It’s mid-August now, and in just five weeks the Calgary Flames youngsters will be reporting for prospect camp (and then heading to Penticton for the rookie tournament). Summer is coming to an end.
Let’s check in with the mail bag.
What do you see in terms of the accelerated development of some young children now that the @NHL Flames & @AHLWranglers will be roommates? I think it will be a great advantage to be able to see them almost every day
— v5 Calgary Flames (@v5FlamesGM) August 7, 2022
The trip won’t be great for the team, but once they’re home they’ll have a lot more exposure to Flames management and their development staff than they would have in Stockton (or anywhere else). Heck, they’ll have access to all NHL resources, which could be tremendous for preparing them for NHL action or just figuring out what parts of their game need honing.
From a development standpoint, it should be a big, big plus.
Hello Ryan. What are the chances of Darryl Sutter staying on after this season?
— The Anvil (@Michael28011649) August 7, 2022
How do you see the coaching/GM team coming next season? Will Treliving or Sutter get renewals? Do you feel when Sutter leaves, does Müller or Huska appear?
— Rob Trevisan (@rtrevy) August 7, 2022
It will of course be the status quo for 2022-23, but both Darryl Sutter and Brad Treliving are now in the final season of their current contracts.
From the coach’s point of view, it will probably be due to Sutter. If he chooses to stay, he will likely be allowed and/or encouraged to do so. If he wants to return to the farm, Ryan Huska almost got hired by Detroit this offseason and could be a candidate to succeed him. (Kirk Muller would also be a contender for this appearance.)
From a management perspective, if owner and/or Flames CEO John Bean believes he’s still the right man for the job, it would be easy to imagine Treliving getting a new deal based on how well he’s had a really tough offseason has managed.
Where would Treliving have to go to eat with Kadri and what would they order to get him to sign #Flames?
— Upside Hockey™ (@UpsideHockey) August 7, 2022
Apparently, according to some articles I found online, Nazem Kadri is a big fan of steaks. So I imagine Treliving would probably take him to the best steakhouse he could find in London or Toronto and then try to convince Kadri to sign for millions of dollars below market value to get him under the salary cap bring.
It would have to be a really, really good steak.
Where would you put Pelletier if he made the team? Do you think Phillips will actually get a real chance to make the team? Or are we doomed to lose him later if he says F Cgy and races?
— McPuffin (@McPuffi03177250) August 7, 2022
Will the Flames give Phillips a real chance? We all talked on FN saying Kyl needed a chance and voila!! Now a lot of people say he needs his shot.
— Richard Junkar (@RichardJunkar) August 7, 2022
Here’s the thing about Jakob Pelletier and why hockey players have confidence in his ability to switch. He’s been a really, really good two-way player since breaking into the QMJHL years ago. He was a really good player at the QMJHL level and in the World Juniors, and he managed to carry what made him effective into the AHL without changing his game much.
Based on all that Pelletier has done effectively (and occasionally excellently) at the lower level of hockey, you don’t have to do much mental gymnastics to imagine him doing it at the NHL level as well. (And if it doesn’t work right away, you can force him back into the AHL for a while because he doesn’t need waivers to go to the minors. There’s a safety net built in.) He seems like he could fit in based on his past Tools and experience pretty easily get a two-way roll in the third line.
The problem with Matthew Phillips is that his size makes it easier to doubt his ability to translate his play. Now, since his WHL days, he’s always been smaller than almost everyone else in his league, but he was good enough that it didn’t really matter. But his size and exemption status — he needs exemptions to go into the AHL — raise doubts.
Granted, I think those doubts are a bit misguided, but let’s face the facts: He’s short. He is two inches and 15 pounds shorter than Pelletier, who is not a tall man. If I was in charge, I’d play Phillips preseason just to get a real feel for what he is (and isn’t). If he’s great, they can either play with him or move him on.
He’s a year away from becoming a potential Group 6 free agent, so the Flames will have to make a decision about him or letting him go soon.
Does Valamaki look inside from the outside? If Calgary could get anything for him at that point
— K⃞ o⃞ K⃞ o⃞ b⃞ e⃞ b⃞ e⃞. 🦫👹🐄 (@Kobe_BBTG) August 7, 2022
That depends on his training camp. The big challenge for Juuso Valimaki is that the Flames simply have five reigning blueliners who were very good in their roles last season, plus the arrival of sixth-place MacKenzie Weegar. It will be a big challenge for him to replace someone for a regular NHL appearance. But with a strong training camp and strong preseason, maybe another team will see his promise and make a deal with the Flames for him rather than bet on getting him off the waiver wire.
Do you see the Flames need to take another step in bolstering forward depth and making noise in the playoffs, or could some prospects of real success be brought in?
— Kevin Musial (@kevinmusial) August 7, 2022
I think the Flames need another top-nine forward to (a) push both Milan Lucic and Sean Monahan into the fourth line group and (b) give the coaching staff a bit more versatility and mix-and-match ability. As it stands their existing forward group looks a bit static for my taste.
Does Wolf see any action for the Flames this year?
— Kyle Wilson (@kyle55wilson) August 7, 2022
I imagine Dustin Wolf is the first man to be on the net when injured or ill. He changed clothes twice last season and I imagine he’ll probably get a bit more action, likely including an in-game NHL appearance. They’re taking him slow (and with Jacob Markstrom under contract, they have the luxury of not having to push Wolf into the NHL).
With Looch and Monahan signed, who could we pick for the next free agency?
— KylingtonSZN#58 (@HaddadRhys) August 7, 2022
The cap space vacated by the expiring deals of Sean Monahan and Milan Lucic will likely be taken up by the increased cap hits for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar for 2023-24.
The FlamesNation Mailbag is brought to you by Deuce Vodka!
“There are so many moments in life to celebrate, I don’t want to waste a great moment on a bad drink. That’s why I choose Deuce Vodka.” – Brett Kissel. Click here to find Deuce Vodka in a store near you.
#FlamesNation #Mailbag #summer #issue
Leave a Comment