With the Brad Treliving/Darryl Sutter regime out, the Calgary Flames appear to be committed to giving young players a real chance to earn an NHL spot of out training camp. Far too many times in the past, the old regime was comfortable giving out cheap, one-year deals to veteran players who were very fringe NHLers. This resulted in a number of young players in the minors growing frustrated, one being Matthew Phillips, who chose to leave the Flames this offseason and instead joined the Washington Capitals.
While giving young players an opportunity is a goal for newly hired general manager Craig Conroy, he did admit recently that they have been considering signing a player to a PTO for training camp. There are a number of intriguing names on the market who they could look to bring in, though there is another player on the market that they should consider signing. That player is 37-year-old Paul Stastny.
Stastny Not Interested in PTO
The issue when it comes to Stastny is that he is reportedly not interested in signing a PTO. If he is going to play, he wants a guaranteed contract. It’s hard to blame him, of course, as he has amassed 1145 games in his career and has earned almost $85 million.
The difference between Stastny and some of the other players on the market who may be willing to sign PTOs, however, is that he is a very proven player. Throughout his entire career, he has been an excellent two-way player, thanks to his high hockey IQ. That hockey IQ doesn’t go away with age, and skating has never been a strong part of his game to begin with, so a potential lack of speed isn’t a major concern with him.
Last season, Stastny’s offensive game wasn’t at the level we are used to seeing, as he managed just nine goals and 22 points in 73 outings. That said, he was given a fourth-line role with the Carolina Hurricanes, used often in the defensive zone against other team’s top opponents. A season prior, when given more of an offensive opportunity, he managed 21 goals and 45 points with the Winnipeg Jets.
As far as Calgary is concerned, he would likely be brought in as a fourth-line centre, meaning his offence may not be on display every night. In his fourth-line role with the Hurricanes, he won a staggering 57.6 per cent of his faceoffs, which in itself made him extremely valuable. And while he would likely begin the season on the fourth line in Calgary, he is a player who is more than capable of playing up in the lineup if required to do so.
Flames Fourth-Line Centre Position Up for Grabs
While a player in camp can certainly step up and earn it, the Flames don’t have anyone locked in at this time as their fourth-line centreman. Elias Lindholm, Nazem Kadri, and Mikael Backlund will play down the middle in the top three lines, but the fourth remains up for grabs. Several young players in Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier, Adam Ruzicka, and possibly even Walker Duehr are all fighting for roster spots, but it is likely that if they do make the team, they will be placed on either wing.
The one issue for the Flames is that they have no cap space at the moment to sign Stastny to a deal. That said, there has been plenty of talk about them moving out Dan Vladar and his $2.2 million deal. If they are able to do that without taking any money back in the trade, signing Stastny to a league-minimum contract would be very useful for them this season.
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