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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Calgary Flames

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on.

What are the Flames most thankful for?

Calgary finds themselves fortunate enough to boast one of the top and well-balanced defense corps in the NHL.  They have a strong mix of offensive upside, physicality, mobility, and pretty much everything in between while also being able to carry an established top-four blueliner on their third pairing in Michael Stone.  While there are plenty of teams looking for help on the back end, the Flames should be quite pleased with the group they have.  (And looking to the future, they’re well-stocked at that position in terms of prospects as well.)

Who are the Flames most thankful for?

Nov 13, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goalie Mike Smith (41) guards his net against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsBeyond the blueline, they certainly have to be thankful for their new number one goaltender in Mike Smith.  One of the bigger challenges Calgary has had in recent years has been quality netminding from their starters.  Smith, at least so far, has changed that.  He boasts a .921 SV% through his first 16 starts in 2017-18.  To put that in some perspective, the last number one goalie in Calgary to finish with a save percentage that high was Miikka Kiprusoff back in 2011-12.  If Smith can maintain this level of play over the rest of the season, the Flames should find themselves nicely in the playoff picture.

Winger Johnny Gaudreau is someone that Calgary is certainly thankful for.  He has gone from a mid-round pick (fourth round, 104th overall in 2011) to a legitimate star pretty quickly and has taken his game to a whole new level so far this season.  Through 18 games, he has 26 points, good for sole possession of third overall in league scoring.

[Related: Flames Depth Chart from Roster Resource]

What would the Flames be even more thankful for?

Troy Brouwer living up to his contract.  Quite frankly, he hasn’t come close yet.  He quickly signed in free agency back in 2016, inking a four-year, $18MM deal with a full no-trade clause in the first two seasons.  So far, he has rewarded that with just 28 points in 92 games, including no goals and three assists in 18 contests this season.  Brouwer has shown himself to be capable of being a capable secondary scorer and if he can get back to that form, Calgary’s attack will be quite a bit deeper.

What should be on the Flames’ Holiday Wish List?

While Gaudreau is off to a flying start to the season, there aren’t many others aside from Sean Monahan who can say the same.  At the very least, finding a right winger to finalize that top trio would be very beneficial.  Brouwer isn’t the solution, Micheal Ferland is a better fit in a bottom-six role, Michael Frolik doesn’t have the offensive skill to thrive on that line, and Jaromir Jagr isn’t quick enough to keep up on a full-time basis.  That has been a hole for a while and while GM Brad Treliving has tried to fill it, it hasn’t worked yet.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see another goaltender on their shopping list at some point.  Eddie Lack has not fared well in his first season with Calgary with a 5.29 GAA and a .813 SV% in his first four outings and those are the types of numbers that force coaches to lean on their starters too much during the regular season.  Securing a veteran that currently is in the minors would be a way to give themselves some security if Lack isn’t able to turn it around as the season progresses.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Matthew Tkachuk Suspended For One Game

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Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk has been suspended for one game for his part in an incident with Detroit on Wednesday against Detroit, TSN reports.  This is the second suspension of his career after he received a two-game ban for an elbowing incident back in March.

Shortly following a play that saw Red Wings forward Luke Witkowski get ejected, Tkachuk hit Witkowski with his stick as he was walking towards the dressing room.  An incited Witkowski then returned to the ice which sparked quite the melee.  At the end of it, Tkachuk was given a five-minute major penalty for spearing as well as a game misconduct on the play.  Meanwhile,  Witkowski, who received a whopping 37 minutes in penalties for his part in the fracas, received an automatic ten-game suspension for violating Rule 70.6 when he returned to the ice to fight after being ordered off by officials.

As a result of the suspension, Tkachuk will miss Saturday afternoon’s game against Philadelphia.  He will be eligible to return to their lineup on Monday night in Washington.

