Calgary’s 13th overall pick at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Matthew Coronato, was recalled on Saturday morning and will fill in for Martin Pospisil on a line with Nazem Kadri and Connor Zary.
The product of Huntington, New York, has 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 27 AHL games this season. The 21-year-old played through October with the Flames and a one-game call-up in December against the New Jersey Devils. The 5-foot-10 sniper has a goal and an assist in 11 NHL games in 2023-2024.
Pospisil is expected to miss several weeks after an unfortunate skate-on-skate collision with Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews led to the 24-year-old Slovak hitting his head on the boards. Pospisil has a history of concussions and may need extended time off.
The move provides Coronato with an opportunity to work on Calgary’s hottest line. Per MoneyPuck’s data modeling, the line of Zary-Kadri-Pospisil ranks 20th in the league in expected goals percentage at 59%. In terms of actual results, the line has outscored the opposition 13-4 at even strength for a 76.5% differential and 6th place league-wide in that category.
Tossed into the fire against Calgary’s archrival, the Edmonton Oilers, Coronato will have a big challenge ahead of him tonight as the two teams meet for round two of the Battle of Alberta.
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