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Flames Recall Martin Pospisil, Assign Matthew Coronato To AHL

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The Flames recalled forward Martin Pospisil from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on Friday, a team release states. To make room on the 23-man roster, the team assigned rookie winger Matthew Coronato to the Wranglers.

This is the first NHL call-up for the 23-year-old Pospisil. The Slovak winger could make his NHL debut Saturday against the Kraken if Dillon Dubé is not ready to return from an undisclosed injury. Dubé, who missed Monday’s game against the Stars, has a goal and two assists through nine games and has a -10 rating, the third-worst on the team.

For Pospisil, this is an excellent opportunity after a solid start to his season in the minors. Selected 105th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, Pospisil currently ranks second on the Wranglers in goals with three and has added a trio of assists for six points in six games. Injuries sidelined him for most of last season, as he only got into 20 games with the Wranglers, recording ten points. Since turning pro in 2019, the bruising, 6-foot-2 winger has notched 22 goals and 40 assists for 62 points in 113 AHL games.

Pospisil signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $90K in the AHL to remain a Flame in July. He’s on his second consecutive one-year deal after his entry-level contract expired in 2022. He’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer and will be due a qualifying offer of $813,750.

Meanwhile, Coronato gets a shot to play significant minutes in the AHL after seeing his minutes dwindle throughout the first ten games of the season. Calgary’s first-round pick in 2021 has a goal and an assist in 13:53 of ice time per game, which should increase to nearly 20 minutes with the Wranglers.

At even strength, the numbers weren’t pretty for Coronato – he was on the ice for just one goal for and nine goals against. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though – his teammates’ on-ice shooting percentage was just 1.9%, and his on-ice save percentage was just .858% – numbers well below the team averages of 5.2% and .887%, respectively.

Flames Have Paused Contract Talks With Pending UFAs

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The vibes were good in Calgary. A tumultuous 2022-23 season had seemingly been cleansed from the organization with the appointments of Craig Conroy in the GM’s chair and Ryan Huska behind the bench. Players were buying in, too – with Mikael Backlund signing a three-year extension in accordance with the captaincy and extension talks kicking off with top-pairing defenseman Noah Hanifin, who said last summer he wasn’t willing to consider remaining with the Flames.

Then the season started, and Sportnet’s Eric Francis is now reporting the Flames have paused all extension talks with their 2024 class of UFAs, which includes Hanifin and first-line center Elias Lindholm. A 2-6-1 start has the Flames seventh in the Pacific Division and 15th in the Western Conference, only ahead of the lowly San Jose Sharks. They’ve allowed more goals in the same amount of games than the defensively-challenged Blackhawks – and even that’s with netminder Jacob Markström rebounding, albeit slightly, from last season’s poor form. Daniel Vladar has been limited to just two starts thanks to a sieve-like .842 SV% and 4.51 GAA, however.

What’s worse is that two familiar refrains from last season have come back to haunt them. The team is controlling possession well, holding 53.9% of Corsi events at five-on-five and over half of all scoring and high-danger chances, but it hasn’t mattered. Star players are again underperforming, with many downright snakebitten.

In the second season of a seven-year, $49MM deal, Nazem Kadri has just two points through nine games and a -11 rating. 2021-22 NHL assists leader Jonathan Huberdeau, in the second season of an eight-year, $84MM deal, is barely averaging over 17 minutes per game and has two goals and three assists through nine games. Perhaps the only one of their recent big-time acquisitions is performing up to par – defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, who may have just three points but is controlling possession better than almost anyone on the team with a 57.5% Corsi share at even strength.

Lindholm is also one of the few doing his part, tying for the team lead in scoring with six points and averaging over 21 minutes a game, although he hasn’t been worth the rumored $9MM AAV price tag that’s been bandied about in the past few weeks. Things aren’t going well for the Flames’ other notable pending UFAs, both defensemen – Chris Tanev has been held off the scoresheet through nine contests and has a -6 rating, while Nikita Zadorov is projected to sit as a healthy scratch for Wednesday’s game against the Stars.

If the Flames don’t find themselves close to the playoff picture by the March 8, 2024, trade deadline, they could become one of the biggest players near deadline day in recent memory. All four of Lindholm, Hanifin, Tanev, and Zadorov have the pedigree to fetch anywhere between decent and extravagant returns, even if one or all is still having a down season by the time February rolls around and trade discussions begin in earnest. With another strong slate of prospects expected to be available in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Flames would do well to help retool their franchise on the fly with a few high-end prospects injected into their system.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Flames Recall Connor Zary

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The Calgary Flames have recalled top prospect Connor Zary from the AHL. Zary is currently on a six-game point streak in the minors, with 10 points through six games to start the season. That scoring has been mostly made up of assists, with Zary ranked third in the AHL with nine assists. But he made sure to make a statement with his sole goal on the year, scoring the game-winning goal in the Calgary Wranglers’ home-opener.

