Flames Notes: Markstrom, Weegar, Kylington, Pospisil
In an article from Salim Valji of TSN, all signs indicate that goaltender Jacob Markstrom has played his last game as a member of the Calgary Flames. After almost being traded to the New Jersey Devils at this year’s trade deadline, the schism between Markstrom and the front office does not have evidence of it being an issue that can be rectified internally.
When asked where he envisioned himself next season, he bluntly responded, “I don’t know“. Not appreciating the idea of being a part of the inevitable retool of the Flames roster, Markstrom continued, “What I do know is I love winning hockey games. I think that’s the competitive side of me. Every time I lace up the skates, that’s something I want – to win hockey games“.
With the Devils maintaining their interest in acquiring Markstrom this offseason, his market may be more robust than just a singular disappointing team from this season. With each team preparing for next year at this moment, or at some point throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Markstrom’s market could extend to the Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, or the Philadelphia Flyers over the next couple of months.
Other Flames notes:
- In somewhat of a malcontent response to Markstrom’s approach to the offseason, one player has no intentions of leaving Calgary any time soon. According to beat reporter Wes Gilbertson, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar not only wants to stay with the Flames organization but believes that the future is very exciting for this team. Finishing off the first season of an eight-year, $50MM extension with Calgary, Weegar was a boon to the Flames this season, scoring 20 goals and 52 points in all 82 games.
- Another player who wishes to remain in southern Alberta is defenseman Oliver Kylington, who Daniel Sun of the Calgary Sun writes is hoping for an extension with the only organization he has ever known. After taking nearly a year and a half away from the game, Kylington was able to suit up in 33 games for Calgary, scoring three goals and eight points in the process. With a thinned-out defensive core from the trade deadline, the Flames should be amicable in bringing back Kylington for the next few seasons.
- Now that Calgary’s season has come to an end, some players on the team may opt to join their respective international clubs for this summer’s rendition of the IIHF World Championship. Per a team announcement, forward Martin Pospisil will be doing just that, as the Flames announce he will be rostered on Team Slovakia for this year’s tournament. It will be the first time since the 2018-19 season that Pospisil has suited up for Team Slovakia in an international event, with the last coming during that year’s IIHF World Junior Championships.
Pacific Notes: Bellemare, Danault, Turcotte, Pospisil
Close to reaching a milestone of playing in 700 regular season games at the NHL level, it appears that Seattle Kraken forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare does not want to stop there. In an article from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Bellemare indicated that even if he is unable to reach 700 this season with the Kraken, he would be content with reaching it next year.
In the article, Bellemare was quoted as saying, “So, I feel like it’s more the people that know me and maybe have an idea about my path and the work and everything. But at the end of the day, I’m not planning on retiring, so if it doesn’t happen this year, it will be at another point. And if it takes me 80 more games to pick up whatever’s left it will be what it is“.
Even if Bellemare does not hold the benchmark in high regard, it is quite a testament to his work ethic, as he originally came into the league during the 2014-15 season to the Philadelphia Flyers organization as a free agent. Throughout his 10 years in the league, Bellemare has suited up for the Flyers, Kraken, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Tampa Bay Lightning, earning a total of $10.525MM up to this point in his career.
Other Pacific notes:
- In an update from Eric Stephens of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Kings will be receiving center Phillip Danault back into the lineup this evening. Usually one of the more consistently healthy players in the league, Danault went down with an upper-body injury on March 28th and has missed the last four games for the Kings. Included in the report was an update on injured Los Angeles forward Alex Turcotte, who was spotted back at practice in a non-contact jersey this morning. Compared to Danault, Turcotte has been out much longer for the Kings, as he has not appeared in a contest since March 19th due to an upper-body injury.
- In the Calgary Flames most recent matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, forward Martin Pospisil delivered a check to Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey, with Pospisil’s elbow appearing to make contact with Morrissey’s chin. Pospisil was ejected based on the play; however, it does not appear that the league will be giving him supplemental discipline (X Link). Earlier this year, Pospisil hit Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn from behind and was suspended for three games by the Department of Player Safety.
