Flames Looking To Add Center Depth

The Flames’ 4-0-0 start to the 2024-25 season is unexpected, to say the least. After finishing 24th in the NHL last year, many expect them (and still do) to drop further down the standings now that they’ve firmly cemented themselves in teardown mode, trading away a pair of key pieces in Andrew Mangiapane and Jacob Markström this past summer.

But that hot start has created a renewed sense of optimism in Calgary for a few reasons. One is Jonathan Huberdeau, who’s in the second year of an eight-year, $84MM extension that looked like an albatross after he failed to hit 20 goals or 60 points in each of his first two seasons with the Flames. He’s on fire out of the gate, recording three goals and three assists for six points in four appearances and is averaging 18:40 per game, his heaviest usage since arriving in Calgary.

The other is the play of 23-year-old Dustin Wolf. He’s arguably the sport’s top goaltending prospect, and he was always going to be the biggest storyline in Calgary this season. While he’s split starts evenly with Daniel Vladař thus far, he’s been the far superior option with a .944 SV%, 2.02 GAA, and 3.5 GSAA.

Their performances and flawless record so far have Flames general manager Craig Conroy considering restocking the cupboard instead of continuing to sell off pieces in a retool. A middle-six center is high on the list of desires, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said Thursday.

There’s not usually much trade activity to start a season, but I’m told Flames GM Craig Conroy has been working the phones in recent days to try and find a center to add to the Calgary Flames in their middle six, preferably someone that fits their age scheme… and a right-shooting center, at that. 

The Flames have multiple injuries up front at the moment, but only one plays center: depth piece Kevin Rooney. Captain Mikael Backlund and sophomore Martin Pospisil have anchored Calgary’s second and third lines to start the year behind Nazem Kadri on line one. Veteran AHLer Justin Kirkland has done well filling in for Rooney in fourth-line duties since he landed on IR last week.

While Backlund is still an excellent, defensively responsible pivot and more than capable of centering a second line, his offensive numbers dipped sharply to just 39 points in 82 games last year. For a 35-year-old, there isn’t much hope for a rebound. Pospisil is a natural center with a goal and four assists thus far, but he struggles to win draws with just a 44.1% career win rate through 67 NHL appearances. He was primarily utilized on the wing last season and would likely shift back there should Conroy accomplish his goal.

But while Calgary may be signaling the end of their brief retool on the backs of a resurgent Huberdeau and strong showings from youngsters like Pospisil, Wolf, and Connor Zary, they haven’t done nearly enough to put themselves firmly in buyer territory. That means Conroy pursuing the usual crop of pending UFA pivots who are likely to be trade deadline rentals doesn’t make much sense – nor would a pending UFA fit the “age scheme” Seravalli referred to.

That means he’s likely willing to pay a bit more for a younger center with term (or at least a few years of team control), assumingly one with more offensive upside than either Backlund or Pospisil project to offer at this stage. Could that come from a divisional rival like the Ducks, who still have Trevor Zegras to offer after he was embroiled in trade rumors for most of the summer? He’s a left-shot, but at 23 years old, he fits Calgary’s likely timeline for a return to playoff contention. After dealing with injuries for much of last season, he has two points through three games this year and is under contract through next season at a $5.75MM cap hit.

Over in the East, there’s a more expensive and, at this stage, riskier option likely available, but he checks all of Conroy’s reported boxes as a right shot. Like Zegras, checking in at 23 is Sabres pivot Dylan Cozens, who’s struggled to do much of anything in 2024-25. The 2019 seventh-overall pick has just one assist and a -3 rating in six appearances under head coach Lindy Ruff.

Cozens signed a seven-year, $49.7MM extension midway through a breakout 2022-23 campaign that saw him record 31 goals and 37 assists for 68 points in 81 games, finishing fifth on Buffalo in scoring. But last season, the first one covered by that extension, he regressed to 18 goals and 47 points in 79 games. If the start of his season is any indication, he may see his total output drop by another magnitude in 2024-25.

There’s legitimate upside, but a $7.1MM cap hit through the end of the decade is an incredibly risky bet for a team that’s arguably making a snap judgment about their future over a week-and-a-half hot stretch. Realistically, things still need to play out until Conroy makes notable swaps.