Zary has emerged as an exciting prospect since being drafted 24th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He made his professional debut during the 2020-21 season, playing in nine AHL games and scoring seven points after the end of the Kamloops Blazers season. He fulfilled his rookie season in the league in 2021-22, netting 25 points in 53 games, and experienced a massive jump in scoring last year when he tallied 58 points in 72 games. It’s been a gradual climb to success for Zary, who is now on fire to start the season. He’s been rewarded with an NHL call-up, where he’ll potentially get a chance to make his NHL debut.

Zary could vie for a lineup spot quickly, as Adam Ružička has been announced as day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Dryden Hunt has slotted into the lineup as a result but has gone without a point and a -3 in the three games that he’s played in. Changing over to the red-hot Zary could be the spark the Calgary needs to get their offense going, as the Flames currently have the fifth-fewest goals on the season.

Rasmus Andersson Set To Return From Suspension

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Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Hischier, Lindgren, Flames

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing opposing injury news, with defender Timothy Liljegren returning to the team’s practice but Jake McCabe still sitting out. Liljegren took practice reps alongside Mark Giordano, although no update about his availability was provided. Liljegren was announced as “doubtful” for the team’s October 28th game before missing the match; a tag that may carry over to their Tuesday night game.

Liljegren is playing more than ever through eight games this season, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time a game – a step up from the 18 minutes he averaged last season. It’s a continuation of the gradual increase in ice time that Liljegren has seen in each of the last three seasons, speaking to his growing prowess. But despite the increased role, Liljegren has only managed one point through his eight games this year. Scoring has never been his forte, with Liljegren only netting 18 points through 67 games last year.

Liljegren will look to add to those scoring totals with an eventual return to action, while Toronto continues to wait for news of McCabe’s outlook.

Other injury news:

Adam Ružička Out Day-To-Day With Shoulder Injury

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Oilers forward Mattias Janmark did not dress in Sunday’s Heritage Classic win over the Flames, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic, and the 30-year-old is listed as out with a shoulder injury with no timeline for a return. Defenseman Vincent Desharnais drew into the lineup in his place, scoring his first NHL goal in the process as the Oilers dressed seven defensemen for the fourth time this season.

  • Also absent from last night’s Heritage Classic was Flames forward Adam Ružička, who head coach Ryan Huska told reporters pre-game would not dress due to a shoulder injury (via Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun). The Slovak winger was off to a strong start this season, posting two goals and two assists for four points in seven games, but is now listed as day-to-day with the injury. The 6-foot-4, 24-year-old winger is in the second year of a $762.5K AAV deal and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.

Calgary Flames Recall Ilya Solovyov

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The Calgary Flames have announced that defenseman Ilya Solovyov has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. The move puts Solovyov, 23, in a position to potentially make his NHL debut.

Solovyov has been a nice developmental success story so far for the Flames, who selected the six-foot-three Belarusian defenseman 205th overall at the 2020 draft. Solovyov had gone undrafted the prior two seasons but after a 40-point performance in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit he finally heard his name called at the NHL draft.

Solovyov then spent 2020-21 playing regular minutes for Dynamo Minsk in the KHL, before coming to North America in 2021-22. Solovyov has been a regular presence for the Stockton Heat and now Calgary Wranglers since that point, and by weathering heavy minutes he has shown his readiness for a shot at playing in the NHL.

The Flames have now lost three straight contests and surrendered a total of 12 goals in that span. With Rasmus Andersson still serving a suspension, the Flames were forced to rely on 26-year-old depth defenseman Dennis Gilbert to play a top-four role next to Chris Tanev. Perhaps with this recall, Solovyov will get a shot to handle that job instead.

In terms of creating the necessary cap space to facilitate this recall, no corresponding move was included in the Flames’ announcement.

But FlamesNation’s Ryan Pike writes on X that the Flames moving Kevin Rooney from standard injured reserve to long-term injured reserve would allow the Flames to exceed the cap by an additional $1.3MM, which would create the necessary space for this Solovyov recall.

NHL Upholds Rasmus Andersson’s Four-Game Suspension

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld the four-game suspension assessed to Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson last weekend, according to a league release. The NHLPA filed an appeal on behalf of Andersson, which resulted in a meeting with Bettman on Monday. As a result, Andersson will remain ineligible to play for the remainder of the month and, notably, in this weekend’s Heritage Classic.

