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Flames Won’t Part With Picks For Rentals

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Calgary Flames president Brian Burke isn’t one to mince words. So, when Burke told Sportsnet 590 host Bob McCown that the Flames won’t be using picks as trade bait at the NHL Trade Deadline, it’s legitimate:

“We don’t have a lot of picks — we’re not picking until [the third round of the 2018 draft], so we can’t use the deadline to pick up a rental player with a relatively high pick… We’re not going into [2019] picks … unless it’s an extraordinary circumstance.”

Burke’s comments seem to line up with recent reports about Calgary’s current condition. Last week, we took a look at exactly what Burke was referring to – the team’s lack of draft picks. The Flames could potentially have to wait until the fourth round to make their first pick this June and, one way or another, have already surrendered their 2019 second-rounder. Burke is not exaggerating when he says that the team can’t afford to give up any more high picks for rentals this deadline. The team’s unwillingness to move picks also adds some credence to the report that young goaltenders Jon Gillies and David Rittich are on the market. If Calgary wants to make a move, they’ll have to dive into their prospect depth to avoid surrendering further draft picks. In addition to their young goalies, slowly-developing 2013 first-rounders Emile Poirier and Hunter Shinkaruk and young defensemen Oliver Kylington, Rasmus Andersson, and even Brett Kulak could be on the move. One player who won’t be leaving: 2017 first-round pick Juuso Valimaki, who Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says is highly sought-after, but untouchable (Thought 6).

What exactly do the Flames need at the deadline? Burke says a scoring winger and the team’s 20th-ranked offense and 23rd-ranked power play would seem to back that up. Burke seems to think that a return to health for Kris Versteeg could be the solution, but the veteran forward alone is not enough to cure an ineffective bottom-six. Calgary currently sits in the third and final Pacific playoff spot, tied with the Anaheim Ducks and one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, but in fact sit behind L.A. in terms of points percentage. With it looking increasingly likely that the Central Division will claim both Western wild card spots, the Flames can’t help but seek an edge over the Ducks and Kings if they want to make the playoffs. Despite Burke’s hopes of an internal turnaround and the team’s difficult draft pick situation, sitting pat at the deadline will likely spell doom for the Flames’ 2017-18 campaign.

Which Teams Would Have Flexibility In Another Expansion Draft?

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Midway-through the 2017-18 NHL season, it is nearly impossible to predict what rosters could look like following the 2019-20 season, more than two years away. Trades, free agency, and much more shape teams often in ways that no one sees coming. With that said, it seems like another Expansion Draft is coming to add the league’s 32nd team, the Seattle __________, and the timeline most are suggesting is a June 2020 draft date. Like it or not, the general managers of the other 31 NHL need to be keeping that in the back of their mind with each move they make over the next two seasons.

However, it could be that some have already made decisions that could impact their roster protection plans more than two years from now. The structure of the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft will the remain the same, allowing for teams to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight skaters regardless of position and one goalie from being selected. The one caveat that threw more than a few teams for a loop last June was that all players with No-Movement Clauses (NMC) in their contracts had to be protected, unless the players voluntarily chose to wave them i.e. Marc-Andre Fleury. So, with that one aspect of the expansion process in mind, it is possible to look ahead at certain long-term contracts to see, assuming those players don’t waive them ahead of time, who could be locked in for protection in 2020 or which teams will have more flexibility without any such players:

Total Flexibility

Arizona Coyotes (0) – The only NMC players on the Coyotes are defensemen Alex Goligoski and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Hjalmarsson will be a free agent in the summer of the projected Expansion Draft and Goligoski’s clause will have shifted to a Modified No-Trade Clause. Arizona will likely have complete flexibility.

Buffalo Sabres (0) – Kyle Okposo’s NMC expires after this season and Jason Pominville’s contract expires after next season. Buffalo won’t have any restrictions on their protection scheme as of now.

Calgary Flames (0) – There is no one on the roster with a NMC and no one that will predictably get one by the end of the 2019-20 season. Kudos to GM Brad Treliving.