Prospect Notes: Gawdin, Plant, Rising Stars

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The Calgary Flames have inked another young CHL player to an entry-level deal, signing Glenn Gawdin to a three-year contract. Gawdin was originally a fourth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2015 but never signed, becoming a free agent. He’s currently playing as a 20-year old in the WHL for the Swift Current Broncos.

Though Gawdin has been an effective player throughout his junior career, this season has been spectacular as he plays against younger competition. With 40 points in 18 games, he ranks third in the WHL in scoring and only trails two of his own teammates. He’ll be heading to the AHL next year in all likelihood, but with experience at center ice could be on a fast track to Calgary.

Luke Witkowski Suspended Ten Games

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The NHL has decided on a ruling for at least one participant in last night’s Detroit Red Wings-Calgary Flames game, and will suspend Luke Witkowski for ten games. The league will also hold a hearing with Matthew Tkachuk tomorrow for his part in the brawl that involved several players on both teams.

Witkowski originally was involved in a fight with Brett Kulak, but came back onto the ice after being sent off by the officials. He was involved in several other skirmishes as the brawl broke loose, which also included a feisty bout between Anthony Mantha and Travis Hamonic. All the players on the ice were near the benches because of a television timeout, with tensions erupting soon after Witkowski threw punches while Kulak was already on the ice.

The game ended 8-2 for the Red Wings, with 141 penalty minutes handed out to the two teams. Witkowski will now miss nearly a month of action. The ten-game suspension is an automatic ban given out after a player comes back onto the ice after being ordered off by the referee, as per rule 70.6.

Any player who has been ordered to the dressing room by the officials and returns to his bench or to the ice surface for any reason before the appropriate time shall be assessed a game misconduct and shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next ten (10) regular League and/or Play-off games.

Snapshots: Jagr, Iginla, Tatar

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The Prime Time Sports Management Conference, which was held in Toronto the past two days, featured several big names in the world of hockey including Commissioner Gary Bettman, IIHF President Rene Fasel, and of course, Calgary Flames President Brian Burke. With such a wealth of hockey knowledge and experience in one room, the interesting opinions and stories were constantly flowing. Yet, two tales stood out above the rest:

  • Burke, unsurprisingly, was the author of one of them. Burke told the crowd that Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla, two future Hall of Famers who seemingly spent the summer with little attention paid to their free agent statuses, were in facts targets of the Flames all summer long. As we now know, Jagr was the end choice, as the 45-year-old signed on in Calgary in early October. Burke stated that the team evaluated and monitored both storied veterans throughout the off-season, waiting to see how things played out. Burke stated that, in the end, the team felt that Jagr had a much stronger 2016-17 season and brought a “charisma” to the team that they desired. It is no surprise that the team considered long-time captain Iginla, but after a difficult campaign where he looked lifeless at times, no one can blame the Flames for instead going with the ageless Jagr. In eight games thus far, Jagr already has a goal and four assists, as well as a +5 rating in Calgary.
  • The second intriguing story came from player agent Ritch Winter through sources at the NHL Players’ Association. It seems as though the current contract between forward Tomas Tatar and the Detroit Red Wings came much closer to not getting done than even the arbitration hearing time line indicated. The two sides went to salary arbitration this summer and were one of only a handful of cases to actually go to hearing. Yet, the two sides struck a deal prior to the arbitrator’s award – a four-year, $21.2MM bargain that even includes a no-trade clause beginning next season. Well, according to Winter, the fax from the arbitrator with his binding one-year decision came in to the NHLPA office mere minutes after the contract was signed. A few minutes earlier and any late agreement between the two sides would have been rendered null and void. It would come as no surprise if the Red Wings wish it had. Detroit filed at $4.1MM in arbitration, while Tatar’s side countered with $5.3MM. The eventual contract holds a $5.3MM AAV, meaning anything but an absolute finding for Tatar by the arbitrator would have resulted in a lesser cap hit than what the Wings are paying now. And what of the future? Yes, the long term deal keeps Tatar in Detroit longer, but with seven points in 18 games, the soon-to-be-27-year-old is on pace for the worst full season of his NHL career. The Red Wings may regret their long-term commitment and knowing they were only minutes ahead of a disqualifying decision only adds to the sting.

