Calgary Flames, Brad Treliving Agree To Part Ways
The Calgary Flames and general manager Brad Treliving have mutually agreed to part ways upon the conclusion of his contract this season, the team announced Monday. Calgary has promoted Don Maloney to president of hockey operations, and he will serve as the interim general manager.
Interestingly enough, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Darryl Sutter‘s job as head coach appears to be safe. Seravalli said it’s “fair to say” that Sutter’s continuation in his role influenced whether Calgary would re-sign Treliving.
Treliving had been with the Flames for nine years, during which he led the team to five playoff appearances. With the team massively underachieving this season after a transformational offseason, though, it was decided mutually that a new direction for both Treliving and the Flames was the right choice.
Maloney has been serving as senior vice president of hockey operations with the Flames for the past five seasons. He has previous GM experience in the NHL with the Coyotes, serving in that role from 2007 to 2016.
Calgary says Maloney’s appointment to the role is not permanent, and the interviewing process to find a new general manager will begin immediately.
For the Flames, it’s a chance to start a whole new regime on and off the ice, save for Sutter momentarily. With former core pieces Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, and others gone by the wayside, along with noncommital answers on their future from Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm, there’s a chance for even more significant roster turnover in the near future.
Treliving is a very well-respected person in NHL front office circles, and, despite a disappointing end to his lengthy tenure in Calgary, should have no trouble finding another NHL role soon. Calgary Sports and Entertainment CEO and president John Bean gave a statement on Treliving’s departure:
It’s a difficult day when you must part ways with a quality colleague and friend. We are grateful of Brad’s contributions over the past nine years and wish him every success in his future, both personally and professionally. But for our fans and our business, we need to move forward, and we are confident with Don’s experience that we will find the right General Manager to build on Brad’s work and lead our team to the Stanley Cup.
Mikael Backlund Unsure About Signing Extension With Flames
Mikael Backlund has been a fixture in Calgary’s lineup for well over a decade as the center has suited up in over 900 games for them over parts of 15 seasons. Along the way, it has widely been expected that the 34-year-old would be someone who sticks with the Flames for his entire career. However, speaking with reporters recently (video link), Backlund expressed some hesitance in committing to signing another deal with them this summer:
I’ve been here for a long time and I love Calgary, I love this organization. But the year that we had, I’m 34 years old and I want to win the Stanley Cup and I … I don’t know this summer what’s going to happen, if they even offer me anything. I might want to see what this group can do before I make a decision.
It’s worth noting that Backlund has one more year remaining on his deal, a pact that carries a $5.35MM AAV and a 21-team no-trade clause so in the short term, he probably isn’t going anywhere.
Interestingly, in a season where not a lot went right for Calgary, things certainly went well for Backlund as he potted 19 goals and 37 assists while playing all 82 games, setting new career highs in assists and points in the process. The Flames were in the bottom half of the league offensively but while others struggled, Backlund did quite well. So much so, in fact, that he could be in line to command a similar price tag to his current deal on an extension, a scenario that wouldn’t have been realistic even a year ago.
It’s telling that Backlund hinted at wanting to see what happens with this group before deciding on if he wants to remain with the only NHL organization he has ever played for. Things haven’t gone well for Calgary in the past year with Johnny Gaudreau leaving in free agency and Matthew Tkachuk indicating he wouldn’t sign a long-term agreement after the playoffs last season. Their acquisitions in that swap – winger Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar – both underachieved. They entered this season as a speculative contender and finished outside the playoffs altogether.
When things don’t go as planned, players understandably aren’t as openly enthusiastic about the prospect of sticking around; Elias Lindholm, in the same contractual situation as Backlund, was even less committal (video link) about his future.
We’ll see what happens. I have one more year and I’m gonna look at it that way. I have one more year, and that’s all I can say.
That type of response from Lindholm isn’t entirely surprising given that he’s likely heading for a max-term agreement on his next contract so it’s understandable that he might want to see what the market brings in 2024. But for Backlund, a player who many thought would be a ‘forever Flame’, to be hesitant about an early extension is a sign of how much they’ve fallen over the past year and indicative of the team needing a busy summer to restore some faith in its direction.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
MacKenzie Weegar To Play At Worlds
- Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The 29-year-old had a bit of a down year in his first season with Calgary, seeing his point output dip from 44 to 31 (in 81 games) while his playing time was shaved by more than two minutes per game. While Weegar’s current contract expires in June, he has already locked in with the Flames for the long haul, inking an eight-year, $50MM extension back in October. This will be Weegar’s first time suiting up for Canada in an international tournament.
Rasmus Andersson Does Not Require Surgery
- Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press reports Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson does not require surgery in the offseason, but has been dealing with pain since a scooter accident in Detroit on February 8. The 26-year-old was riding a scooter to dinner that night when he was struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk. He went to hospital for observation but was released and he missed three games before returning to the lineup on February 16. He quickly returned to his role as a top-pairing defenseman, but did struggle down the stretch, scoring just one point in his final ten games.
Calgary Flames Reassign Three Players
After the Calgary Flames finished their disappointing season last night, they’ve sent three young players back to the minor leagues to chase a Calder Cup. Jakob Pelletier, Walker Duehr, and Dustin Wolf have been reassigned to the Calgary Wranglers.
Wolf stole the show in the regular season finale, exciting fans from his acrobatic pre-game routine to the final whistle on his debut victory. The 21-year-old netminder, who fell to the seventh round in 2019 because of his size, has dominated every level of hockey so far. An all-time performance in his WHL career led to incredible results in the AHL and now a .958 save percentage in his one-game NHL sample.