Los Angeles Kings (0) – Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar in their only NMC player right now and even his clause will have shifted to No-Trade by 2020. L.A. is free and clear.

Nashville Predators (0) – GM David Poile does not seem to be a fan of NMC’s in his recent long-term deals and in the new NHL expansion era, that’s a good thing.

New Jersey Devils (0) – see Calgary Flames

New York Islanders (0) – The Andrew Ladd and Johnny Boychuk contracts already look bad for the Isles. They would be much worse if their NMC’s didn’t expire soon. With John Tavares and Josh Bailey both candidates for NMC’s should they re-sign in New York and a defense that needs a re-haul, the Islanders could lose some flexibility, but they should be fine.

Toronto Maple Leafs (0) – The Leafs have no NMC players under contract beyond 2019-20 right now. That could easily change with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in need of extensions, but Toronto should still be in a good spot. After all, those are players that would protected regardless.

Vancouver Canucks (0) – Loui Eriksson’s NMC shifts to a No-Trade Clause following this season and will be an afterthought by 2020. It’s fortunate, as Eriksson’s tenure in Vancouver has not gone according to plan.

Vegas Golden Knights (0) – The Golden Knights didn’t sign or trade for any players with NMC’s and only drafted two – Marc-Andre Fleury and David Clarkson – who already had them and they both expire before the Knights would be set to become the NHL’s second-newest team. With that said, the current Knights’ roster will see a lot of turnover in the next two years and they may struggle to avoid NMC’s completely.

Washington Capitals (0) – GM Brian MacLellan has avoided NMC’s in any of his recent mega-deals. If he can do it again this summer in his attempt to re-sign (or replace) John Carlson, then the Caps will be in good shape for another round of expansion drafting.

Winnipeg Jets (0) – The NMC in Bryan Little’s contract will both kick in and expire between now and June 2020. The Jets should be left with a fully flexible lineup.

Some Flexibility

Boston Bruins (2) – There’s little concern that Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron will still be playing at a high level in two years. Their NMC’s should be a non-factor for Boston. If David Krejci and, especially, David Backes still had their NMC’s too at that time, there would be a real logjam up front. However, both will have shifted to Modified No-Trade Clauses by then, potentially saving the Bruins from making tough decisions about their many talented young forwards.

Carolina Hurricanes (1) – As important a job as he’s had in Carolina, Jordan Staal will never be the star forward that finally puts them over the top. If his NMC causes a problem in 2020, he could easily be traded to a contender to play a complementary role. The Hurricanes need to retain as many promising young forward assets as they can in hopes of one day finding that true superstar.

Colorado Avalanche (1) – There are mixed opinions on Erik Johnson, but he has a leadership role for the Avalanche and will be key in grooming a strong crop of up-and-coming defensive prospects. The Avs won’t lose sleep about having to protect him in expansion, especially if he’s still one of their top-pairing guys in two years.

Columbus Blue Jackets (1) – The Blue Jackets were one of the biggest losers in the most recent Expansion Draft. They might be smart to sell off Nick Foligno if there’s any risk that history repeats itself.

Dallas Stars (3) – Call it optimism about his play in his first season in Dallas, but the NMC for Alexander Radulov doesn’t seem like it will be a major issue even after a couple more years. Of course, Jamie Benn’s NMC will also be a non-factor. Ben Bishop on the other hand may not be the goalie the Stars would prefer to keep in two years. As of now, there’s no immediate competition though.

Detroit Red Wings (1) – Detroit only has one NMC player who will still be under contract in 2020-21 (and another season after that), but it’s Frans Nielsen, who has been a major disappointment for the team since coming over from the New York Islanders. He could throw a wrench in their plans if he continues his downward trend over the next two seasons.

Minnesota Wild (2) – The Ryan Suter and Zach Parise mega-deals will still be making an impact in 2020, but with most of the core locked up throughout that season and no other NMC contract likely on their way, Minnesota should be okay in the Expansion Draft.