Flames’ Martin Pospisil Suspended Three Games
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday that Flames winger Martin Pospisil has been suspended for three games for boarding Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn in the third period of Monday’s game. His suspension opens a roster spot for the Flames as they continue to work out a trade to send top-four blue-liner Noah Hanifin to the Golden Knights.
Pospisil was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the play. Dunn sustained an apparent head injury and did not return for the game’s final minutes.
The Department of Player Safety said Pospisil’s actions constituted supplemental discipline because “the onus is on Pospisil to avoid this hit entirely, change his angle of approach and deliver this check legally, or, at the very least, minimize the impact of this hit. Instead, with time to make a different decision, Pospisil chooses to drive Dunn forcefully into the boards from behind.”
Pospisil, 24, has not been fined or suspended throughout his 45-game NHL career. Since making his Flames debut in early November, the 2018 fourth-round pick has worked his way into a full-time role, posting six goals, nine assists, and 15 points with a +8 rating. The Zvolen, Slovakia native has demonstrated a willingness to play on the edge and has gotten burned for it, garnering 72 PIMs. It’s otherwise been a promising rookie season for Pospisil, who boasts a 53.5 CF% at even strength and a +0.9 expected rating while logging 12:06 per game.
His suspension means Nazem Kadri is now without both his most common linemates this season, Pospisil and rookie Connor Zary. Zary is on injured reserve and listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. In their absence, Kadri is expected to center midseason trade pickup Andrei Kuzmenko and 2019 first-round pick Jakob Pelletier.
Pacific Notes: Soucy, Pospisil, Zary, Stalock
Harman Dayal of The Athletic is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy will return to the lineup tonight as the team takes on the Los Angeles Kings. Soucy has been out of the lineup for a month and a half with a broken hand suffered on January 20th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It is the second time this season that Soucy has broken a bone with the first being a broken leg that kept him out of the lineup for two months. On the year, injuries have limited Soucy to just 21 games with Vancouver, scoring two goals and six points overall.
Signed to a three-year, $9.75MM contract with the Canucks this past summer, Soucy still has plenty of time to recover and become an important factor of Vancouver’s defensive core. With Soucy now back in the mix, the Canucks should be able to field one of the league’s deepest defensive units come playoff time, as long as Tyler Myers can return in due time from his undisclosed injury.
Other Pacific notes:
- Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil is set to have a hearing for boarding Seattle Kraken’s Vince Dunn yesterday evening, according to the Department of Player Safety. During the play in question, Dunn received the puck below the goal line in Seattle’s defensive zone, with his back completely turned to the rest of the ice. Pospisil delivered a body check to Dunn while he was in a vulnerable spot, and was issued a five-minute major penalty on the play.
- Sticking in Calgary, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation is reporting that the Flames have placed forward Connor Zary on the team’s injured reserve, retroactively to the team’s game on Saturday. This allowed Calgary to open up a roster this afternoon to claim defenseman Joel Hanley off of waivers from the Dallas Stars.
- The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goaltender Alex Stalock to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. Even with this transaction marking the fourth time that Stalock has been brought up to the NHL level this year, he has yet to suit up in a game for Anaheim. At the AHL level, Stalock has appeared in 11 contests for the Gulls, earning a 1-9-1 record with a .892 SV%.
Calgary Flames Sign Martin Pospisil To Two-Year Extension
The Calgary Flames have signed forward Martin Pospisil to a two-year, $2MM contract extension. The new deal will carry a $1MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season.
Pospisil has become a fan-favorite since playing in his NHL debut on November 4th. He scored his first career goal in his first game, kicking off a hot streak that saw Pospisil net three goals and five points in his first seven NHL games. He’s lost his scoring touch since, totaling just 11 points through 34 games up to this point. His role has become much grittier, with Pospisil tallying 23 penalty minutes since January 1st – more than any other Flame. He’s up to 37 penalty minutes on the season, ranking second on the team to Andrew Mangiapane.
