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Flames Rumors

Latest On Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin

October 4, 2023 at 10:09 am CDT | by Gabriel Foley 3 Comments

Eric Francis joined Sportsnet’s Big Show with Rusic and Rose podcast and provided updates on some of the Calgary Flames’ biggest extension rumors. Francis shared, most notably, that the return to training camp has provided top center Elias Lindholm with a newfound energy to get a deal done. This increased motivation was also seen in negotiations with Mikael Backlund, who recently signed a contract extension and received the team’s captaincy. Francis shared that the new excitement could see Lindholm signing an extension as soon as the start of the regular season.

However, Francis didn’t share that optimism on Noah Hanifin’s looming contract extension. He shared with the Sportsnet crew that Hanifin is close friends with Matthew Tkachuk – his former teammate with the USNTDP and the Flames – who left Calgary for an exciting life in Florida. Francis said that Hanifin is drawn by the idea of moving to America as a result, drawing a line in the sand for talks of a new deal in Calgary.

These updates could leave Calgary with a locked-in top-line center, but without their top defender, entering the 2024-25 campaign. Their ability to replace Hanifin will likely depend on how much Lindholm demands on a new deal, with Francis sharing that he may be able to receive a salary around, or above, $9MM on the open market. A discount may be needed to keep him with a Flames lineup that currently has 11 players set to become free agents next summer, although Lindholm is still sure to get a significant raise from his current $4.85MM cap hit. The Flames are currently projected to have $30.95MM in cap space next summer, with notable players like Lindholm, Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov all needing new deals. What space they can find in that budget to add new talents to the roster will be worth monitoring.

Calgary Flames| Newsstand Elias Lindholm| Noah Hanifin

3 comments

Training Camp Cuts: 10/03/23

October 3, 2023 at 2:04 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

Now exactly one week away from the first game of the 2023-24 NHL season, teams are working overtime to get their roster down to 23 players. As always, we’ll keep track of those roster moves here.

Boston Bruins (via a team release)

D Mike Callahan (to Providence, AHL)
F Fabian Lysell (to Providence, AHL)
D Alec Regula (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Dan Renouf (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Anthony Richard (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Reilly Walsh (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Parker Wotherspoon (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance

Calgary Flames (via a team release)

F Clark Bishop (to Calgary, AHL)
D Colton Poolman (to Calgary, AHL)
G Oscar Dansk (to Calgary, AHL)
F Ben Jones (to Calgary, AHL)
D Brady Lyle (to Calgary, AHL)
D Yan Kuznetsov (to Calgary, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via X)(via Peter Baugh/The Athletic)

D Wyatt Aamodt (to Colorado, AHL)
F Peter Holland (to Colorado, AHL)
D Corey Schueneman (to Colorado, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via Mark Spector/Sportsnet)

F Xavier Bourgault (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F James Hamblin (to Bakersfield, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via X)

F Graeme Clarke (to Utica, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Utica, AHL)
D Daniil Misyul (to Utica, AHL)
F Chase Stillman (to Utica, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via X)

D Spencer Sova (to Erie, OHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via X)

F Brad Lambert (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Jeff Malott (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Dominic Toninato (to Manitoba, AHL)

This page will be updated throughout the day

Boston Bruins| Calgary Flames| Colorado Avalanche| Edmonton Oilers| New Jersey Devils| Toronto Maple Leafs| Transactions| Winnipeg Jets

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Waivers: 10/02/23

October 2, 2023 at 8:00 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 5 Comments

10/3/2023: Following yesterday’s list of the waiver wire, Johnston reports that all players on the list have cleared.

10/2/2023: Another large slate of players was placed on waivers today by a handful of teams across the league, with the regular season just eight days away. Today’s full list of players hitting the waiver wire comes courtesy of TSN’s Chris Johnston:

Anaheim Ducks

F Glenn Gawdin

Arizona Coyotes

F Travis Barron
D Cameron Crotty
F Jan Jeník
D Steven Kampfer
F Justin Kirkland
F John Leonard
F Ryan McGregor
G Matt Villalta