Montreal Canadiens (2) – Even if the Canadiens continue to struggle through two more seasons, there will be few Habs fans that blame superstar goalie Carey Price. His NMC won’t be an issue because the team would never dream of leaving him exposed. Jeff Petry on the other hand could be a problem. Luckily (?), it doesn’t look like Montreal will have many defenders worth protecting even in the next couple of seasons.

Ottawa Senators (2) – Some things never change. The NMC’s for Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf were problems for the Senators in this past Expansion Draft and they’ll likely be problems again next time around. If Phaneuf is traded between now and then, that alleviates some concern for Ottawa. Good luck moving the Ryan contract though.

Philadelphia Flyers (1) – Only Claude Giroux has and predictably will have an NMC come June 2020. That’s a pretty safe situation for Philly.

San Jose Sharks (1) – Marc-Edouard Vlasic plays a confident, stay-at-home defensive game that often ages nicely. He looks to be the only NMC in San Jose in 2020, which shouldn’t cause a stir.

St. Louis Blues (1) – Patrik Berglund will be on the wrong side of 30 and still under a NMC when the potential 2020 draft rolls around, but with the rest of their core signed long-term without NMC’s, the Blues should be pretty safe.

Tampa Bay Lightning (2) – Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman may be the two safest NMC contracts in the NHL. Fortunately, Ryan Callahan’s otherwise-problematic NMC expires just prior to projected 2020 Expansion Draft.

Little Flexibility

Anaheim Ducks (3) – Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ryan Kesler will all be 35+ and still be NMC-protected in 2020. That’s a large chunk of your protected forwards to dedicate to players in the twilight of their careers. Some up-and-coming young talent could leave Anaheim again in this next Expansion Draft a la Shea Theodore.

Chicago Blackhawks (4) – The downside to signing all of your core players to long contracts with NMC’s could hit the Blackhawks hard in the next Expansion Draft. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be well past 30 and Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith will be in their mid-to-late 30’s during the 2020-21 season, but all four will need to be protected ahead of that season, which could force other promising younger players out of Chicago’s protection scheme. At least they’ll narrowly avoid having an issue in net with Corey Crawford’s contract expiring prior.

Edmonton Oilers (2) – Milan Lucic and Kris Russell. Each two years older than they are now. Those aren’t exactly players that a team wants to be forced to keep. It’s foreseeable that one or both could have a negative impact on the team’s protection plan.

Florida Panthers (3) – The Panthers probably won’t mind having three players locked up come Expansion 2.0. The team knew what they were doing when they signed Keith Yandle long-term. Even in his mid-30’s, Yandle will be a reliable player and a leader for the young Florida defensive core. Sure, they considered asking him to waive his NMC this past June, but they never actually did. Yandle won’t be a major issue in two years unless his play falls off considerably. There should be no concern whatsoever over Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov, whose NMC’s kick in later on in their contracts. The same might not be true about Evgeni Dadonov, whose been somewhat underwhelming so far in Florida, but luckily his contract runs out just prior the probable draft date.

New York Rangers (4) – Although they will have near total control over their forwards, outside of Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers could be in a tough position with their protection schemes in net and on the blue line in 2020. Then-38-year-old Henrik Lundqvist will require protection, as will underachieving defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Marc Staal. New York is apparently readying themselves for somewhat of a rebuild, which could mean some of those players are traded beforehand. Otherwise New York could face quite the dilemma.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) – It seems unlikely, even years from now and in their mid-30’s, that the NMC’s for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Phil Kessel would cause trouble for the Penguins. Injury-prone defenseman Kris Letang could be different though. Being forced to protect him after another two seasons of hard minutes could be difficult to swallow. Pittsburgh also has some work to do filling out the forward corps between now and 2020. GM Jim Rutherford would be well-served to avoid acquiring or handing out any further NMC’s.