Calgary drafted Pospisil in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He’s already played more NHL games than all but two players taken that round, behind Philipp Kurashev and Paul Cotter. Pospisil turned pro soon after getting drafted, playing 26 games with the Flames AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, in the 2019-20 season. He recorded 10 points and 56 penalty minutes that season – ranking third on the team in penalty minutes despite playing roughly 20 fewer games than anyone else in the top five.
Pospisil made his professional debut soon after his draft, playing in 26 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat in the 2019-20 season. He quickly established himself as a physical presence, ranking third on the team with 56 penalty minutes, despite sitting out 29 of the team’s 45 games. That presence has followed him, with Pospisil setting a career-high 95 penalty minutes in 47 games during the 2021-22 season. He’s now proving his physicality at the top level, throwing hits at a rate greater than any other Flame and earning his first million-dollar contract. That physicality got him into some trouble last night against Boston when he received a major penalty for cross-checking but Sportsnet’s Eric Francis relayed earlier today that there would be no supplementary discipline heading his way.
Transaction Notes: Flames, Golden Knights, Wild, Blackhawks, Lightning
While most teams prepare for an informal roster freeze over the upcoming NHL All-Star break, many are also stripping their roster down to the bare minimum to save as much cap space for the encroaching trade deadline in early March. Today, the Calgary Flames activated forward Martin Pospisil from the injured reserve, while optioning Matthew Coronato, Adam Klapka, and Cole Schwindt to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
According to Ryan Pike of Flames Nation, this set of transactions by the Flames will save the organization approximately $497K in cap space, just by sending them down over the All-Star break. As one of the expected sellers leading into this year’s trade deadline, the nearly half a million in cap space could allow Calgary to weaponize their cap space, as many deadline sellers have done.
For development’s sake, with the NHL returning to regular season action on February 5th, the trio of players sent down by the Flames today will have the opportunity to play in three games for the Wranglers. Coronato projects to factor in the most, still leading Calgary’s AHL team in points, having already scored 12 goals and 29 points in 27 games for the Wranglers this season.
Other transaction notes:
- Similarly to the Flames, the Vegas Golden Knights have optioned Brendan Brisson, Sheldon Rempal, and Jonas Rondbjerg to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, per a team announcement. Having been recalled on January 18th via an emergency loan, Rempal has largely been the most successful of the bunch over the last several games for the Golden Knights, scoring a goal against both the New York Islanders and New York Rangers over the last four contests.
- In an announcement earlier this afternoon, the Minnesota Wild sent down forward Jake Lucchini and goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Not only one of the best prospects in the Wild organization but one of the best prospects across the league, Wallstedt was able to make his NHL debut in his previous call-up coming in early January, stopping 27 of 34 shots in the team’s loss against the Dallas Stars on January 10th.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have sent down forward Cole Guttman and defenseman Louis Crevier to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, per a media release this afternoon. Guttman has been the much better player in Rockford this season, playing with the team through much of October and November. Over that stretch, Guttman scored three goals and nine points in 12 games for the IceHogs, tying him for 12th on the team in scoring for the season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning made similar roster moves today, sending down Maxwell Crozier, Mitchell Chaffee, and Waltteri Merela to their longtime AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Although neither of the three have made a large impact in their limited NHL experience, Chaffee has been the most successful over the last stretch, earning a goal and an assist in the team’s recent victory against the Arizona Coyotes on January 25th.
A.J. Greer Out Eight Weeks With Foot Fracture
The Flames got some bad news on the injury front on Saturday. While they were hopeful that winger A.J. Greer avoided a fracture on his foot, that wasn’t the case as the team announced (Twitter link) that he will miss the next eight weeks due to a foot fracture.
