Flames’ Mikael Backlund Out Week-To-Week
Flames captain Mikael Backlund sustained an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s shootout loss to the Canucks, the team confirmed. He’s listed as week-to-week.
Backlund left the game midway through the first period and didn’t return after laying a hit on Vancouver defenseman Victor Mancini. The centerman skated off under his own power, but appeared to slightly twist his left shoulder/upper arm area while making the check.
With just over a month remaining in the regular season, it’s likely not a campaign-ender for Backlund – at least, the Flames hope so. They also lost forward Connor Zary to a two-game suspension after the loss. Hence, they’re now down a pair of top-nine fixtures for their next two games, both against playoff-bound teams in the Avalanche and Maple Leafs, as they look to outlast the Canucks, Blues, and Utah for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Backlund, who turns 36 next week, hasn’t missed a game since the 2020-21 campaign. His offensive totals have continued to decline over the past few years, producing just 11-13–24 through 64 games this year, but remains a top-tier defensive forward. He’s averaged nearly 19 minutes per game for the Flames this year while controlling 51.8% of shot attempts despite seeing only 37.7% of his even-strength zone starts in the offensive end.
Now in his 17th year with the Flames, Backlund is in the first season of the two-year, $9MM extension he signed in training camp in 2023. He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2026.
With Backlund confirmed out, Calgary’s recall of winger Dryden Hunt today qualifies as an emergency. They still have three of their four post-deadline recalls remaining after summoning Adam Klapka from the minors earlier this week. Hunt, 29, ranks second on the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers in scoring with 15-33–48 in 48 games. The 6’0″ depth forward will presumably draw into a bottom-six role for his first NHL game since Feb. 8, which marked his only NHL appearance of the season so far.
Flames Recall Dryden Hunt, Reassign Clark Bishop
The Flames announced Thursday they have recalled winger Dryden Hunt from AHL Calgary. In a corresponding transaction, Forward Clark Bishop is headed back to the minors, keeping the team’s active roster at a maximum of 23 players.
Hunt, 29, has been in the Calgary organization since they acquired him from the Maple Leafs before the 2023 trade deadline. He hit unrestricted free agency for a day the following summer before signing a two-year, two-way deal to return to the Flames, which he’s now a few months away from finishing up. He was initially an undrafted free agent signing by the Panthers in 2016 and has since carved out a journeyman’s career as an NHL/AHL tweener with decent bottom-six utility.
He was recalled once earlier this season after clearing waivers during training camp but didn’t see any game action. It’s unclear whether that will change, as the Flames still have 12 healthy forwards without him. Hunt last saw NHL action in April 2024, so he’s likely to serve as a scratch tonight against the Avalanche.
The 6’0″ winger is amid a strong season for the Wranglers, leading the AHL club in scoring with 12-28–40 in 41 games. He’s hovered shy of a point per game for the club since making his Wranglers debut in 2023, totaling 77 points in 81 games. He’s routinely been a productive minor-league producer in the past, too, with a 100-136–236 scoring line in 310 career AHL appearances.
Hunt has also played 230 NHL games across eight seasons with the Avalanche, Coyotes, Flames, Maple Leafs, Panthers, and Rangers, scoring 18-33–51 and having a -30 rating. Last year, he averaged 11:08 per game across 28 appearances for Calgary, scoring 3-5–8 and ranking third on the team with 14.05 hits per 60 minutes.
Bishop, 28, had a goal and a minus-two rating in six games since being recalled on Jan. 23. He’s been a healthy scratch in Calgary’s last two contests after logging his first NHL action since February 2022. He, Hunt, Rory Kerins, and Adam Klapka are a few of the names the Flames have rotated into bottom-six roles while they deal with season-ending ACL tears for Justin Kirkland and Anthony Mantha and a lengthy absence for Connor Zary due to a knee injury.
Flames Re-Assign Adam Klapka
Saturday: Klapka has been reassigned to the minors, the Flames announced. While he was on the roster for three games, he didn’t suit up in any of them.