Boston Bruins

G Kyle Keyser

Calgary Flames

F Clark Bishop
G Oscar Dansk
F Ben Jones
D Colton Poolman

Colorado Avalanche

D Wyatt Aamodt
D Corey Schueneman

Dallas Stars

D Gavin Bayreuther
F Nicholas Caamano
F Fredrik Karlstrom
D Derrick Pouliot

Florida Panthers

F Rasmus Asplund
D Lucas Carlsson
F Gerald Mayhew

New Jersey Devils

F Kyle Criscuolo

Ottawa Senators (announcement arrived Monday night, meaning players may be officially on Tuesday’s waivers)

D Jacob Bernard-Docker
D Jacob Larsson
F Matthew Highmore
F Egor Sokolov

Philadelphia Flyers

D Louis Belpedio
F Adam Brooks
F Rhett Gardner
F Cooper Marody
D Victor Mete

Anaheim Ducks| Boston Bruins| Calgary Flames| Colorado Avalanche| Dallas Stars| Florida Panthers| New Jersey Devils| Philadelphia Flyers| Transactions| Utah Mammoth| Waivers

5 comments

Training Camp Cuts: 09/29/23

September 29, 2023 at 6:57 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

It’s another day in the NHL preseason, meaning it’s another day of cuts and reassignments. Yesterday was a busy one for player movement across North American hockey’s various preseasons, and today could be no different. We’ll track those transactions here.

Boston Bruins (via team release)

D Jackson Edward (to London, OHL)
D Ryan Mast (to Providence, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via team release)

F Christopher Brown (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Filip Cederqvist (to Rochester, AHL)
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Brandon Fortunato (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Damien Giroux (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Chris Jandric (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Mason Jobst (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Aleksandr Kisakov (to Rochester, AHL)
F Tyson Kozak (to Rochester, AHL)
F Dominick Mersch (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Zach Metsa (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Olivier Nadeau (to Rochester, AHL)
F Viktor Neuchev (to Rochester, AHL)
D Nikita Novikov (to Rochester, AHL)
D Ethan Prow (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
D Nicolas Savoie (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Graham Slaggert (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Brendan Warren (released from PTO, to Rochester, AHL)
F Linus Weissbach (to Rochester, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via team release)

F Parker Bell (to Calgary, AHL)
D Mikael Diotte (released from ATO)
D Jarrod Gourley (to Calgary, AHL)
D Etienne Morin (to Moncton, QMJHL)
F Brett Sutter (to Calgary, AHL)
F William Stromgren (to Calgary, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis)

D Josh Healey (released from PTO, to Rockford, AHL)
F Jalen Luypen (to Rockford, AHL)
D Ross MacDougall (released from PTO, to Rockford, AHL)
D Josh Maniscalco (released from PTO, to Rockford, AHL)
D Andrew Perrott (released from PTO, to Rockford, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via team release)

F Henry Bowlby (to Colorado, AHL)
F Tanner Kero (to Colorado, AHL)
F Matthew Stienburg (to Colorado, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)

F Roman Ahcan (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tyler Angle (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Ole-Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Cameron Butler (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Cole Clayton (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Luca Del Bel Belluz (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Eric Dop (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
F Jake Gaudet (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Samuel Knazko (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Nicolas Meloche (released from PTO)
F Mikael Pyyhtia (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Martin Rysavy (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
D Thomas Schemitsch (released from PTO)
F Owen Sillinger (to Cleveland, AHL)

Los Angeles Kings (via team release)

F Kaleb Lawrence (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Nathan Burke (released from tryout)
F Sean Tschigerl (released from tryout)
F Ty Thorpe (released from tryout)
D Max Coyle (released from tryout)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F Kale Kessy (released from PTO, to Iowa, AHL)
D Simon Johansson (to Iowa, AHL)
D Kyle Masters (to Iowa, AHL)
F Greg Meireles (released from PTO, to Iowa, AHL)
F Pavel Novak (to Iowa, AHL)
D David Spacek (to Iowa, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via team release)

D Tanner Molendyk (to Saskatoon, WHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team release)

G Tyler Brennan (to Utica, AHL)
F Filip Engaras (to Utica, AHL)
D Colin Felix (to Utica, AHL)
F Josh Filmon (to Swift Current, WHL)
F T.J. Friedmann (to Utica, AHL)
F Joseph Gambardella (to Utica, AHL)
F Timur Ibragimov (to Utica, AHL)
D Will MacKinnon (to Utica, AHL)
F Xavier Parent (to Utica, AHL)
D Robbie Russo (to Utica, AHL)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to Utica, AHL)
D Topias Vilen (to Utica, AHL)

