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Calgary Flames Place Freddie Hamilton On Waivers

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The waiver wire has just one name on it today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, and that name is Freddie Hamilton of the Calgary Flames. It’s an interesting move for the Flames, who only recently recalled the waiver-exempt Andrew Mangiapane when Michael Frolik was placed on injured reserve.

Hamilton, who has only played eight games for the Flames, has been waived twice now this season, originally clearing in early November. He was never assigned to the minor leagues that time, as the Flames waived and demoted Tanner Glass just a few days later instead. On this occasion, Hamilton might not be as safe. Though Mangiapane only played a bit over seven minutes in his debut, the 21-year old is a dynamic offensive player that could work his way into a higher spot in the lineup, similar to the path Mark Jankowski has taken this season.

Hamilton, the older brother of teammate Dougie Hamilton, now has just six points in 67 career NHL games despite a tag of being an offensive player himself when working his way through the system. He’s rarely been given the chance to show that offense at the NHL level, and will have to re-establish himself at the AHL level should he clear and be sent to the Stockton Heat.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Greenway, Parsons

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The NHL named it’s Three Stars of the Month for December today, honoring Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask as the First Star, Islanders surprise scorer Josh Bailey as the Second Star, and Tampa Bay dynamo Nikita Kucherov as the Third Star. All three were immensely successful this month and bear watching as the season continues.

The Bruins were on fire in December, posting a 10-2-2 record and are currently on an eight-game streak without a loss. After early season struggles, Rask was a major part of that success, recording an impeccable .955 save percentage and 1.22 goals against average. Rask allowed more than two goals only once in his eleven appearances and posted two shutouts one either end of December. After that performance, Rask has joined some of the league’s best goalies this season with a top-five GAA and top-ten SV%. The 2014 Vezina winner and the holder of the best career save percentage in NHL history (.923), Rask looked more like his elite self this past month than he has in two years.

Meanwhile, there’s no similar history that could have predicted this surge from Bailey. The long-time Islander had a career-high 56 points last season, but is already only six points away from matching it in 2017-18 and on pace for over 100 points. Bailey’s 50 points trails only Kucherov in the NHL and his 38 assists are tops in the league, feeding his talented linemates John Tavares and Anders Lee. In December alone, Bailey led the league with 22 points, including seven multi-point games and an 11-game point streak. Bailey’s breakout has been great for the Isles, but will be even better for the 28-year-old who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Kucherov’s nod is less of a surprise; the Lightning sniper is well-known as one of the league’s best players. Kucherov has an NHL-best 25 goals and 56 points already this season. After posting a career high 85 points in 2016-17, he’ll easily leave that mark in the dust and could flirt with 120 points this year. The early Hart favorite found the score sheet in all but one contest in December as the Bolts went 11-2-0 and continued to dominate the league. The ceiling is the roof for the uber-talented Russian forward and his Tampa Bay teammates this season.

  • Another player to keep an eye on in the coming months is Minnesota Wild prospect and recently-named member of the U.S. Olympic team Jordan Greenway. As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan writes today, when Greenway suits up in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, he will do so as the first ever African-American on the U.S. men’s hockey team. In the 98-year history of the men’s hockey tournament, Greenway is the first to don the red, white, and blue – a major step for the inclusiveness of the game. Of course, Jarome Iginla played for Canada in multiple Olympic Games and P.K. Subban made an appearance as well, but no African-American has had the same opportunity for the U.S.A. The big Boston University forward has represented the U.S. on the international stage before at several junior tournaments, but the Olympics are a whole other level. This could just be the beginning for the talented winger as well. By all accounts, Dustin Byfuglien is the best American-born African American in NHL history, with former grinder Mike Grier likely next in line and a ways behind. By the end of his promising pro career, Greenway could be known as the best American-born African-American in NHL history. He gets his start on the big stage in a matter of weeks.
  • One last guy to keep an eye out for is young Calgary Flames keeper Tyler Parsons. The Flames’ recent acquisition of New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout was not-so-secretly more about ridding themselves of goalie Eddie Lack as it was bringing in an asset. Having solved their logjam in net, Calgary was finally able to promote their 2016 second-round pick from the AHL today, per the ECHL transactions page. The 20-year-old Parsons has been buried since turning pro late last season after leading the United States to a World Junior Championship title. Parsons’ path to the NHL is not without roadblocks remaining though; he still has to prove that he is the heir apparent to veteran Mike Smith by outperforming current big-league backup David Rittich and AHL competition Jon Gillies and Mason McDonald, all of whom are 25 or younger and very well regarded.