Monday: The Flames announced Monday that they’ve recalled forward Adam Klapka from AHL Calgary. He fills the roster spot vacated by Dryden Hunt, whose reassignment to the minors evaded our coverage over the weekend.
Klapka, 24, made the Flames’ opening night roster but was sent to the AHL on Oct. 30 to make room for Samuel Honzek, who was coming off injured reserve at the time. Honzek has since been sent to the minors, as the Flames have done quite a lot of roster shuffling regarding their young players over the past couple of weeks.
During that three-week window, Klapka was rostered for nine games, playing in five of them. The 6’7″, 238-lb center/winger failed to record a point but had a +1 rating, five blocks and 18 hits while averaging 8:27 per game. It was the Prague native’s second NHL trial after appearing in six games for the Flames last season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process.
The Flames acquired the towering forward when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Czechia’s Bílí Tygři Liberec early in the 2022 offseason. He’s scored 37 goals, 39 assists and 76 points in 130 AHL games since, including five points through five games this season since being demoted late last month. He was a restricted free agent for over a month last summer before agreeing to a two-way deal ($775K/$100K) to bring him back to Calgary in mid-August.
Despite the recall, Klapka is expected to watch tonight’s game against the Kings from the press box, according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. Ryan Lomberg, Kevin Rooney and Justin Kirkland will continue to comprise the Flames’ fourth line.
Hunt was returned to the minors on Saturday night following the team’s shootout loss to the Sabres. He did not play during his brief two-day recall. Now in his third season with the Flames organization, the 28-year-old has two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 12 AHL games this year.
Flames Place Anthony Mantha On Injured Reserve, Recall Dryden Hunt
Flames winger Anthony Mantha has landed on injured reserve, per Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia. Head coach Ryan Huska told reporters earlier in the day, including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg, that Mantha was still undergoing evaluation for a lower-body injury and would miss tonight’s game against the Bruins. The open roster spot is going to forward Dryden Hunt, who the team announced has been recalled from AHL Calgary.
Given his IR placement is retroactive to his last game (Nov. 5), Mantha will miss Calgary’s next three games and can return as soon as next Tuesday against the Canucks. The organization has yet to give him an official injury designation, so it’s unclear how much time, if any, he’ll miss past the mandatory minimum.
Mantha suffered the injury on Tuesday versus Montreal after falling awkwardly on his right knee after a hit from Emil Heineman. He got up under his own power and skated off the ice, albeit slowly, without the assistance of a trainer. He didn’t return to the game.
It’s been an inconsistent start in Calgary for Mantha, who inked a one-year, $3.5MM contract in free agency. The 6’5″ winger had two goals and two assists in his first three games but has gone cold since then, limited to three points in his last 10 appearances.
He’s averaging only 1.15 shots on goal per game, something Huska recently said has to change. “You saw tonight, there were multiple times he was standing right in front of the net,” Huska told reporters (including Gilbertson) after Sunday’s loss to the Oilers. “That’s how he scored his goal. And for a guy that is his size and has his ability with the puck, that’s what we need out of him.”
Kevin Rooney will enter the lineup in Mantha’s place after sitting as a healthy scratch three times in the last seven games, per Derek Willis of Sportsnet 960. Hunt comes up to serve as an extra body in case the Flames sustain any more injuries up front and need a last-minute fill-in. The 28-year-old had eight points in 28 games for Calgary last year and has 10 points in 12 AHL games so far this season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Waiver Wire: 10/3/24
All 12 players placed on waivers yesterday passed through unclaimed, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports. PuckPedia relays that 17 new names hit the wire today for teams to claim over the next 24 hours:
Calgary Flames
F Walker Duehr
F Dryden Hunt
D Jarred Tinordi
Florida Panthers
F Rasmus Asplund
D Tobias Björnfot
F Zac Dalpe
D Jaycob Megna
Nashville Predators
Seattle Kraken
Toronto Maple Leafs
Utah Hockey Club
F Andrew Agozzino
D Patrik Koch
F Ben McCartney
Winnipeg Jets
F Axel Jonsson-Fjällby
D Simon Lundmark
F Mason Shaw
F Dominic Toninato
Flames Make Multiple Roster Moves
The Flames recalled forward Dryden Hunt from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers and activated goaltender Daniel Vladař off injured reserve in simultaneous transactions Friday morning, according to a team announcement. To clear the two necessary roster spots, the team assigned forward Cole Schwindt and netminder Dustin Wolf to the Wranglers.
