A bit of Flames news today as well a few thoughts on the roster.
Kylington Speaks Up
Henrik Sjöberg of hockeynews.se caught up with Oliver Kylington this week about the challenges he has faced recently. The 26 year old left defenceman has dealt with family issues and mental health issues. The two go hand in hand.
It’s great that he took some time and addressed his problems head-on. Mental health is a journey. Here’s to taking positive steps in the right direction.
The 6’0” 183lb speedster will return to the National Hockey League this preseason. He’ll be playing under a Head Coach that has gotten positive results out of him in the past in Ryan Huska. The two worked together for three seasons in Stockton before both made their transition to the NHL in their respective roles in 2018-2019.
Free Advice
The Calgary Flames added a third Pro Scout to the organization with the hiring of former Flame Brad Richardson. This move coincidentally came in the wake of one Flames writer @Trevor_Neufeld publishing a criticism of Calgary’s underwhelming pro scouting department. Surely a coincidence, but that piece did seem to get a lot of traction on social media.
Given this space’s premature (and quickly proven incorrect) criticism of the initial signing of Brad Richardson as a player — let’s call it a wash. Brad played 27 games with the Flames in 2021-2022 amassing four points and 27 penalty minutes. His tight-to-the-belt playing style provided solid results in a fourth line checking role.
The now 38 year old played for six NHL organizations over his 17-year playing career. His familiarity around the league and depth of knowledge regarding the nuances within the classical checking role should suit him well in his new career path.
Not Scaring Anyone
Let’s take a look at the projected lines if the season started today. It’s anyone’s guess how the forward lines shake out, but this layout is well within the realm of possibility.
We see a good amount of youth making the roster. Duehr would act as the playmaker on line four. Hopefully, Kadri is healthy and back in form. He and Sharangovich will use their wheels to open space for Huberdeau. Mangiapane will be back to form after shoulder surgery and should work well with Dube.
Mind you, the pairings aren’t decided. Rolling out Kylington and Zadorov as a unit is just asking for trouble, but putting either Weegar or Tanev on a theoretical “third pairing” feels wrong as well. The chemistry will establish itself during the preseason.
Does anyone else get the impression that this roster isn’t worrying anyone on the night before a game?
We don’t need to venture into copycat territory to acknowledge how much bullying played a role in postseason success during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Florida made three rosters say “uncle” before they ran out of cartilage against Vegas. Vegas had their weakest games of the playoffs when Edmonton went gangbusters on the Golden Knights roster.
Oh boy. An age restriction on the video? Might be worth hitting the link.
We’ve went to lengths discussing how the lack of a true enforcing presence eventually led to the injuring center Nazem Kadri on February 6, 2023. You can find a more in-depth article here.
For those with less time, Jacob Trouba ran multiple Flames players that night and Dillon Dube was eventually forced to take an instigator penalty sticking up for Kadri. Dube himself took a big hit as did the presumably already injured Milan Lucic.
It’s a safe bet that this issue is on General Manager Craig Conroy’s mind. The rookie GM pointed out in a recent interview with Robb Kerr on the Only a Game podcast that he had a major role in identifying Ryan Lomberg and Garnet Hathaway as NHL prospects when the two played in the NCAA. The Flames brain trust knows the value of spark and intimidation on a pro hockey roster.
Confirmed by the player, Conroy even made a push early in July to sign Radko Gudas before Anaheim signed him to a three-year, $12,000,000 contract. Craig clearly would like to add some muscle to the lineup.
Alright, say Dennis Gilbert makes the team as the number seven on the blue line. Jordan Oesterle is waived and his $925,000 salary doesn’t count against the cap until he’s recalled. That leaves the organization with a little over a league minimum contract in cap space to bring in a 13th forward. $761,661 to be precise.
Oh god. No. That can’t be Mitch McLain’s music. The Wranglers winger with a nose for the net who drew Darnell Nurse into not one, but two fights in one preseason game last fall? I thought he was signed to an AHL deal.
Is the idea out of left field? Sure — but McLain plays a defined brand of hockey. He breaks collapsed defences and makes life miserable on the opposition. Sometimes to the point where they’re not paying as much attention to their next shift against say Jonathan Huberdeau, Jakob Pelletier, or Nazem Kadri. A two-way deal at a league minimum $750,000 might be all it takes.
The Baxter, Minnesota native recorded 16 goals, 28 points and 108 penalty minutes in 56 AHL games last season.
Trevor Neufeld
@Trevor_Neufeld
Stats via eliteprospects.com. Contract information provided by capfriendly.com. Shoutout to Capologist Jean Francois C. @MtlfanSakic on Twitter for some cap guidance. Henrik Sjöberg can be found on Twitter. @sjobergh
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