New York Islanders (via team release)

D Isaiah George (to London, OHL)
F Justin Gill (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
G Tristan Lennox (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Zsombor Garat (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Blade Jenkins (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Artem Kulakov (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Brent Moran (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Sam Asselin (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Cole Bardreau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Tanner Fritz (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Jeff Kubiak (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Seth Helgeson (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Ashton Calder (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Joseph Cipollone (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Riley Piercey (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Jake Pivonka (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Trevor Cosgrove (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Christian Krygier (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Vincent Sevigny (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Henrik Tikkanen (to Bridgeport, AHL)

New York Rangers (via team release)

D Nikolas Brouillard (to Hartford, AHL)
D Adam Clendening (released from PTO)
F Karl Henriksson (to Hartford, AHL)
D Blake Hillman (released from PTO, to Hartford, AHL)
F Ryder Korzcak (to Hartford, AHL)
F Bobby Trivigno (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team release)

F Angus Crookshank (to Belleville, AHL)
F Philippe Daoust (to Belleville, AHL)
F Tarun Fizer (released from PTO, to Belleville, AHL)
D Ryan MacKinnon (released from PTO, to Belleville, AHL)
F Graham McPhee (released from PTO, to Belleville, AHL)
G Leevi Merilainen (to Belleville, AHL)
F Brennan Saulnier (released from PTO, to Belleville, AHL)
D Donovan Sebrango (to Belleville, AHL)
G Mark Sinclair (released from PTO, to Belleville, AHL)
D Djibril Touré (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)

F Alexis Gendron (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Adam Karashik (released from PTO, to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Nolan Maier (released from PTO, to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Mason Millman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Ethan Samson (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Zayde Wisdom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Will Zmolek (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

F Jonathan Gruden (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Rem Pitlick (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Ty Smith (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Taylor Fedun (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Xavier Ouellet (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via team release)

G Jack LaFontaine (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Jacob Melanson (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Logan Morrison (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Ville Ottavainen (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Tucker Robertson (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Ryan Winterton (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

F Mikhail Abramov (to Springfield, AHL)
D Jeremie Biakabutuka (to Springfield, AHL)
F Drew Callin (to Springfield, AHL)
G Will Cranley (to Springfield, AHL)
F Tanner Dickinson (to Springfield, AHL)
D Joseph Duszak (to Springfield, AHL)
D Marc-Andre Gaudet (to Springfield, AHL)
F Andre Heim (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mitch Hoelscher (to Springfield, AHL)
D Austin Osmanski (to Springfield, AHL)
F Nick Ritchie (released from PTO)
D Hunter Skinner (to Springfield, AHL)
D Andy Welinski (released from PTO)
G Vadim Zherenko (to Springfield, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per CapFriendly)

F Jakub Brabenec (to Henderson, AHL)
D Daniil Chayka (to Henderson, AHL)
D Lukas Cormier (to Henderson, AHL)
D Christoffer Sedoff (to Henderson, AHL)
G Jesper Vikman (to Henderson, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team release)

F Andrew Cristall (to Kelowna, WHL)

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

Boston Bruins| Buffalo Sabres| Calgary Flames| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Los Angeles Kings| Minnesota Wild| Nashville Predators| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| Ottawa Senators| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Seattle Kraken| St. Louis Blues| Transactions| Vegas Golden Knights| Washington Capitals

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Calgary Planning To Send Dustin Wolf To AHL

September 28, 2023 at 7:24 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 4 Comments

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli spoke with Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy, who shared that the team’s current plan is to send Dustin Wolf to the minors. Conroy told Seravalli, “There’s injuries for other teams and you’re always looking at all your options … I’m not going to rush to do anything.”

Wolf has emerged as one of the best goalie prospects throughout the NHL, and maybe one of the best players in the AHL, over the last two seasons. The netminder won the AHL’s Baz Bastien Memorial Award in each of the last two seasons, recording a .924 save percentage in 2021-22 and a .932 last year. With this win, Wolf became the third goalie to win the award twice and the first to win it in back-to-back years. His 42-10-2 record last season also earned him MVP honors, winning the AHL’s Les Cunningham Award. Wolf became the eighth goaltender to win the award and the youngest player to win it since Jason Spezza.