Flames Sign Matthew Phillips

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The Flames announced that they have signed prospect forward Matthew Phillips to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  Phillips was Calgary’s sixth-round pick (166th overall) back in the 2016 draft.  Since being selected, the diminutive forward has been a dominant scorer at the junior level, recording a 50-goal season last year while putting up 59 points in just 39 games so far in 2017-18.  The timing of this announcement is noteworthy.  Today was the last day that the Flames could sign Phillips and still have the contract slide a year (so that it won’t begin until 2018-19).  That will result in Phillips’ cap hit ultimately being lower than it is currently as his signing bonus that he receives today won’t count against his cap hit next season.

Calgary Places Frolik On IR, Recalls Mangiapane

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1:35: Postmedia’s Kristen Odlund tweets that the prognosis for Frolik is he will be out four to six weeks.

12:29: The Calgary Flames already knew it was coming when winger Michael Frolik suffered a fractured jaw while trying to block a shot by San Jose’s Brent Burns in Thursday’s game. However, Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweets the team finally placed the 29-year-old on injured reserve today after he underwent surgery Saturday night to repair his broken jaw.

While no timetable has been discussed, Frolik is expected to miss multiple weeks as he recovers from the surgery. His offense had been down a bit this season as he has just seven goals and eight assists through 37 games, but has been playing on the team’s second line most of the season. He had 17 goals and 44 points last season.

The team did recall their AHL’s top scorer as the team promoted Andrew Mangiapane Sunday to replace Frolik. A former sixth-round pick in 2015, the 21-year-old has thrived in the AHL in two seasons, and currently leads the Stockton Heat with 14 goals and 19 assists, which is on pace for a bigger season than his 20-goal output with Stockton last year. Mangiapane is expected to be inserted into the Flames lineup immediately and is expected to play on the team’s fourth line in tonight’s matchup against Chicago.

Who Is On Pace To Score 60 Points In 2017-18?

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In 2016-17, only 42 NHLers hit the 60-point benchmark for the season. It was the lowest total since the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season (obviously), when only Martin St. Louis notched sixty, and down eleven from the 53 players who hit the mark two years earlier in 2014-15. However, with scoring up this season in the NHL, will the league increase it’s number of top scorers? Or will a greater depth and distribution of talent continue to limit players from reaching the high numbers of yesteryear?

As of now, with the 2017 segment of the season about to close, here are the players on pace for 60 points in 2017-18:

  1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 54 points in 37 games, Projection: 120 points
  2. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 48 points in 37 games, Projection: 107 points
  3. John Tavares, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  4. Josh Bailey, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  5. Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  6. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  7. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 45 points in 38 games, Projection: 97 points
  8. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 43 points in 37 games, Projection: 95 points
  9. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 44 points in 39 games, Projection: 93 points
  10. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames – Currently: 41 points in 38 games, Projection: 89 points
  11. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 41 points in 39 games, Projection: 86 points
  12. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals – Currently: 41 points in 40 games, Projection: 84 points
  13. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 40 points in 39 games, Projection: 84 points
  14. Anders Lee, New York Islanders – Currently: 39 points in 38 games, Projection: 84 points
  15. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks – Currently: 38 points in 37 games, Projection: 84 points
  16. Brock Boeser*, Vancouver Canucks – Currently: 38 points in 36 games, Projection: 84 points
  17. Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 41 points in 41 games, Projection: 82 points
  18. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins – Currently: 32 points in 29 games, Projection: 82 points
  19. Jon Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 34 points in 33 games, Projection: 81 points
  20. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals – Currently: 39 points in 40 games, Projection: 80 points
  21. Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils – Currently: 36 points in 36 games, Projection: 80 points
  22. Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  23. Vincent Trocheck, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  24. Mathew Barzal*, New York Islanders – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  25. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  26. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 35 games, Projection: 78 points
  27. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 38 points in 41 games, Projection: 76 points
  28. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 35 points in 38 games, Projection: 75 points
  29. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  30. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  31. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  32. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  33. Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  34. David Perron, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 30 games, Projection: 74 points
  35. Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 34 points in 38 games, Projection: 73 points
  36. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  37. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  38. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 32 points in 34 games, Projection: 73 points
  39. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 29 games, Projection: 72 points
  40. Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  41. Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  42. Vlad Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 32 points in 37 games, Projection: 71 points
  43. Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild – Currently: 33 points in 39 games, Projection: 70 points
  44. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 18 points in 15 games, Projection: 70 points
  45. Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames – Currently: 32 points in 38 games, Projection: 69 points
  46. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings – Currently: 31 points in 37 games, Projection: 69 points
  47. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars – Currently: 32 points in 39 games, Projection: 67 points
  48. William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 36 games, Projection: 66 points
  49. Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 28 points in 33 games, Projection: 66 points
  50. Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 29 points in 35 games, Projection: 66 points
  51. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  52. Alexander Radulov, Dallas Stars – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  53. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  54. Clayton Keller*, Arizona Coyotes – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  55. John Carlson, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  56. Reilly Smith, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 28 points in 36 games, Projection: 64 points
  57. Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 30 points in 39 games, Projection: 63 points
  58. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  59. Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  60. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  61. Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  62. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  63. James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 62 points
  64. Kyle Turris, Nashville Predators – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 62 points
  65. Danton Heinen*, Boston Bruins – Currently: 26 points in 33 games, Projection: 62 points
  66. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  67. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  68. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  69. Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders – Currently: 28 points in 38 games, Projection: 61 points
  70. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks – Currently: 26 points in 35 games, Projection: 61 points
  71. Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild – 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  72. Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  73. Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 61 points
  74. Erik Haula, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 61 points
  75. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 37 games, Projection: 60 points
  76. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins- Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points
  77. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points

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New Jersey Trades Dalton Prout to Calgary

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The New Jersey Devils and the Calgary Flames have completed a trade as the Devils have sent defenseman Dalton Prout to Calgary for goaltender Eddie Lack, according to the New Jersey Devils.

Prout, who cleared waivers on Friday, will report to Stockton of the AHL, according to Elliotte Friedman. The Devils had been carrying nine defenseman and had to move on from the 27-year-old, who had only played four games for the team this year.

“Dalton is a guy we’re familiar with,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said via Postmedia’s Kristen Odlund. “He hasn’t played a whole lot lately. He’s spent his career in Columbus and was traded to Jersey at the deadline last year. With him getting through waivers that allows him to get up to Stockton and get going.”

Lack will be assigned to the Binghampton Devils. He struggled with Calgary after being acquired in the offseason from the Carolina in limited time as the team’s backup to Mike Smith. He had a 5.29 GAA and a .813 save percentage in five appearances before being placed on waivers on Nov. 23. He cleared waivers the following day and was assigned to Stockton, while youngster David Rittich replaced him in Calgary and played well. The 29-year-old Lack did show some improvement in Stockton as he had a 2.57 GAA and a .916 save percentage with the AHL team.

Prout’s deal has a $1.58MM cap hit, while Lack has a $1.38MM cap hit, which will force Calgary to eat $200K, according to Ryan Pike of FlamesNation.ca. One major reason why Calgary moved on from Lack was because the Flames wanted to promote 2016 second-rounder Tyler Parsons to the AHL from the ECHL. The prospect goaltender had a 3.08 and a .907 save percentage in 11 games this year.

“This gave us an opportunity to give Eddie an opportunity elsewhere. David (Rittich) has played well,” Treliving said via Odlund. “Jon Gillies is playing well in Stockton. This will open up a spot for Tyler Parsons (at the #AHL level).”