Calgary Flames Officially Assign Jaromir Jagr To HC Kladno

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It’s official. Jaromir Jagr is no longer in the National Hockey League. The 45-year old legend has been assigned to Kladno of the Czech league after clearing waivers earlier today. Though he remains technically part of the Calgary Flames organization, it seems unlikely that he will make a return to the NHL this season. Jagr issued a statement to the fans and organization:

Jaromir JagrI want to thank Brad Treliving and the Calgary Flames for giving me the immense opportunity to be a part of their team and continue my NHL career this season. Although I am very disappointed that things did not turn out as we had hoped due to a number of circumstances, I am deeply grateful to the Flames, the fans and the City of Calgary for having welcomed me so generously. I now look forward to continuing the season in Kladno.

If this is the end of Jagr’s NHL career, he’ll finish among the very best that have ever played the game. He ranks third all-time in goals, fifth in assists, second in points and third in games played. He collected a Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, and was a five-time league scoring champion. In 208 career playoff games, Jagr recorded 201 points and lifted the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two seasons of his career. Though he was a threat on the powerplay, an incredible 538 of his 766 goals came at even-strength.

Playing for his ninth team in Calgary, he recorded just seven points in 22 games and never fit into their structure after missing all of training camp. Though there remains a possibility that he could return for the playoffs, it is more likely that he’ll retire to the Czech league where he actually owns Kladno. Whether he attempts a comeback in the summer after his current contract expires is unclear, but if he’s played his last game he’ll be remembered as one of the best and most interesting players to ever suit up in the NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Could Calgary Flames Make Pitch For Karlsson?

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The Calgary Flames seem to be producing in all facets of the game despite a shootout loss today as they still haven’t had a regulation loss in eight straight games. Their top lines are producing, their defense seems to be beginning to develop the chemistry that everyone had hoped and goaltender Mike Smith has been a great acquisition. With everything going right for Calgary, it seems like the team isn’t likely to be too active at the trade deadline this year.

Yet, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes that despite all that, he wonders if the Flames should consider looking for an even bigger prize. With the recent rumblings about the possible availability of Ottawa Senators star defenseman Erik Karlsson, Francis wonders if Calgary should go for it all and trade for him now. While on the surface, a deal might seem unlikely as the Flames are already loaded with a group of solid defenders and have few draft picks to trade (just two picks in the first three rounds over the next two years).

The scribe writes that finding a spot for Karlsson would be the least of the team’s problems. He would be a welcome addition no matter how good their defense of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, Travis Hamonic and Michael Stone is. He would immediately help an average power play and could offer the team a multi-dimensional player. With some cap room to play with, Calgary could afford most of Karlsson’s contract ($6.5MM AAV) already, although that could end the team’s bid to re-sign Mikael Backlund during the offseason this year.

What could they offer? Quite a bit. While the team might lack draft picks after going out and acquiring Hamonic in the offseason, the team has a number of quality prospects, including Harvard University defenseman Adam Fox, considered to be one of the top college blueliners. They have two quality goaltending prospects in Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons as well as defensive prospects like Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington as pieces they can offer Ottawa.

Fox, who many believe may choose to stay at Harvard for four years and take the unrestricted free agency route to avoid Calgary’s already crowded blueline, might be the perfect trade chip while he still has value. Add in Andersson, Kylington and last year’s 2016 first-rounder in Juuso Valamaki and the team has quite a bit of defensive depth — perhaps too much.

Francis believes that the team might want to consider making a big move like acquiring a future Hall of Famer, who could take the Flames to another level as they start climbing up the Pacific Division and get ready for the playoffs. General manager Brad Treliving already once this year went out and acquired Hamonic as a big defensive addition. Why not one more?

Signing Sam Bennett Before Camp Still A Priority

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Calgary Flames’ GM Brad Treliving was on Sportsnet radio this morning, and spoke at length about the continued negotiations with restricted free agent Sam Bennett. While there was a report yesterday that Bennett and the Flames still had a “sizable gap,” Treliving was very positive that a deal would be done before the start of the season. Bennett isn’t skating in Calgary yet, but Treliving does speak to the importance of getting it done before training camp starts.

Our goal stays the same as it was when the season end. That’s to get Sam signed, and to get him signed prior to us starting [training camp]. History has shown that missing time—or people that don’t get there on time—usually is not a good thing. To get ready for an NHL season is difficult; you’ve got to get the reps, you’ve got to get playing at NHL pace, you’ve gotta get doing it every day prior to the start of the season.

