The Calgary Flames have signed prospect Jakob Pelletier to a one-year, two-way contract shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The deal will pay him $800K at the NHL level. Pelletier was one of six remaining restricted free agents in Calgary, including defenseman Ilya Solovyov.
Pelletier suffered a pre-season upper-body injury last season, delaying the start of his season to January 26th. He impressed when he finally returned, earning an NHL call-up after netting three points in his first four games back. Pelletier appeared in 13 games in the Calgary lineup, recording three points, one penalty, and a +1 in fourth-line minutes. He was much more productive in the minors, totaling 12 points in 18 games – maintaining the near point-per-game production he recorded in 66 AHL games in 2021-22, and 35 games last year.
Pelletier is one of many top Flames prospects who should benefit from the team’s closet cleaning this summer. With this deal in place, he’ll step into competition with players like Matthew Coronato, Sam Morton, and William Stromgren for a winger role in Calgary’s bottom six. Pelletier has the most NHL experience of the bunch, with 10 points in 37 career games narrowly beating out Coronato’s nine points in 35 games.
Meanwhile, Calgary still boasts nearly $20MM in projected cap space entering the season, per PuckPedia. They’ll have five more RFAs to negotiate with – but could still afford to spend lavishly on high-upside try-outs. They’ve already tapped into that market a bit, signing Tyson Barrie to a PTO that’s expected to turn into a one-year contract.