Snapshots: Bruins, Sabres, Flames

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Some assorted notes from around the NHL this evening…

  • The Bruins are going to be missing a pair of weapons for the next several games. Head coach Bruce Cassidy said today that Brad Marchand and Anders Bjork will miss at least the next two games (via Flip Livingstone of The Score). The duo were both injured during the team’s loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday, although details of the injuries haven’t been disclosed. The pair have combined for 11 goals and 13 assists this season.
  • After missing five games with a lower-body injury, right winger Justin Bailey is headed to Rochester. John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes that the Sabres are hoping the 22-year-old can find some consistency in the AHL. The former second-rounder started the season on fire, compiling two goals and three assists in his first four games. However, he had no points in the following three games. “I thought he started out really well the first couple games,” said coach Phil Housley. “I thought his played dipped a little from that, that urgency he had on the forecheck, using his speed and even in providing a physical element…[h]e’s going to go down, work on that, get his timing back.”
  • We heard yesterday that the Flames were back to full health, but the injury bug has hit once again. According to Sportsnet 960 The Fan (via Ryan Pike of FlamesNation.ca), goaltender Mike Smith did not travel with the team to Detroit. While Smith hasn’t been placed on injured reserve and may be able to return before the end of the team’s road trip, the Flames are still expected to promote a goalie. Pike points to Jon Gillies or David Rittich as the main candidates to be promoted.

Calgary Flames Back To Full Strength

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The Calgary Flames have activated Travis Hamonic off injured reserve (sending Rasmus Andersson to the minor leagues in the process) and now have all of their expected roster active for the first time in weeks. Hamonic hasn’t played since November 2nd, while Jaromir Jagr spent time on injured reserve before that. Getting set for the St. Louis Blues tonight, they’ll need to continue their recent stretch of solid play if they want to establish themselves as a front-runner in the Western Conference.

Jaromir JagrTonight’s game is the final contest in a seven-game home stand, where a win would push their record to 5-2. When the Flames went out this summer and brought in Hamonic and Jagr, they were hoping to be adding some of the final pieces to a Stanley Cup contender. Mike Smith and Eddie Lack seemed to be the answer in net, and while the latter has been shaky in his small role the former has been everything they’d hoped. Smith carries a .924 save percentage into the game against St. Louis, and has registered all nine of the team’s wins.

Those nine wins come alongside seven losses, certainly not the record the team had hoped for this summer. After being swept out of the first round by their bitter rival Anaheim, Calgary made calculated moves to improve the areas which they believed were the weakest. Bringing in Hamonic and re-signing Michael Stone (a trade deadline acquisition) to strengthen the right side, giving Smith the reins in net and adding a veteran possession winger to help lengthen out the scoring ability. That perfect lineup hasn’t happened yet, but it still could.

Just recently, Jagr spoke about how Flames star Johnny Gaudreau wouldn’t have even been in the league when the 45-year old started his career. Jagr said Gaudreau wouldn’t have even been drafted because of his size, but called him “impressive” and “special” in the way he can create offense. Gaudreau has been doing all he can to carry the Flames through the early part of the season, scoring 22 points in 16 games and logging over 19 minutes a night. The 24-year old looks ready to prove that his 61-point season a year ago is the floor of his offensive talent, and now he has a full compliment of teammates to get that done.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Travis Hamonic Nearing A Return

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  • The Flames could be getting defenseman Travis Hamonic back in their lineup in the near future. Postmedia’s Kristin Odland notes that the blueliner skated on Friday and is slated to participate in a full practice with the team tomorrow.  Hamonic has been out of the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury against the Penguins on November 2nd and ranks third on the team in average ice time per game.  Calgary is also expected to have goaltender Mike Smith available for their next game on Monday despite struggling with his glove hand at times on Thursday night.

