After bringing in veteran goaltender Jeff Glass on a PTO deal on Monday, the Flames may not be done yet. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports (Twitter link) that Calgary is expected to invite defenseman Justin Falk as well as winger Zach O’Brien to training camp as well.
Falk spent the last two years with the Sabres in a sixth/seventh role. He played in 46 games with Buffalo last season, recording a goal and an assist while logging 16:05 per night in ice time, his highest ATOI since 2011-12. The 29-year-old has 269 games of NHL experience under his belt over parts of nine seasons with the Wild, Rangers, Blue Jackets, and Sabres.
Meanwhile, O’Brien split last season between AHL Bakersfield and ECHL Wichita, the affiliates of the Oilers. He spent the majority of the year at the AHL level, picking up six goals and 17 assists in 43 games. The 26-year-old has yet to play in the NHL and is already on a minor league contract for the upcoming season with Toronto.
With Calgary being one of the teams heading overseas for part of the preseason, they will need some extra bodies to ice lineups for their games both in China and in North America which is where O’Brien fits in. Meanwhile, Falk will look to battle Dalton Prout for the number seven role in Calgary and could be a candidate for a two-way deal otherwise.