The 27-year-old is in his first year with Calgary after being claimed off waivers late in training camp from Boston. Since then, Greer has been a regular on the fourth line for the Flames, playing in 47 of 48 games, picking up six goals and four assists while chipping in with 77 hits despite averaging less than nine minutes a night of ice time.
Notably, Calgary hasn’t brought anyone up from the AHL’s Wranglers despite Blake Coleman also being banged up. Instead, Coleman will play through his hand injury per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link), giving them 12 available forwards against Chicago.
Winger Martin Pospisil took part in the morning skate, giving hope that he’d return but they’ll give him the extra rest instead. The 24-year-old has held his own in his first taste of NHL action, collecting four goals and seven assists in 33 games. He has been out a little more than a week due to his lower-body injury.
Once Pospisil is officially activated after the break, Calgary’s roster will be at 23 skaters although Greer can easily be shifted onto injured reserve. Considering their tight cap situation, there’s a good chance that Greer will eventually land on LTIR although with a cap hit of just $762.5K, the extra flexibility they’d gain from that would be quite limited but it would be enough to get a recall up from the Wranglers if needed.
Calgary Flames Make Several Roster Moves
With less than an hour to go before the Battle of Alberta, the Calgary Flames made a few transactions earlier today that will shape their roster for this evening’s matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. Today, the team announced that forward Martin Pospisil would be placed on injured reserve, and defenseman Dennis Gilbert would be activated off of injured reserve. Furthermore, in the same announcement, the team has recalled defenseman Oliver Kylington from his LTI conditioning loan in the AHL, meaning he could be activated off of LTIR very shortly.
Pospisil is dealing with an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s most recent game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it will likely keep him out until after the NHL All-Star break in a couple of weeks. Primarily serving as a bottom/middle six player for Calgary this season, Pospisil has scored four goals and 11 points in 33 games up to this point in the year.
Also suffering from an upper-body injury, Gilbert had been out for a couple of weeks, having not played since the team’s January 4th game against the Nashville Predators. Gilbert will draw back into the team’s bottom-pairing on defense, a role that has seen him score one goal and seven points in 28 games this season.
Most importantly, the Flames are nearing the long-awaited return of Kylington, who has not played in an NHL game since May 26th, 2022. Feeling ready to return to hockey, he received a two-game stint with Calgary’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, but was unable to score a point throughout his conditioning loan.
There is by no means that Kylington will come back into the lineup and become a new groundbreaking defenseman for the Flames, but with a plethora of defensemen set for unrestricted free agency this upcoming offseason, a strong start from Kylington may make the team more comfortable to sell off some of their defensive core by the time the trade deadline comes around.
West Notes: Saros, Gaudreau, Pospisil
Earlier this season, Predators general manager Barry Trotz shut down any trade rumors involving star netminder Juuse Saros, stating he had full intent to re-sign him before his contract expires in 2025. That remains the case, but TSN’s Pierre LeBrun believes Trotz may at least listen to offers he receives for the 28-year-old, he said in his latest for The Athletic.
It would, of course, take a gargantuan offer for the Predators to part with the third cog in their string of superstar netminders that links back to the days of Tomáš Vokoun in the early 2000s. LeBrun says a trade offer centered around draft picks won’t do the trick – rather, Trotz would require a young but established NHLer with first-line-caliber skills.
Further decreasing the likelihood of a Saros deal is a trade market that LeBrun says, later in the same article, is facing an increased level of parity this year. The Stanley Cup contention field is much more open than in recent seasons, and most teams at the top of the standings have a clear weakness that needs addressing. LeBrun that could lead to just a few teams going “all-in” at the deadline, with most preferring to hold onto their assets. That’s also because buyers will have a smaller market to choose from – many fringe playoff teams are expected to avoid being full sellers on March 8 and could hold onto their high-value assets and pending UFAs in hopes of squeaking into the postseason.