Hunt, 28, has played in four games for the Flames this season, all coming within the first few weeks of the campaign after he made the NHL roster out of training camp. He has not been recalled since the Flames placed him on waivers and reassigned him to the minors in early November.
The undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers in 2016 has done quite well in his latest minor-league stint, posting seven goals and 22 points with a +11 rating in 23 games. The veteran of over 200 NHL games is on his fourth NHL team in the last two seasons after bouncing between the Rangers, Avalanche and Maple Leafs in 2022-23.
Calgary acquired Hunt in a deadline swap of minor-league forwards from Toronto at last year’s trade deadline, but he did not play for the team in the season’s final weeks. He reached unrestricted free agency without an extension in hand on July 1. Still, the Flames brought him back to the organization one day into the signing period with a two-year, two-way deal worth $1.55MM that pays him a minimum guaranteed salary of $400K this year and next.
Hunt scored three goals in 37 games split between the trio mentioned above of squads last season, averaging a career-low 8:04 per game. His expected -2.2 rating was also a career low. He is, however, two years removed from posting a career-high 17 points in 76 games with the Rangers in the 2021-22 campaign.
Vladař returns to the active roster after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury sustained off-ice. He hasn’t played since starting three straight games in mid-January, backing up starter Jacob Markström in five straight before landing on IR last week. The 26-year-old has a career-low .888 SV% and 3.27 GAA, not counting his five-game stint with the Bruins in 2020-21, and has a 7-7-2 record in 16 starts. This year is his third season backing up Markström after being brought over from Boston for a third-round pick in the summer of 2021.
While Markström’s high-end performance this season has generated a significant amount of trade interest, Vladař could be a chip for the Flames to move out if dealing the final three years of Markström’s $6MM AAV deal becomes too much of an obstacle in-season. The 26-year-old is signed through next season at a $2.2MM cap hit.
Schwindt returns to the Wranglers after playing 7:40 in yesterday’s 6-3 loss to the Sharks, posting zeros across the board. He has 2 PIMs, one shot on goal, and a -1 rating in four NHL showings this season dating back to late January.
The latest NHL shot for the 22-year-old Wolf didn’t go as planned. Calgary’s top goalie prospect conceded six goals on 31 shots against the division-worst Sharks last night, dropping his NHL SV% in 2023-24 to .878 through five starts and one relief appearance. The 6-foot California native has still performed at an elite level with the Wranglers, though, recording a .927 SV%, four shutouts, and an 18-7-2 record in 28 games.
Calgary Flames Place Dryden Hunt On Waivers
Nov. 8: Hunt has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, per a team announcement.
Nov. 7: With the news coming earlier today that forward Adam Ruzicka will be back in the lineup tonight against the Nashville Predators, the Calgary Flames have placed forward Dryden Hunt on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg. Primarily serving as a depth forward for Calgary up to this point, Hunt has zero points in four games, averaging just under 13 minutes of ice time per night.
If he ultimately clears waivers by tomorrow, Hunt will return to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, Hunt will return to a team where he had tremendous success after a midseason trade last year from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. In 17 games for the Wranglers to finish the year, Hunt put up five goals and 10 assists in 17 games, as well as six points in nine playoff appearances.
This past summer, Hunt chose to re-sign with the Flames on a two-year, $1.55MM contract, hoping to crack Calgary’s NHL roster. Only playing in one game prior to the shoulder injury sustained by Ruzicka, his missing presence in the lineup allowed Hunt to sneak into a few more games before finally being sent down this afternoon.