Injury Notes: Blackhawks, Coyotes, Flames

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While the most notable injury concern for Chicago is and will continue to be goaltender Corey Crawford, the struggling Blackhawks made other health-related transactions today. The team announced that defenseman Cody Franson, out since early December with an upper-body injury, has been activated and, in a corresponding move, forward Artem Anisimov has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body issue of his own. While Franson will be a welcome addition to the blue line, the long-term loss of Anisimov will be felt much more. The Blackhawks have struggled on offense this season; they are a middling team in goal-scoring and one of the league’s worst power play producers. Forward depth, particularly down the middle, has been a cause for concern and that was prior to Anisimov’s absence. Although ten points behind the Nashville Predators in the Central Division, Chicago is not that far out from the Western playoff picture. However, that could change if the extended sidelining of Anisimov leads to even greater issues on offense on top of the already serious situation in net.

  • Although severely strapped for cap space, the Blackhawks are certainly looking around for ways to bring some depth into the fold. One option that can be cast aside for now is veteran Arizona Coyotes winger Brad Richardson. CapFriendly reports that Richardson has been placed on injured reserve after  he was forced out of the ’Yotes game against the Colorado Avalanche last Saturday with an upper-body injury. As the worst team in the NHL currently, Arizona is surely welcoming offers for their impending unrestricted free agents (and then some). It’s not a long list of soon-to-be-departing players, but the useful, two-way forward Richardson is at the top. His injury history could definitely scare away some suitors though and the Coyotes may have a tough time moving him until he has returned to full strength following his stay on IR.
  • There’s finally an update on the condition of Michael Frolik after the dependable forward took a shot to the face early in Calgary’s game against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, but it’s not what Flames fans were hoping to hear. Frolik left the game and did not return and, as it turns out, the shot fractured his jaw and knocked out several teeth. While he has yet to be formally placed on the injured reserve, head coach Glen Gulutzan opined that Frolik was “week-to-week” with no time table for a return. Frolik’s absence will have major repercussions on the lineup, not only due to the underrated winger’s ability, but also the team’s dire lack of right wingers. The forward lines are set to undergo major changes until Frolik is healthy enough to return to action.

Veteran Free Agent Contracts Not Working Out Well In 2017-18

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There is no doubt that the game of hockey is getting faster and, as a result, younger. Yet, in 2016-17 that didn’t stop 44-year-old ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr from outscoring his age, 40-year-old Matt Cullen and 37-year-old Chris Kunitz from contributing to a second straight Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup title, 39-year-old Zdeno Chara from skating in more than 23 minutes per game, or 36-year-old Henrik Zetterberg and 37-year-old Joe Thornton from finishing among the league’s best in assists. Several teams who witnessed the impact that older players had on their teams last year went out and signed older free agents this summer in hopes of a repeat performance. It hasn’t happened for most of those teams. The majority of players age 36 and older who signed with new teams this off-season have struggled to meet expectations.

Jagr, of course, is the poster boy of the anti-youth movement. The 28-year NHL veteran has somehow remained consistent throughout his career even into his mid-40’s, but despite a 46-point campaign last year, got little attention this summer and it looked like his illustrious career was over. However, the Calgary Flames swooped in at the last minute, signing Jagr to a one-year deal in early October. At $2MM for the year, it was a low-risk, high-upside singing. Yet, through 36 games, that upside has not shown up. Jagr has only been healthy for 19 games, in which he has only one goal and six assists. Even if Jagr was magically healthy for each of the Flames remaining games this season, he would be on pace for a career-worst 24 points. It seems that Jagr’s days are finally done.

He’s not alone though. The Penguins aging role players also decided to leave Pittsburgh this off-season, with Cullen heading home to Minnesota to join the Wild and Kunitz chasing a fourth Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both players have been nothing short of a disappointment so far. Cullen, who was a major contributor to the Pens’ success last year as a dependable checking center and 30-point scorer. So far with the Wild, Cullen has been a non-factor offensively (7 points) and defensively (team worst -11) through 35 games and was even a healthy scratch earlier this month. Despite the incredible talent around him, Kunitz has just 10 points this season, a pace which is a far cry from his recent back-to-back 40-point seasons.