Those are seriously impressive resume pieces for the 22-year-old. But because of his age, Wolf is the only goaltender at Calgary’s camp that’s exempt from waivers. This makes him easier to send down than Daniel Vladar, his competition for the NHL backup role. Vladar appeared in 27 games last season, recording a .895 save percentage, slightly higher than the .892 that starter Jacob Markstrom recorded through 59 games.

Wolf made one appearance – his NHL debut – for the Flames last season, letting in one goal on 24 shots and recording the win. Conroy referenced injuries when speaking about Wolf and that’s likely what it will take for the young netminder to earn a consistent NHL role. But when Wolf takes the Flames net, the reigning ’AHL Goalie of the Year’ will absolutely be a name to watch.

Calgary Flames Dustin Wolf

4 comments

Chris Snow Will Not Wake Up After Brain Injury

September 28, 2023 at 9:42 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 10 Comments

This article has been updated with the link to the Flames’ donation page for ALS research at Canadian institutes. You can contribute to ALS research here.

Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow will not wake up after sustaining a catastrophic brain injury caused by lack of oxygen due to cardiac arrest Tuesday, his wife, Kelsie, confirmed this morning. Snow, who has been battling ALS since his diagnosis in 2019, is 42 years old.

Snow began his career in hockey as a beat writer for both the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and Boston Globe but got a prominent chance with an NHL team early on in his career. He transitioned directly into a hefty role with the Minnesota Wild, named their director of hockey operations for the 2006-07 season at age 25. He served in that role for the following four seasons, after which he immediately joined the Flames as their director of statistical and video analysis in 2010.

He held that role in Calgary for a full decade before earning a well-deserved promotion to assistant general manager under then-GM Brad Treliving in 2020, less than one year after his ALS diagnosis. This summer, along with promoting Craig Conroy to GM after Treliving’s departure, Snow had the title of vice president of data/analytics added to his AGM title.

Snow was one of the most inspirational figures in the hockey community over his career, beginning with his meteoric ascent to front-office roles all the way through his family’s very transparent approach to handling ALS. Both Chris and Kelsie became very public advocates for ALS research, something Chris participated in via clinical trials multiple times.

Conroy was visibly emotional at yesterday’s press conference introducing Mikael Backlund as the team’s new captain, saying, “It doesn’t seem right not have Snowy here with me.” Multiple reports indicated Treliving, now the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, left the team to be in Calgary yesterday with the Snow family.

PHR and the entire hockey community send their deepest condolences to the Snow family, their friends, and the Flames organizations during this incredibly difficult time.

Calgary Flames| RIP

10 comments

Calgary Flames Extend Mikael Backlund; Name Him Captain

September 27, 2023 at 3:14 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 9 Comments

4:13 p.m.: The Calgary Flames have officially announced the contract according to a team press release. Confirming a lot of the rumors circulating about the reported contract extension, the Flames have also made Backlund their 21st captain in franchise history.

3:14 p.m.: CapFriendly has confirmed Backlund’s two-year, $4.5MM 35+ contract is filed with the league. Despite the eligibility for performance bonuses, it appears initially the entire $9MM value of the contract is paid out in base salary. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds the deal includes a full no-movement clause that actually kicks in immediately and will retroactively apply to the final season of his current contract. There is also a 15-team no-trade list that will kick in on January 1, 2026.

2:25 p.m.: The Calgary Flames are close to finalizing a contract extension with captaincy candidate Mikael Backlund, per a report from TSN’s Chris Johnston. The deal is pending some “final issues” that need to be resolved, but it appears the Flames will retain at least one of their many pending unrestricted free agents. Johnston reports that, when finalized, the deal will carry a $4.5MM average annual value for two seasons, keeping him in Calgary through 2025-26.

Backlund, 34, has been one of the Flames’ most consistent talents of the past decade and is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He’s far from an elite shooter, but he makes up for that deficiency in spades with solid playmaking, high-end work ethic, and strong defensive play at even strength and on the penalty kill. His 60.6% Corsi For at even strength last season was the second-best mark on the team behind defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, and he averaged roughly two minutes per game on both special teams units. Combined with a career-high 37 assists, plus 19 goals and 56 total points, Backlund was arguably the Flames’ third-best forward last season behind the team’s goals leader, Tyler Toffoli, and their assists leader, Elias Lindholm.

