Flames have had an offseason for the ages, going from the lows of losing both Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk to the highs of adding Jonathan Huberdeau (and extending him), Mackenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri. It’s been evident from these moves that despite his early summer predicament GM Brad Treliving had no plans on putting the brakes on the Flames’ Stanley Cup hopes, and it seems that the Flames are still attempting to improve their competitive chances, even this late into August.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his 32 Thoughts Podcast that he believes that the Flames are “going to add another forward,” and names free agent Evan Rodrigues as a specific name to watch. Rodrigues, whose free agency we profiled last month, is coming off of a strong platform season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The versatile 29-year-old forward scored 19 goals and 43 points last season and could be a fit in Calgary on the team’s third line, especially if they don’t view top prospect Jakob Pelletier as being ready for immediate top-nine duty.

Now, for some other notes from across the world of hockey:

•  The Canadian National Women’s team won gold at the 2021 IIHF World Championships, and at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and today Hockey Canada announced that they’re retaining the coach who helped that happen. Per the announcement, coach Troy Ryan has signed an extension to remain the team’s coach through the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Ryan’s time as the team’s bench boss has been largely successful, making this decision an easy one for all parties involved.
• Today the Philadelphia Flyers announced the hire of Ian McKeown to the newly created position of Vice President, Athlete Performance and Wellness. The Flyers state that in this new role, McKeown will “establish and oversee a comprehensive and coordinated health and wellness program for all players within the Flyers organization.” The health of Flyers players has been one of the numerous issues plaguing the team in recent years, so adding a new face in order to specifically address that issue is a good start for Philadelphia. The Flyers are desperate to return to contention after two difficult seasons, and a renewed focus on player health and wellness can do nothing but help them in that pursuit.