Through 53 appearances for the Wranglers this year, the diminutive goalie went 41-9-2 with a .932, and should help them challenge for a league title. Before long, you might see him as a regular in the Flames crease, especially given the struggles of Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar this year.
Pelletier, meanwhile, was the team’s first-round pick in 2019, and has had similar success at the minor league level. In 33 games with the Wranglers this year, he scored 16 goals and 36 points, leading to a significant call-up to the Flames. He recorded seven points through 24 games to start his NHL career and could be a regular as soon as next year.
Duehr, the oldest of the three at 25, was an undrafted free agent signing out of Minnesota State in 2021 and has 11 points in 27 games for the Flames this season. While not as highly regarded in the Calgary system, he’ll lend his size and versatility to the Wranglers as they go on a playoff run as the AHL’s top seed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Calgary Flames Recall Dustin Wolf
The Calgary Flames are giving their fans something to look forward to after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. Top goalie prospect Dustin Wolf has been recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, per the team, and will likely make his first NHL start tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
After being eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week, the Flames will let Wolf show what he can do in the best league in the world. He has very little left to prove in the minors, stonewalling the AHL with a 41-9-2 record, seven shutouts, and a .932 save percentage this season in 53 games.
A Calder Cup win is the next empty checkbox for Wolf, who has very quickly cemented himself among the top young netminders in the world after falling to the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
With both Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar signed through 2025, however, Wolf may have to wait a while to become a full-time NHLer despite being near-ready. The 21-year-old from Gilroy, California, could force the Flames to trade Vladar this offseason, who had a .892 save percentage in 27 games in 2022-23.
Latest On Chris Tanev
- Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter told the media today, including TSN Sports’ Salim Nadim Valji, that veteran defensive defenseman Chris Tanev is a game-time decision tonight against the Blackhawks. Tanev hasn’t played since March 20th, when the Flames suffered a miserable 8-2 loss in Los Angeles. With the Flames on a four-game winning streak and mounting a serious challenge to the Winnipeg Jets, getting Tanev back into the lineup would give his team a major boost. Tanev is the Flames’ leading penalty-killer by a wide margin and the experience, defensive prowess, and 20 rock-solid minutes a night he brings to the table could be just what the Calgary needs to push themselves past the Jets for the final Wild Card spot.
Calgary Flames Sign William Stromgren
The Calgary Flames have signed one of their better forward prospects, inking Swedish forward William Stromgren to his three-year entry-level contract on Wednesday. The contract will begin next season, making him a restricted free agent in 2026. He will report to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
Stromgren, selected 45th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, played in the SHL full-time for the first time this season. In 45 games with Brynäs IF, however, he recorded just eight points.
His production should be taken with a grain of salt, however. Brynäs finished near the bottom of the league and lost their relegation series, meaning they’ll be demoted to the second-tier Allsvenskan next season. With Stromgren already coming over to the city on an ATO, it appears that he’ll stay in North America next season rather than having Calgary loan him back to Sweden to help with Brynäs’ efforts to rejoin the SHL.
A big and fast winger, Stromgren also registered an assist in seven games at this past year’s World Junior Championship for Sweden. Set to turn 20 over the summer, Stromgren will look to find some more offensive opportunity in the minors.
Columbus Blue Jackets Issue Injury Updates
In what’s becoming a tired refrain, the Columbus Blue Jackets have issued multiple injury updates after a blowout loss over the weekend. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson‘s season is over with a separated shoulder, while defenseman Nick Blankenburg is week-to-week with an ankle injury and could also be done for the year. Winger Mathieu Olivier may have also played his last game this season, as he’s out two to four weeks with a lower leg bone bruise. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is also day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
For Gudbranson, the injury ends a rocky first campaign in Columbus after signing a four-year, $4MM average annual value contract in the offseason. The 31-year-old had 13 points in 70 games, seeing his defensive play regress back to some of the worst metrics in the league after a brief spike last season with the Calgary Flames.
Blankenburg has also struggled with injuries most of the year, but the 24-year-old rookie has played well. Some doubted Blankenburg’s NHL viability after signing with Columbus as a free agent out of college to end last season. Still, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound defender finished the year with 14 points in 36 games without being a complete defensive liability on a struggling team.
In his first season in Columbus, Olivier has set career highs in every offensive category, playing in 66 games and registering five goals and 15 points. The 26-year-old hard-nosed winger had found a consistent home on the team’s fourth line.
Without Merzlikins in the fold for the next few games, Columbus is down to minor-league veterans Michael Hutchinson and Jon Gillies as their netminders for the next few games.
Flames Sign Matt Coronato
The Flames had made it known that they wanted to sign top prospect Matt Coronato and they have gotten their wish as they announced that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike reports (Twitter links) that the contract carries a base salary of $925K in each season, has $850K in Schedule A bonuses in 2023-24 and 2024-25, and that the agreement begins this season.
The 20-year-old was a first-round pick by Calgary back in 2021 (13th overall) and he has had two productive seasons with Harvard since then. This season, Coronato had 20 goals and 16 assists in 36 games, good for third on the Crimson in scoring behind Montreal prospect Sean Farrell and Kings prospect Alex Laferriere which helped him earn a spot on the Second Team All-ECAC roster.
Coronato’s output was basically identical to a year ago when he also potted 36 points in 34 games with 18 goals and 18 assists. That performance was good enough to earn him Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2021-22. He becomes the third Harvard player to turn pro this weekend joining Farrell and Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun.
With the contract starting now, Coronato will not be eligible to play in the minors this season so instead, he’ll immediately join the Flames. Calgary is four points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference so it will be interesting to see if they turn to the youngster to see if he can provide a spark offensively or if they’ll keep him in the press box for the time being.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that the two sides were nearing a deal while Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to say the contract was finalized.