Over the years, Calgary also leaned on Backlund heavily in the faceoff dot. While his career win rate of 48.9% is nothing special, the sheer volume of draws he takes is staggering for a non-top-line center. He took 1,386 faceoffs last season – tied for the fourteenth most in the league with Columbus’ Boone Jenner and Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek.

This deal marks a decrease in pay for Backlund, which wasn’t the expectation after his strong season. Backlund is coming off the only long-term deal of his career: a six-year, $32.1MM extension signed before the 2018-19 season. With this season remaining at a $5.35MM cap hit, Backlund’s given the Flames 77 goals, 142 assists, 219 points, and a +70 rating in 365 games played while averaging 17:45 per game over the life of the deal. Consistency has been the name of the game for Calgary’s future captain, who also has ten goals and 17 points in 27 postseason games since 2019.

However, this offseason opened with hesitancy regarding Backlund’s future in Calgary. Shortly after the Flames were eliminated from playoff contention in April, Backlund expressed uncertainty about re-upping with the only NHL organization he’s ever known. That plotline continued through to July, where Backlund again said he wasn’t sure he’d remain in Calgary and tied his willingness to extend to the team’s performance out of the gate after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. The tide finally turned yesterday when Johnston reported the two sides had commenced extension talks.

The next logical question to raise is the future of Elias Lindholm. If Backlund’s extension influences Lindholm to fast-track a deal to remain in Calgary past this season, it will solidify one of the more well-rounded center corps in the Pacific Division for the next three seasons with Nazem Kadri in the mix long-term as well. That gives plenty of runway for 2020 first-round pick Connor Zary, as the 22-year-old now looks back on track to make an impact in the NHL soon after a breakout 2022-23 with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

Backlund is currently projected to center the team’s second line out of the gate with Blake Coleman and Andrew Mangiapane on his wings. If that holds up, don’t expect his ice time to dip too much below the 18:09 per game he saw last season, especially if new head coach Ryan Huska continues to use Backlund consistently on both special teams units. A responsible two-way center who can shoulder heavy minutes for a $4.5MM cap hit seems like a great value proposition, even if he will be 37 by the time the deal expires.

In getting this deal done early, the Flames also gain some more financial certainty for the 2024-25 season, something they need desperately, with eight rostered players currently slated for unrestricted free agency and an additional three for restricted free agency. With Backlund’s new cap hit, CapFriendly projects the Flames at $30.95MM in cap space assuming a roster size of 12 and a raised Upper Limit of $87.5MM.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Calgary Flames| Newsstand| Transactions Mikael Backlund

9 comments

Flames’ Jakob Pelletier Out Indefinitely With Shoulder Injury

September 27, 2023 at 12:46 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

Calgary Flames rookie forward Jakob Pelletier is out indefinitely after sustaining a left shoulder injury during a preseason game Monday against the Seattle Kraken, according to a team announcement. The 22-year-old will undergo shoulder surgery next week.

Pelletier sustained the injury late in the first period on a hit from behind from Kraken winger Marian Studenic, who received a boarding major and game misconduct on the play. He was able to skate off under his own power but was favoring his upper body.

Calgary’s 26th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Pelletier made his NHL debut last season after earning AHL All-Rookie Team honors in 2021-22. Skating in 24 contests with the Flames, the Québec City-born winger notched three goals and four assists for seven points. He fell two games short of losing his Calder Trophy eligibility for 2023-24.

Pelletier’s minor-league play since turning pro in 2021 has been simply outstanding, recording 43 goals and 56 points for 99 points in 101 games. That production, plus a decent NHL showing despite clashing with head coach Darryl Sutter last season, was expected to earn him a spot in Calgary’s new-look opening-night lineup under rookie NHL head coach Ryan Huska. Now, unfortunately, it seems that won’t be the case.

