Saturday: Fleury has been returned to AHL Coachella Valley, per a team announcement.
Friday: The Seattle Kraken have recalled defenseman Cale Fleury on an emergency loan (Twitter link). It’s Fleury’s third call up of April, with each prior recall being followed by an assignment on the subsequent day. The ring of trips to-and-from the minors has held Fleury to just one game since March 28th – an April 4th win in the AHL where Fleury recorded one assist.
Despite six recalls this season, Fleury has yet to play in the NHL this year. He’s instead spent all 61 games of his season with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, recording six goals, 33 points, 20 penalty minutes, and a +27. The scoring matches Fleury’s total from last season, though he played in three fewer games.
Fleury is now in his sixth professional season, making his debut with the Laval Rocket in the 2018-19 season, after Montreal selected him in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He was Seattle’s selection from Montreal in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, re-signing with the team in each of the last three summers. The two-year deal he signed this summer was his first multi-year contract since signing his entry-level contract in 2018.
Fleury will be competing with healthy scratch Justin Schultz and rookie Ryker Evans for Seattle’s final lineup spot. Evans has just eight points through 29 games this season, while Schultz has managed 22 in 63 games. And while Fleury likely sits outside of a lineup spot, the Kraken have just seven games left in their season and sit 16 points behind the Western Conference’s second Wild Card – setting up the perfect time for the team to test out young or inexperienced players like Fleury.
I assume Dunn must be out again because I think they’ve already used their four designated call-up slots so this would be a “emergency”.