Andersson was assessed the suspension after charging Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine with just seconds remaining in the third period of last Friday’s game. He was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing on the play, which prompted a hearing with NHL Player Safety the following day. After serving the first game of his suspension in Sunday’s blowout loss against the Red Wings, Andersson will miss Calgary’s three remaining games this month, including tonight’s tilt against the Rangers.

Laine sustained an upper-body injury on the play and is currently on IR, guaranteed to miss at least the rest of this week. In his full ruling on the appeal, Bettman said that the NHLPA only appealed to reduce the suspension to three games, which would have allowed Andersson to participate in the outdoor Heritage Classic. He also said Andersson acknowledged the hit was “not perfect” and said Andersson took responsibility for the play but found the severity of the hit and its timing late in the game warranted the full four-game length.

That means Sunday’s contest against the Oilers, the first outdoor game on the 2023-24 schedule, will take place without Calgary’s number-one defenseman and, likely, without Oilers captain and superstar center Connor McDavid. It’s a tough break for a marquee early-season rivalry game under an already increased spotlight.

Flames, Noah Hanifin Making Progress On Extension

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Speaking during the Saturday Headlines segment during Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada coverage, Elliotte Friedman reports things are trending in a positive direction between the Flames and defenseman Noah Hanifin, and an extension for the pending UFA defenseman is a realistic outcome.

This is a continuation of a lengthy positive swing in relations between the Flames’ front office and their slate of pending UFAs. It began with captain Mikael Backlund, who inked a pre-season extension (and was awarded the captaincy) despite previously stating he’d wait out to see how the team began their season before deciding whether or not to extend. The fact these talks are even occurring is another significant sign for the better. Hanifin reportedly made it known to GM Craig Conroy this summer that he wasn’t open to signing an extension with the team, but he reversed course once players reported to training camps in September.

Hanifin has gotten off to a strong start on the scoresheet, leading all Flames defenders in assists (and points) with four. He’s logged 22:49 per game, a touch higher than last season’s 22:39, which was already a career-high. His pairing with the now-suspended Rasmus Andersson has had the most defensive struggles out of all the Flames’ main units, however, controlling just 40% of expected goals at even strength, per MoneyPuck.

That being said, five games is an awfully small sample size, and Hanifin has a recent history of very strong possession play. He’s become a core piece of both the Flames’ power play and penalty kill units over the past three seasons as well, logging over 30 points in three of his five full seasons as a Flame.

It could be a rather rich proposition to keep Hanifin in Alberta, however. Evolving Hockey projects an extension for the 26-year-old to boast an eight-year term with a $7.5MM cap hit, certainly expected value for a pending UFA top-pairing blueliner given the recent market. But whether or not the Flames can afford that plus a hypothetical extension for Elias Lindholm in the $8MM-$9MM range remains to be seen. Both player’s current cap hits are a fraction of their projected extension costs – Lindholm at $4.85MM and Hanifin at $4.95MM. It will be difficult to shoulder such a significant increase for a team already dealing with a significant cap crunch early into the 2023-24 season.

Without Andersson in the lineup, five of the Flames’ six defenders, including Hanifin are destined for free agency next summer. MacKenzie Weegar, locked up through 2031, is the only exception.

Rasmus Andersson's Suspension Could Create Cap Crunch

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It seems Rasmus Andersson’s four-game suspension could have a negative domino effect on the Flames. Aside from missing one of their top defenders (if not their top defender) for the rest of the month, a semi-long-term suspension creates some salary cap issues for a strapped Calgary squad.

Since players suspended by the league still count against the salary cap, Andersson’s $4.55MM cap hit will remain on the books until his return next month. The team has exactly $0 in space left with defenseman Oliver Kylington on LTIR, and they have just six healthy defensemen on the roster, with Jordan Oesterle now set to slide into a bottom-pairing role for the next quartet of games. If another defender is sidelined due to injury, the team may have trouble making a corresponding roster move to dress a full roster. One potential solution would be sliding forward Kevin Rooney from IR to LTIR retroactive to the beginning of the season, but that assumes he will be out for at least the next five games. That’s certainly a distinct possibility, as he carries an unknown return timeline following offseason shoulder surgery. The only other option for the Flames would be to waive forward Dryden Hunt and replace him with a defense call-up from AHL Calgary, but their options would be limited to defenders with a league-minimum cap hit of $775K, the same as Hunt’s.

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