Calgary’s Challenge With Sam Bennett

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To say things have not gone well for Flames forward Sam Bennett this season would be an understatement.  He finally snapped a season-long pointless streak on Thursday night and is averaging the lowest ice time of his young career at 13:23 per night.  That’s hardly what anyone was expecting from the fourth overall selection back in 2014.

Earlier this week, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported (video link) that Flames GM Brad Treliving doesn’t necessarily want to move the struggling 21-year-old but at the same time, he isn’t hanging up when other teams inquire about his availability.  Even though he’s off to a terrible start, he’s only a few years removed from being a high-end prospect and players with that type of draft pedigree typically get a few chances if they don’t perform with their original team.

Apr 17, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett (93) skates with the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsSportsnet’s Rory Boylen examined Bennett’s situation and usage this year and one prominent question comes to mind: When is it the right time to look at trading him?  It’s safe to say his trade value is far from its highest so at first glance, a case can easily be made to hold on in the hopes that he returns to form and restores some value.

However, what if his struggles continue?  Or, perhaps more likely, he rebounds a little bit but remains more of a supporting cast player?  That won’t really help his trade value and perhaps may lower it further.  They may want to avoid the situation that Edmonton had with Nail Yakupov last year where his trade value had all but bottomed out.  Bennett isn’t at that spot yet but that could change by the end of the season if he doesn’t rebound.

At the moment, Calgary isn’t likely to get more than a similarly-struggling young player or a rental player in return for Bennett.  While the latter option would probably be a nice boost to their roster, they’d also be giving up on someone that was believed to be part of their long-term core for a player who may not be there six months later.  Is the short-term gain worth it?  In terms of taking another scuffling forward back, it’s likely that Treliving would rather stick with the player they know.

For the time being, it’s hard to envision Calgary parting ways with Bennett despite his rough start to the year.  If he doesn’t pick it up in the weeks to come, however, he’s a player who is likely going to find himself in trade speculation where talks of him needing a change of scenery will begin to pop up.  If and when that happens, it will be interesting to see if Treliving will hold on to him or cut bait before his situation has a chance to mirror Yakupov’s from a year ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Flames, Hammond, Ekman-Larsson

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Tanner Glass has cleared waivers and been assigned to Stockton of the AHL, leaving room for the Calgary Flames to activate Jaromir Jagr prior to their game tonight. Glass signed a one-year, one-way deal with the Flames this summer but is at best a 13th forward used in especially physical matchups. It won’t surprise if the 33-year old is back up before long to serve in that role.

Jagr though will jump back into the lineup after a long layoff, and will look to recapture the early success he had found with his new team. The legendary winger’s already exquisite possession numbers were off the charts in his first five games for Calgary, and he should help the team continue their current win streak. Jagr is just 51 games behind Gordie Howe for the most all-time, a record he could break should he stay relatively healthy for the rest of the year.

  • Andrew Hammond was clearly a salary dump by the Ottawa Senators in their recent trade, to help even out the salary difference between Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris. Now, James Gordon of The Athletic reports that Colorado will look to flip Hammond somewhere else around the league. Hammond will remain with the Belleville Senators on loan until that happens, but it may not be so easy. “The Hamburgler” as he is so affectionately nicknamed, is owed $1.5MM this season and carries a $1.35MM cap hit. Though last year was a struggle for him before going down to injury, he’s played well early on for Belleville.
  • Oliver Ekman-Larsson has somehow become the center of much trade speculation, but Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka wants to put an end to that. Speaking with Craig Morgan of AZ Sports, Chayka again said he won’t trade the All-Star defenseman, and revealed “I haven’t had a single conversation about Oilver that has lasted more than five seconds.” Ekman-Larsson is a free agent after next season and would be one of the top names on the market.

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