Treliving reiterated that they still have time for the contract to to be signed before training camp starts in just over a week, and that this isn’t that unusual for restricted free agents. There are nine such free agents still unsigned around the league, including Bo Horvat in Vancouver and David Pastrnak in Boston.

It’s clear that there is still a divide between the two camps, but there doesn’t seem to be any animosity brewing. Both sides “want to get something done” and in time for the season. Coming off a disappointing second season in Calgary, Bennett is a tough subject to negotiate on. His potential is still very high and the Flames sunk quite a bit of draft stock into him by picking him fourth-overall in 2014. He’s only scored 63 points at this point in his career, and hasn’t found that offensive breakout just yet.

The Calgary front office should be used to these late negotiations, as Johnny Gaudreau waited until October 10th to sign his contract extension last year. Gaudreau was already going to miss training camp because of his appearance at the World Cup of Hockey, meaning signing just before the season didn’t change much in his preparation. Still, the Flames would like to get this done long before October and get Bennett back on the ice with a team that is poised to compete for the Stanley Cup this season.

Evening Snapshots: Flames, Wisniewski, Red Wings

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • In an update to the ongoing Sam Bennett contract negotiations, Calgary Flames beatwriter Kristen Odland of Postmedia reports that the Calgary Flames hope to have something done before training camp. Flames GM Brad Treliving told Odland that he is not focusing on threats of Bennett playing overseas until he receives a contract. Bennett is currently a restricted free agent without a contract as training camp approaches.
  • James Wisniewski took to Twitter this evening to find a new hockey team. The former NHL defenseman last played in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015-16 season where he played only one game. Last season he split time between the AHL Chicago Wolves and the KHL Admiral Vladivostok. While Wisniewski may not find another NHL job this season, he is only four seasons removed from a 51 point campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Predictably, however, the majority of Twitter responders asked him to play for their beer league team, and it is unclear whether Wisniewski will settle for the pay cut.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to a two-year deal with defenseman Robbie Russo. Contract specifics are unknown at this time, but expect the dollar amount to be near league minimum as Russo had little leverage as a 24 year-old RFA. [update: The Athletic’s Craig Custance reports that the deal is a two-year, two-way deal worth $650k/$125k and $650k/$250k] Russo split time between Detroit and its AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. He went scoreless in 16 NHL games but put up 7G and 25A in 58 AHL games. Russo will have a hard time cracking the Red Wings lineup initially—the team has six defenseman making over $1MM annually each—but could battle for the 7th spot with other defensive prospects.

Flames GM Treliving On Free Agency, Bennett’s Contract Discussions

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Although the Flames have been speculatively linked to some veteran free agents over the past few weeks (including Jaromir Jagr recently and former Flame Jarome Iginla), GM Brad Treliving told Postmedia’s Eric Francis that he’s not sure where that talk has come from and wouldn’t acknowledge if any talks have occurred:

“You can’t help but respect them. But, this notion we’ve been in contract talks with them is rumour and I’m not going to comment on them.  Are we going to go to camp with the group we have? Good chance. Are we poking around at a few things and could there be additions before camp? Yes. Is that a guarantee? No. I wouldn’t say there’s anything significant on the horizon, but we look at everything every day.”

Calgary is thin on the right side with Micheal Ferland, Michael Frolik, and Troy Brouwer currently comprising their top options.  That’s likely part of the reason why Jagr has been suggested as a potential fit for them as he’d represent an upgrade on that group and would slide into a top-six role for the Flames.

[Related: Calgary’s Depth Chart]

As for Iginla, the talk of him rejoining the team seems more nostalgic than anything else.  He struggled considerably last season with Colorado and while he played better after his trade to the Kings, he’s not a top-six forward anymore and isn’t a great fit for a bottom-six role either.