His absence from the opening night lineup could open up a spot for journeyman Dryden Hunt on the fourth line. Hunt, 27, had quite the whirlwind season last year, spending time under contract with four NHL organizations (New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary). He didn’t dress in any NHL action for the Flames, reporting to the AHL’s Wranglers after acquiring him via trade from Toronto, but he did impress in the minors with 15 points in 17 games. He has 202 games of NHL experience to his name and plays with some speed and tenacity that could make him an attractive fourth-line fit, presumably alongside Kevin Rooney and Walker Duehr.

Given Pelletier’s unique status as a rookie but having logged significant NHL action last season, his cap hit will not be zeroed out should Calgary place him on season-opening injured reserve as would be the case with many other rookie players on two-way deals. Instead, because he played less than 50 games last season, his cap hit if placed on SOIR will be reduced from $863K to $406K, per PuckPedia. $406K would also be the amount of cap relief given if Calgary instead placed him on long-term injured reserve, assuming they determine Pelletier will miss the ten games and 24 days required for such a move. That could be impactful savings early on for a team without the salary cap flexibility to carry a full 23-man roster.

Calgary Flames| Injury Jakob Pelletier

4 comments

Calgary Flames Begin Extension Talks With Mikael Backlund

September 26, 2023 at 6:28 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

The tides seem to be turning in the willingness of the Calgary Flames’ slate of pending UFAs to stay with the team. Just two weeks ago, the team didn’t have any extension talks scheduled with veteran center Mikael Backlund, per his agent, J.P. Barry. Now, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported on Insider Trading Tuesday that the two sides have now commenced extension talks and plan to continue them in the near future.

It’s been quite the saga over the past few months between the Flames and their veteran of over 900 NHL games. More recently, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he believes a potential extension in Calgary for Backlund could be tied to the team’s vacant captaincy. Today’s news could hint at an announcement in turn in the near future. Backlund is entering the final season of a six-year, $32.1MM extension signed in 2018, by far the richest deal of his career. It’s well-documented that Backlund isn’t the only pending free agent center rookie GM Craig Conroy has to worry about – first-line pivot Elias Lindholm is also entering the final season of his bargain-bin deal earning him $4.85MM per season.

Backlund also indicated earlier in the offseason that he was inclined to let the season play out a bit to ensure the team was on the right track under new management before considering an extension. Lindholm had indicated something similar, although Backlund now evidently has what he needs from Conroy and new head coach Ryan Huska to work toward an extension before the regular season starts. That doesn’t necessarily mean either are in a rush to get a deal done, though, and extension talks with Backlund could easily last months.

Despite the fact he’s set to turn 35 before 2023-24 ends, Backlund’s set himself up well value-wise heading into a contract year. He finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting last season, and his 37 assists were a career-high. He also appeared in all 82 games for the second straight season and the fourth time in his career overall. Because of that, don’t expect much of a discount – in fact, Evolving Hockey projects Backlund’s extension to carry a significant four-year term and roughly $5.5MM cap hit. That would be a small raise on his current average annual value of $5.35MM, a raise Backlund will likely hold out for, given his higher leverage in negotiations as a UFA.

Whether a raise is something Calgary can accommodate with more significant raises due to Backlund and potentially defenseman Noah Hanifin is a different question. CapFriendly projects the Flames with $35.45MM in cap space for 2024-25, assuming the Upper Limit rises to $87.5MM, but that’s with a roster size of just 11 out of a maximum of 23 players.

Regardless, this does seem to indicate a more positive trend around the Flames organization in players’ willingness to stay with the team – hopefully a strong indicator of the culture Conroy and Huska have brought to the team in a few short months.

Calgary Flames Mikael Backlund

7 comments

Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/23

September 26, 2023 at 5:34 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Pretty much any team who hasn’t started their preseason yet will do so tonight, as there’s a solid seven-game slate on the schedule tonight, including a nationally televised battle of New York between the Islanders and Rangers. As most teams do have their legs under them almost one week into training camp, roster cuts continue on the daily, mainly involving players being returned to juniors or being released from PTOs and ATOs after getting a look in preseason action. As always, we’re laser-focused on teams posting their roster moves, and we’re conglomerating them all in one place.