Saros’ .903 SV% this season isn’t terribly impressive, but it’s quite easy to see that it’s an outlier. He’s finished within the top eight of Vezina Trophy voting over the last three seasons and, prior to this year, had never posted a SV% south of .914 in a full season.
Elsewhere from the Western Conference:
- Wild forward Frédérick Gaudreau is doubtful for tonight’s game against the Panthers, said The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 30-year-old skated over nine minutes in last night’s 7-3 loss to the Lightning before leaving with an upper-body injury early in the third period. Per Smith, the Wild don’t yet have a timeline for Gaudreau’s return to the lineup, and he’ll continue to undergo evaluation today. The veteran has three goals in 34 games this year after notching double-digit goal totals in his first two seasons with the Wild. The lack of production is concerning in the first season of a five-year, $10.5MM contract, especially without the aging curve on his side. Winger Adam Raska will return to the lineup in Gaudreau’s absence after being scratched for three straight games.
- Flames rookie Martin Pospisil will avoid a long-term absence after taking a scary fall into the boards last night versus the Maple Leafs, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports. The 24-year-old will miss roughly two weeks, though, and will likely return soon after the All-Star break. He sustained an upper-body injury after his skates came together with those of Toronto superstar Auston Matthews, causing him to trip and fold awkwardly (video via Sportsnet, viewer discretion advised). The 2018 fourth-round pick has 4-7–11 in 33 games since being recalled from AHL Calgary in early November. In Pospisil’s absence, 23-year-old Adam Klapka (who stands at a hulking 6-foot-8 and 236 pounds) will make his NHL debut at home in tomorrow’s Battle of Alberta.
Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Ferraro, Flames, Amadio, Kane
Earlier this week, news coming out of the Board of Governors meetings indicated a sizeable increase in the salary cap for next season, with most estimations projecting a $4.2MM increase, the largest increase in the last five seasons. One team that will benefit most from this salary cap increase will undoubtedly be the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights, who are pressed tightly against the cap.
Heading into next summer, the Golden Knights have four players set to hit restricted free agency, and another six hitting unrestricted free agency, including Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, and Alec Martinez. If the cap were to remain flat next year, Vegas would have only around $18.39MM to retain 10 players, but will now have around $22.59MM, giving them much more breathing room to keep their core.
In an article in The Athletic by Jesse Granger, Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon was quoted saying, “We are hopeful with a bump in the salary cap that we’ll be able to keep this core together. We like our team a lot.” For the core specifically, it is reasonable to expect raises given to both Marchessault and Stephenson given their production over the last several seasons, however, Vegas may even have the financial flexibility to improve their team next offseason.
Other notes:
- With only three months away from the 2023-24 NHL trade deadline, the league is quickly separating itself into buyers and sellers. One seller, the San Jose Sharks, has been receiving plenty of interest in defenseman Mario Ferraro, as reported last week. However, in an article published today by Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, Ferraro gave indication he has no desire to leave San Jose, saying, “I feel like I have unfinished business here. This organization has done so much for me, right? I feel like I still owe them and the fans.“
- Per a team announcement, the Calgary Flames announced that forwards Martin Pospisil and Walker Duehr were out of the lineup tonight with both suffering from the flu. Inching their way back into the playoff conversation, Pospisil and Duehr have been effective depth forward options for the Flames this season, scoring five points and four points in 15 games, respectively.
- A notable missing piece from the Golden Knights lineup tonight was forward, Michael Amadio, who is out due to personal reasons (X Link). Typically, a bottom-six forward is not a large missing piece in any lineup, but with five goals and 15 points in 27 games this season, Amadio sits sixth on Vegas in scoring, while sitting 19th in ATOI.
- After his hit last night on Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers’ forward Evander Kane was given a warning by the Department of Player Safety (X Link). It as an interesting decision by the league, as replay evidence shows that Kane finished his check on Brodin even with Brodin’s back turned to him.