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Calgary Flames Reportedly Shopping Defensemen

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As the Calgary Flames transitioned behind the bench from Darryl Sutter to Ryan Huska over the summer, many of the players scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason wanted to take the ’wait-and-see’ approach in regards to signing a contract extension in Alberta. Needless to say, the Flames have not gotten off to a solid start, starting off 3-7-1, quickly alienating any chances that certain players will want to re-up on a new deal.

Aside from the potential departure of Elias Lindholm, Calgary is also set to lose five defensemen to the open market next July, leading the team to some difficult choices moving forward. This past summer, many reports indicated that defenseman Noah Hanifin was unwilling to sign an extension with the Flames, leading to plenty of trade rumors surrounding him and the organization.

In an earlier report today, Rick Dhaliwal relayed a note from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, saying that the Flames are actively engaging the market on Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov. Furthermore, it was reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Edmonton Oilers are showing the most interest in these defensemen.

It is reasonable to assume, especially if Calgary continues its current trajectory on the season, that more and more teams will come calling as the season nears the trade deadline. Of the three teams listed as having interest, the Oilers seem the least plausible, given that the Flames and Oilers have only made three trades with each other, the last one being the James Neal – Milan Lucic swap in 2019.

Especially if all three players are seen as rentals, the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers could all come calling at this year’s trade deadline. If any or all three are open to signing extensions with the respective acquiring clubs, teams such as the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes could certainly become interested, as well.

Given his ability to play a high amount of minutes each night, Hanifin will likely net Calgary the biggest return, although Tanev and Zadorov will also bring significant interest given their skill sets. If they are open to retooling or even a short-term rebuild, trading these three would be a logical way to start that process.

Nevertheless, there is a chance the Flames could turn their season around, leading them to hang onto their pending unrestricted free agents for a playoff run. However, if they are unable to straighten the ship, aside from a few trades over the years, there isn’t a precedent set for a trade of this magnitude being made so early in the season. If Calgary hangs on to all three as we get closer to the deadline, other playoff-bound teams’ desperation will increase their return overall.

Andrew Mangiapane Receives One-Game Suspension

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6:00 PM: The verdict is in and Mangiapane has been assessed a one-game suspension.  In the video, it’s noted that the league accepted Mangiapane’s contention that he wasn’t intending to drive McCann’s head into the ice and acknowledged that the Flames forward didn’t use his full extension of arms or body weight.  However, he was deemed to have full body control, resulting in the decision to suspend him.  This is the first suspension of his career and he will forfeit just over $30K in salary.

12:05 PM: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane will have a hearing today for cross-checking forward Jared McCann in last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

The incident in question occurred at a chaotic moment during yesterday’s 6-3 Flames victory, wherein Mangiapane and other Flames players were making a push in the offensive zone, trying to get a goal past a scrambling Seattle netminder.

Mangiapane fired a backhander towards an open net that was promptly blocked by McCann, who as part of his block slid towards Mangiapane. The puck appeared to stay with McCann after the block, and, in his search for the puck under McCann, Mangiapane delivered a cross-check to the head/neck area of McCann.

McCann immediately recoiled, a whistle was blown, and Mangiapane was assessed a match penalty with a standard 15 penalty minutes added to his record. Now, Mangiapane is facing supplemental discipline by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and could end up missing games for the Flames.

Any Mangiapane suspension would be a major blow to the Flames, who count on the 27-year-old as one of their more consistent scorers. Mangiapane currently ranks second on the Flames with seven points in 11 games, and losing him for any amount of time would make it even more difficult for the team to climb out of the 3-7-1 hole it has found itself in to start the season.

Calgary Flames Assign Three Players To AHL

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11/6: As expected, Ryan Pike confirmed today that the Flames organization had re-called all three players back up to the NHL club.

11/5: Ryan Pike of FlamesNation is reporting that the Calgary Flames have assigned forwards Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary, as well as defenseman Nick DeSimone to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Because the team does not play today, and considering Pospisil and DeSimone have already cleared waivers this year, it is entirely likely this is only a paper transaction. All three players should be on the Flames roster again shortly.

Since coming over to the Flames organization during the 2019-20 season, Pospisil has been a solid player at the AHL level when healthy. This season, when playing for the Wranglers, Pospisil has scored three goals and three assists in six games, sitting fourth on the team in points in the early days of the season. He made his NHL debut last night against the Seattle Kraken and scored his first NHL goal while getting a bit over 10 minutes of ice time.

Now in his third season with Calgary, DeSimone was called up to replace the minutes left behind by defenseman Jordan Oesterle, who had recently been placed on waivers in order to send him down to the AHL. DeSimone was also able to crack the lineup during last night’s game against the Kraken, where he provided one assist in 12 minutes of ice time.

Similarly to Pospisil, Zary is another young prospect in the Flames organization and has played in two games since being called up on an emergency loan on October 31st. In those two games played, Zary has provided Calgary with one goal and one assist, playing on the team’s second line next to Nazem Kadri and Yegor Sharangovich.

Flames Recall Nick DeSimone

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The Calgary Flames have recalled defenseman Nick DeSimone from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, per a team release issued Friday. To make room on the active roster, the team assigned Jordan Oesterle, who cleared waivers just minutes ago, to the Wranglers.

DeSimone, 28, is expected to make his 2023-24 Flames debut tomorrow against the Kraken as Nikita Zadorov remains away from the team on personal leave. The right-shot minor-league mainstay has four NHL games to his name, all coming in a Calgary sweater last season. He is, however, still looking for his first NHL point.

The Union College product is a veteran of 337 AHL games across eight seasons, mainly in the Sharks organization with the San Jose Barracuda. He joined the Flames in the summer of 2021 via free agency and is now in the second season of a two-year, two-way deal that earns him a minimum guaranteed salary of $350K. He has four assists through six contests with the Wranglers this season, and his +4 rating is tied for the team lead.

DeSimone will likely partner with Dennis Gilbert on the Flames’ third pairing, reuniting teammates who have both played heavy minutes for the Wranglers in recent seasons.

Flames Place Jordan Oesterle On Waivers

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Nov. 3: Oesterle has cleared waivers and can be assigned to AHL Calgary, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Nov. 2: Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the Calgary Flames have placed defenseman Jordan Oesterle on waivers. Oesterle recently joined the Flames organization this summer after finishing up a two-year contract signed with the Detroit Red Wings back in 2021.

Primarily being used as the team’s seventh defenseman, Oesterle would play in a few more games with Calgary due to the four-game suspension given to defenseman Rasmus Andersson over the last week. In four games this season, Oesterle has averaged a touch over 14 minutes of ice time a night, garnering a -2 rating with zero points.

It is unlikely that Oesterle will be claimed within the next 24 hours, but with an affordable cap hit, there are teams such as the Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks that could certainly use some short-term help on defense. At any rate, if he is claimed by tomorrow, it shouldn’t be an expectation that Oesterle’s current role with Calgary would change too much in a different organization.

Even with Oesterle’s cap hit being relatively affordable, and with the Flames now running with six defensemen on the active roster, with only $295K in salary cap space after LTIR usage, clearing $925K off of the books is imperative for Calgary for the time being. In the future, if the Flames wish to keep an extra defenseman on the team, there are players such as Colton Poolman and Nick DeSimone currently playing for their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, who would provide short-term depth with even lower cap hits than Oesterle.

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:

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