Anaheim Ducks (via The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee)

D Rodwin Dionicio (to Windsor, OHL)
F Connor Hvidston (to Swift Current, WHL)
F Nico Myatovic (to Seattle, WHL)
F Coulson Pitre (to Flint, OHL)
D Vojtech Port (to Edmonton, WHL)
D Konnor Smith (to Peterborough, OHL)
F Yegor Sidorov (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Carey Terrance (to Erie, OHL)

Arizona Coyotes (via team release) (additional X link)

F Ryan Dzingel (released from PTO)
F Elliot Ekefjärd (to Europe, team unknown)
D Terrell Goldsmith (to Prince Albert, WHL)
F Patrick Harper (released from PTO to South Carolina, ECHL)
D Olli Juolevi (released from PTO)
D Justin Kipkie (to Victoria, WHL)
F Julian Lutz (to Green Bay, USHL)
D Austin Strand (released from PTO to Chicago, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via team release)

D Charles Côté (released from ATO to Rimouski, QMJHL)
D Tyson Galloway (released from ATO to Calgary, WHL)
G Jari Kykkanen (released from ATO to Kelowna, WHL)
F Jaden Lipinski (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Quinn Mantei (released from ATO to Brandon, WHL)
D Donovan McCoy (released from ATO to Peterborough, OHL)
F Oliver Peer (released from ATO to Windsor, OHL)
F Nathan Pilling (released from ATO to Edmonton, WHL)
F Oliver Tulk (released from ATO to Calgary, WHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)

F Jiri Felcman (to SCL Tigers, NL)

Colorado Avalanche (via team release)

F D.J. Busdeker (to Colorado, AHL)
D Gianni Fairbrother (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kyle Mayhew (to Colorado, AHL)
F Cédric Paré (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ryan Sandelin (to Colorado, AHL)
F Dalton Smith (to Colorado, AHL)
G Ivan Zhigalov (to Tri-City, USHL)

Nashville Predators (via team release)

G Austin Elliott (to Saskatoon, WHL)
G Owen Flores (to Niagara, OHL)
F Kalan Lind (to Red Deer, WHL)
D Dylan MacKinnon (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Austin Roest (to Everett, WHL)
D Graham Sward (to Wenatchee, WHL)
F Joseph Willis (to Saginaw, OHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team release)

F Cole Brown (to Brantford, OHL)
F Cam Squires (to Cape Breton, QMJHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team release)

D Matthew Andonovski (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Connor Clattenburg (released from ATO to
D Jorian Donovan (to Brantford, OHL)
D Tomas Hamara (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Jackson Stewart (released from ATO to Owen Sound, OHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)

F Denver Barkey (to London, OHL)
D Oliver Bonk (to London, OHL)
F Jonathan Fauchon (released from ATO to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
D Sam Sedley (released from ATO to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Carter Sotheran (to Portland, WHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team release)

G Mason Beaupit (to Wenatchee, WHL)
D Luca Cagnoni (to Portland, WHL)
D Ethan Frisch (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jake Furlong (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Félix Gagnon (released from ATO to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
D Roman Kinal (to San Jose, AHL)
F Connor MacEachern (to San Jose, AHL)
F Bradley Marek (to San Jose, AHL)
F Anthony Vincent (to San Jose, AHL)
G Beck Warm (to San Jose, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via team release)

F Maxim Andreev (released from PTO to Coachella Valley, AHL)
G Jaxon Castor (released from PTO to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to Tri-City, WHL)
F Jagger Firkus (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
F David Goyette (to Sudbury, OHL)
D Kaden Hammell (to Everett, WHL)
F Kyle Jackson (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Andrei Loshko (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Carson Rehkopf (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Eduard Sale (to Barrie, OHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)

D Noah Chadwick (to Lethbridge, WHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team release)

F Marc Gatcomb (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Jonathan Lemieux (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Chad Nychuk (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Karel Plasek (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Cooper Walker (released from ATO to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Dmitry Zlodeyev (to Abbotsford, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (via CapFriendly’s transactions log)

D Joe Fleming (to Henderson, AHL)
F Mason Primeau (to Henderson, AHL)
F Matyas Sapovaliv (to Sarnia, OHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team release)

G Domenic DiVincentiis (to North Bay, OHL)
F Jacob Julien (to London, OHL)
D Simon Kubicek (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
F Connor Levis (to Kamloops, WHL)
D Jimmy Oligny (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
F C.J. Suess (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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