In this edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumors, Brad Treliving is still looking to add a winger to his roster despite his team’s inconsistencies, and Vancouver Canucks’ Brock Boeser is being rumored as one of his top targets. While they may be looking to add, however, defenseman Luke Schenn is no longer believed to be a realistic option. In other news, defenseman Michael Stone has been placed on injured reserve (IR) with a lower-body injury. Last but not least, Jarome Iginla will be honored by the organization with a jersey when they take the ice next week.
Flames Still Searching for Winger
All season long, Treliving has wanted to add a skilled winger to his team. He said so in training camp and has reiterated it several times throughout the season. However, with the Flames currently sitting three points outside of a wild card position, many thought the veteran general manager would change his stance with the deadline approaching, though that doesn’t appear to be the case.
According to Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts blog, the Flames have continued to kick the tires on Boeser. Though nothing is imminent, it is clear that they are still exploring the option of bringing the 26-year-old into the fold, perhaps to give Jonathan Huberdeau a sniper to line up with. In 50 games this season, Boeser has scored 10 goals and 37 points. He is on a contract that has two additional seasons remaining with a cap hit of $6.65 million.
Schenn No Longer on Flames Radar
While the Flames’ biggest goal all season long has been to add a winger, there were also reports of adding some depth on the back end as well. That seemed to make Schenn, who is in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of just $850,000, a reasonable target. However, according to the same report from Friedman, that is no longer an option Treliving is pursuing.
Friedman mentioned in his column that the price is simply too high for Treliving to accept, which makes sense given the number of teams that have reportedly been in on Schenn. On top of that, there have also been reports that Canucks management is a big fan of the player and have considered re-signing him, which in itself has likely raised any potential asking price on a deal.
Stone Placed on IR
After suiting up for just 11 games during the 2021-22 season, Stone has played a much bigger role for the Flames in 2022-23. The 32-year-old rearguard has played 46 games thus far, scoring five goals and 10 points while averaging roughly 13 minutes of ice time. While he hasn’t blown anyone away, he has been a reliable third-pairing option for Darryl Sutter when called upon. Unfortunately, that will no longer be the case in the immediate future.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Flames announced that Stone had been placed on the IR with a lower-body issue. A return date is unknown at this point, and this has resulted in Dennis Gilbert stepping into the lineup for the time being. In a corresponding move, forward Walker Duehr was recalled from the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League.
Flames to Honour Iginla with Black History Month Jersey
In an upcoming game on Feb. 28 versus the Boston Bruins, the Flames will be honoring their franchise icon Iginla with a special jersey that will be dawned during warmups. They will also be a part of a multi-day 50/50 draw from Feb. 22-Feb. 28, meaning fans will have the possibility of winning one.
“The textile pattern represents a blend of traditional Yoruba symbolism, along with milestone accomplishments from Jarome’s Calgary Flames career,” said a release put out by the team. “Created to honour the Iginla surname, which translates to big/mysterious tree in Yoruba, Elvis Iginla [Jarome’s father]’s native language.”
Iginla spent the first 16 seasons of his 20-year career with the Flames, amassing 525 goals and 1,095 points in 1,219 games while wearing the flaming ‘C’. After his time with the organization concluded, he had stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. By the time his career wrapped up he had scored 625 goals and 1,300 points in 1,554 games, and became a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2020.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
As mentioned, the Flames currently sit three points shy of the final wild card in the West. Games will be crucial moving forward, perhaps none more so than tonight’s versus the Colorado Avalanche, as they happen to be the team the Flames trail by three for that final spot. A loss would put a major dagger in their playoff hopes, while a win would put them right back in the race.
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