Who else is on the list? Defenseman Mark Streit was a complete disaster in Montreal, released by the Canadiens after just two games. Journeyman goalie Michael Leighton hasn’t done much better, already on his third team in 2017-18 and without an NHL appearance thus far. Despite the time-tested theory that Radim Vrbata always performs his best in Arizona, the aging scorer bolted the Coyotes for the Florida Panthers, who so far have only received 12 points and 29 games from the signing.

The jury is still out on a few veterans. Francois Beauchemin returned home to Anaheim this summer and many expected him to improve his game back on a familiar roster. While Beauchemin’s 7 points through 30 games pale in comparison to the better seasons of his career, it’s similar to the production he showed last year with the Colorado Avalanche. With the Ducks struggling as a team, it seems fair that Beauchemin’s play has also been a bit lacking. That hasn’t been the case for Ryan Miller, another aging addition in Anaheim. His .928 save percentage and 2.23 GAA has been very good. However, Miller has only gotten the win in four of his ten appearances and missed much of the early season due to injury. Miller has performed better than the rest of his team, but had he been healthy it may have reversed the Ducks’ fortunes early on. Matt Hendricks has already matched his point total with the Edmonton Oilers last season now with the Winnipeg Jets last season. He’s playing a valued energy role and the Jets likely don’t have many gripes. With that said, Hendricks needed only seven points to match that total from a down year in 2016-17 and has a been playing a less-physical game than he has in the past. Hendricks hasn’t been bad, but Winnipeg would undoubtedly rather see 2014-15 Hendricks, who posted 16 points and 220 hits.

The one team who has had great success with veteran signings in 2017-18 is the Toronto Maple Leafs. San Jose Sharks legend Patrick Marleau chose to sign in Toronto, leaving the only team he had ever played for, but the Leafs had to give him three years and $18.75MM to get it done. So far, it hasn’t been a bad investment. Marleau has 19 points in all 36 games, including 12 goals, and the 38-year-old should easily reach 40 points for the 18th time in his career. However, the real breakout veteran performance has been from the 36-year-old Ron Hainsey, whose signing was initially panned by many. Yet, Hainsey is on pace for one of, if not the best offensive campaigns of his career with 15 points so far. Forming a dynamic duo with Morgan Rielly, Hainsey seems rejuvenated late in his career and it has shown in an improvement on Toronto’s back end. But even the Leafs weren’t perfect though; the signing of Dominic Moore has been a disappointment. Moore has only nine points and has been a frequent scratch after a season with the division rival Boston Bruins in which he put up 25 points and played in all 82 games.

The NHL has been an increasingly difficult place for mediocre older players to find work. There has been a movement toward younger rosters, with veterans settling for minimum contracts, tryouts, or simply heading to Europe. Yet, exceptions continue to be made, especially for some talented older players. After the results this elderly free agent group has shown, veteran signings – especially those demanding big money and term – will surely become even less frequent.

Rasmus Andersson Sent Back To Stockton

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  • Rasmus Andersson’s stint with Calgary lasted all of one day as he has been sent back to Stockton of the AHL, per a team release. The Flames are the lone team not in action today so his services won’t be needed until December 28th at the earliest.  Andersson did not dress for yesterday’s game against Montreal which means he was up only in case someone was injured in the warmup.  With 16 points in only 22 minor league games, the 21-year-old will likely get another look with the big club at some point this season.

Calgary Flames Place Hamonic On IR, Recall Andersson

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After leaving Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues with a lower-body injury, Calgary Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic has been placed on injured reserve. The team has recalled Rasmus Andersson in his place.

Hamonic had already been ruled out of today’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, and since the Flames don’t play again until the 28th, he’ll be eligible to return. Still, groin injuries can often linger and there is no guarantee he returns just after Christmas. In the mean time, Andersson will get a chance to try and get into the Flames lineup. The 21-year old is having quite the year for the Stockton Heat of the AHL, recording 16 points in 22 games and generally showing why Calgary took him in the second round.

The Flames are sitting fourth in the Pacific Division, but things haven’t gone exactly as planned this season. Their offensive game has been absent at times outside of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, and the defense corps hasn’t gelled exactly as planned. While they are at 18-14-3 and just nine points out of first place in the Pacific, they’ll be in tough to secure a wildcard spot against the impressive Central.

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