As a benefit to Hunt, if he does clear waivers, the Flames will not need to send him through waivers again for the next 30 days, giving him and the team more flexibility to move him up and down throughout the organization. However, for the time being, Hunt at the very least will have much more access to playing time for the Wranglers.
Calgary Flames Sign Three Players
The depth signings continue for a few teams on day two of free agency, and the Calgary Flames have now joined the fray. The team has announced a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract with forward Dryden Hunt, as well as separate one-year, $775K, two-way contracts with Martin Pospisil and Colton Poolman.
Hunt headlines the group, as he was brought over as a trade deadline acquisition from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. It would end up being Hunt’s third team of the season, as he originally started the 2022-23 campaign off with the Colorado Avalanche. It’s not a surprise that Calgary wanted to keep him, as Hunt got off to a torrid start with Calgary Wranglers of the AHL. In 17 games played following his acquisition, Hunt scored five goals and 10 assists as well as chipping in another six points in nine playoff games.
Unfortunately for Pospisil, he wasn’t as big of a factor in the Wrangler’s season last year. Only suiting up in 20 games, Pospisil scored four goals and six assists, failing to appear in any playoff games. The Zvolen, Slovakia native has gotten more playing time in the past with the Stockton Heat, but figures to be a depth scorer at the AHL level at best.
Much like Pospisil, Poolman doesn’t put up earth-shattering offensive numbers but has shown to be a very disciplined shutdown defenseman. The former captain at the University of North Dakota, Poolman put up two goals and 12 assists last year for the Wranglers, carrying a +18 rating and serving only eight minutes in the penalty box. The ability to defend against the opposing team’s top players will always serve as a benefit in any league.
Calgary Flames Acquire Dryden Hunt
After losing four straight going into the deadline, the Calgary Flames will make a depth addition to the forward group. Shayna Goldman of The Athletic reports that Dryden Hunt will head to Calgary—his fourth team of this season. Darren Dreger of TSN adds that Radim Zohorna will be the return for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Starting with the New York Rangers, Hunt was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche, traded to the Maple Leafs, and now sent to Calgary at the deadline. He has scored exactly one goal at each of his previous stops, playing three games for New York, 25 for Colorado, and nine for Toronto before clearing waivers to play in the minor leagues.
Hunt, 27, has scored just 15 goals in his 202-game NHL career, but adds speed and physical play to a fourth line. That’s the kind of thing Darryl Sutter teams love, meaning he’ll likely be in the lineup every night for the Flames moving forward.
His acquisition was basically free, given Zohorna was claimed off waivers earlier this season as well. The 6’6″ center has been playing with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL, scoring 29 points in 40 games. In Toronto, he’ll likely stay in the minor leagues and serve as emergency depth, given how many forwards they have for their playoff run.
Anton Blidh, Dryden Hunt Clear Waivers
Jan 23: Both players have cleared waivers, meaning they can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Jan 22: Two players will be on today’s waiver wire, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Colorado Avalanche have waived forward Anton Blidh, while the Toronto Maple Leafs have waived forward Dryden Hunt.
Blidh lands on waivers for the second time this season after clearing them before the start of the regular season. After signing a one-year, two-way deal to join the Avalanche last offseason, Blidh has made 13 NHL appearances as injuries have stricken the team’s forward corps. He’s yet to get on the scoresheet.
If Blidh clears, he’ll return to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. There, he has six goals, three assists, and nine points in 23 games. While he’s never been an offensive force in the minors, the 2013 sixth-round pick was brought to Colorado to provide a hard-nosed depth option, similar to the role Nicolas Aube-Kubel held last year.
Hunt, on the other hand, now runs the risk of suiting up for his fourth NHL team just this season. Waived by the New York Rangers a week into the season, he was claimed by the Avalanche to serve as an upgrade over Blidh’s role. After scoring once in 25 games with Colorado, he was dealt to the Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Denis Malgin.
With just one point (a goal) in nine games with the Leafs, though, the organization has opted to try and sneak him through waivers. Hunt was a full-time NHLer last season with the Rangers, recording 17 points in 76 games. He’s in the final year of a two-year contract carrying a cap hit of $762,500.