Calgary currently has some room to make another addition or two as they currently sit with a little more than $7MM in cap space, per CapFriendly.  However, they still have center Sam Bennett to re-sign who will cut into that amount.  While talks don’t appear to have progressed too much, Treliving is confident they’ll get a deal done with the former fourth overall selection:

“We’re going to get Sam signed.  Every contract is unique and takes its own course. We’re working away at it and we think Sam is going to be a good player in this organization for a long time. He’s growing and I know he’s had a good summer. We’ll keep banging away at it.”

Earlier this summer, Treliving acknowledged that contracts for players like Bennett tend to take longer than some others.  This case is particularly interesting with the 21-year-old’s production taking a dip last year down from 36 points to 26.  That all but certifies that he will receive a bridge deal so now, it’s all about finding the right structure, particularly when it comes to how much to backload the contract as his ending salary would represent his qualifying offer at the completion of the deal.

Hurricanes, Flames Hire Analytics Experts

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The analytics movement in hockey is no longer a novel thing. Nearly every team has embraced advanced analytics, with some teams housing entire analytics departments even. Thus, it is no surprise when teams announce that they have hired an analytics expert to their front office staff. What remains interesting however is where some teams find these new additions. Last year, the Vegas Golden Knights hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka as a Hockey Operations Analyst to help get their player evaluations off an running ahead of the NHL Expansion Draft and Entry Draft. Now, it seems the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames have taken a page out of that book.

The Hurricanes announced today that they have hired datarink.com creator Kevin Kan to join their staff. Kan will be given the title of Data Engineer and will surely have similar duties to the function of his website. Data Rink was a hockey statistics visualizations site, scraping NHL data and putting it into forms that better displayed the co-mingling of different stats and advanced analytics. Carolina has already put together a talented and extremely deep defensive corps, not to mention acquiring their presumed franchise goalie in Scott Darling, but need to find a way to boost scoring. Whether examining data from draft-eligible prospects or current pros, Kan can help GM Ron Francis in his search for that missing link up front that can take the ’Canes to contender status.

The Flames had a similar thought, hiring David Johnson, the mind behind both hockeyanalysis.com and puckalytics.com, which have already been taken down. Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported the hire, adding that Calgary has recently been focused on improving its analytics ability. Johnson is a good fit for the job, as he was one of the first to adopt and explore both Corsi and Fenwick, major advanced analytic statistics. Unlike Kan, who simply displayed data in creative ways, Johnson has used his analysis to often fight for or against the value of one player or another. Johnson has had his fair share of both hits and misses in that practice, but what he provides to the Flames is a knowledge base and different point of view on any projects and questions facing GM Brad Treliving, who has been plenty busy this off-season with the addition of Travis Hamonic, Spencer Foo, Mike Smith, and Eddie Lack already. Now that the championship window is open in Calgary, Johnson will come in handy when evaluation is necessary to make sure no further moves derail those title chances.

While it is tough for fans to see some of their favorite analytics sites continue to disappear, it is refreshing to see the game continue to embrace analytics and those leading the charge find employment at the highest level.

Latest On Calgary’s Contract Talks

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The Flames have had preliminary talks with agent J.P. Barry regarding a contract extension with center Mikael Backlund, GM Brad Treliving told Sportsnet 960 in Calgary.  He noted that hopes that talks will pick up once the arbitration hearings finish off over the next couple of weeks.  Considering that his contract doesn’t expire until next July, Treliving added that there’s no immediate rush to get something done:

“There’s no time pressure at this point right now. But we think Mikael is a really good player, an important player here, and we’d like to see if there’s a way to get something done and we’ll explore that.”

Backlund is entering the final season of a three-year deal that carries a cap hit of $3.575MM and is coming off a strong season for Calgary, one where he posted a career high in goals (22), assists (31), and points (53) which ranked him third in team scoring.  Between that and the fact that centers are in high demand and short supply, he has positioned himself nicely for a sizable raise on this next contract whether it’s finalized this summer or later on.

