MacKenzie Weegar is a leader, and it doesn’t take much observation to see it play out both on and off the ice.
In the Calgary Flames’ 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings, Weegar scored his 18th goal of the season to add some insurance to the team’s 3-2 lead. And even though it did take a fortunate bounce off a player Flames fans are familiar with, it counts the same and gave the defenceman something to chuckle about post-game when speaking to the media.
“It was a great play,” Weegar said. “We talked about it after the first couple of power plays that one of their forwards sunk in, and I knew that [Huberdeau] would find me with a no-look pass; I’ve seen that a couple of times. So, it tipped off good ole [Trevor Lewis], and luckily, it went in.”
Three of the Flames’ four goals were scored on the power play, which is a huge step forward, even if it’s just a one-game sample size.
Calgary has struggled mightily on the man advantage over the course of the season, so to see some pucks go in with a man up is huge.
“It’s something that we’ve obviously worked on all year long,” Weegar said. It hasn’t been easy for us, but I think in the last few games here, we’ve found some chemistry out there. Guys are starting to make plays, find guys, and shoot the puck a little bit more, which is giving us some momentum, so I think it’s been good.”
Before this season, Weegar’s career high in goals was eight in 2021-22 with the Presidents Trophy-winning Florida Panthers coached by Andrew Brunette. And not only did he surpass that total in 2023-24, but he has blown it out of the water. Now, with nine games remaining in the season, the chase is on for the 20-goal mark.
“I mean, it’s in the back of my mind a little bit for sure,” Weegar said. “It would be pretty cool, not for me, but the teammates bring it up quite a bit, so it’s something that I can’t really get away from. It would be cool. The forwards have done such a great job finding me this year and letting me get my shot through with a great screen, or whether it was a lucky tip like it was tonight, things are just going my way like that this year.”
Being the leader he is, Weegar focused on the physical part of the game as well, talking about the importance of blocking shots (he blocked seven in the game alone) and making physical plays.
One of the main players who has personified that (as well as effective scoring) in the game against Los Angeles as well as the entire season has been Nazem Kadri, who drove the team’s momentum over the course of the first period.
“I think all year long he’s been a force up the middle of the ice,” Weegar said. “Obviously, getting that goal on the power-play, setting somebody up on the other goal, and then the big hit, I thought was pretty big for us as well to set the tone physically. I thought after that, everybody got pretty engaged on both sides of the ice, and a lot of guys woke up, which we needed coming off the road. That’s what we need from a leader.”
Of course, Weegar had another laugh about Kadri laying his man out in front of the Flames bench.
“That’s the best. That’s the best,” Weegar said. “That guy hears it for sure.”
Since coming to Calgary, Weegar has been one of the most adaptable players in the entire lineup. Need him to kill penalties? He’s there. Need him to run a power play? Put him out there and see what he can do. Need him to block shots? He’s the first to put his body on the line. Need him to score goals? Well, he can do that, too. This season has been a revelation for him offensively, but he hasn’t lost sight of the defence and smaller parts of the game that make him such a huge part of the Flames defence.
With only nine games remaining in the season for Calgary, the Flames’ performance doesn’t really matter other than for the draft lottery. But, on an individual level, Weegar will give it his all until the final horn sounds on the season. He’s a leader, and that’s what leaders do.
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