Another center that is in need of a new contract is restricted free agent Sam Bennett.  The 21-year-old is coming off his entry-level contract and struggled in his second full NHL season; his offensive numbers actually declined from his rookie campaign down to just 13 goals and 13 assists in 81 regular season games.  He was ineligible for arbitration this time around and Treliving cautioned that it may take some time before they come to terms on a new contract:

“We continue to work at it. We’ll see. Those are interesting. If you look back here in the history – not just with our team, but really throughout the league of some of those players coming out of their entry-level contracts – history has shown that they tend to take a little bit of time.”

While a lot of teams have eschewed bridge deals in recent years, Bennett’s case is one where it still would make a lot of sense.  Clearly, the Flames believe the former fourth overall pick from 2014 still has a lot of upside to offer but given the step back he took in 2016-17, the prudent move here may be to go for a short-term contract to get a longer look at what they have before committing the bigger money and term.

After inking goalies Jon Gillies and David Rittich to new deals on Saturday, Bennett is one of three remaining restricted free agents that the Flames need to re-sign.  The other two are defensemen Brett Kulak and Tyler Wotherspoon.

Flames Sign Jon Gillies and David Rittich

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The Calgary Flames have announced deals to secure their organizational goaltending depth, by signing both Jon Gillies and David Rittich to one year, two-way contracts. Gillies and Rittich have 80 minutes of NHL game experience between them, but should constitute a solid duo in the AHL affiliate Stockton. Either could be called up in case of injury, but Gillies is the more intriguing signing of the two.

For an organization who needed to clear the pipes after an embarrassing first-round sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks, the team found two capable goaltenders in Mike Smith and Eddie Lack. That said, it is important for the Flames to have options in the eventuality of injury and/or poor performance. Gillies in particular has the potential to improve mightily this year. He had his NHL debut, a 4-1 win, last season, in addition to splitting the starting role (39 GP) in Stockton. The Providence alum has impressive size at 6’6, which makes him quite appealing. If he were able to bring his save percentage up from last season’s .910, he could get his fair share of action in the near future. His biggest test will be the sheer amount of games he will be relied upon this year – he’s never played more than 39 games in a season, pro or college. He does have poise going for him, and the pedigree he brings as a third-rounder means GM Brad Treliving and crew will be keeping a close eye on his progression.

Rittich also saw NHL action this season, in relief for a single period against the San Jose Sharks in April, where he conceded only one goal. Rittich, 6’3, was signed last year from the Czech Extraliga, but came quite in handy when Gillies went down to injury. He posted better stats (.924 save percentage) through his 31 games, and became the starting goaltender for the team in the playoffs where the team was quickly bounced. The Flames will want to provide Gillies solid competition to regain his net, and Rittich certainly fits that bill. His athleticism is not nearly on par with that of Gillies, but the technical aspects of his game are more refined at present. Going undrafted and being nearly a complete unknown, Rittich will need to prove that last year’s performance wasn’t a fluke if he wants to secure his North American future.

These deals are interesting in part because it seems to indicate that Calgary is still not totally certain of its long-term future when it comes to goalies. Neither of these players are certainties, while both of their NHL goaltenders are on short-term contracts. Lack, 29, only has one year remaining, while Smith, 35, has only two. Naturally, the Flames have selected goaltenders in early rounds in the past few years to stock the pipeline. Their 2014 second-round pick was utilized on Mason McDonald, then of the Charlottestown Islanders, while their 2016 second-rounder was used on London’s Tyler Parsons. McDonald struggled quite mightily in his over-age years in Charlottestown, and only played one game for Stockton in 2016-17 before spending the season in the ECHL. With the Rittich/Gillies duo locked up, he doesn’t have much of a path forward. Parsons looks far more promising, as the starter for London showed a moderate improvement in numbers while holding steady through the team’s playoff run. Still, at only 19, it’s nearly impossible to determine how he will progress from here. He could theoretically turn pro this season, as mentioned by the team’s goalie coach, but these signings will provide him with stiff competition for playing time. Calgary is certainly hoping that he can shine in the near future, but there are no guarantees. Ultimately, it’s a goaltending free-for-all in the Flames organization, and management is  hoping that at least one of their prospects will pan out.

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