Can MacKenzie Weegar find another level? (Chasing 97 Points)

In July 2022, the Calgary Flames made a blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. At the time, much of the discourse regarding the trade centred around Jonathan Huberdeau joining the Flames.

But three seasons after the swap, you can make a case that MacKenzie Weegar, not Huberdeau, was the centrepiece of the trade for the Flames.

That’s not to say that Huberdeau hasn’t been effective for the Flames. But while Huberdeau dealt with an extended adjustment period with the Flames before finding his footing under Ryan Huska, Weegar seemed to figure things out much more quickly. By his own admission, Weegar struggled to find his game after arriving in Calgary and didn’t find his rhythm until the 2023 All-Star Break.

But since that All-Star Break, Weegar has been not just the Flames’ best blueliner, but quietly one of the better ones in the NHL. In that span, he’s tied for 10th in goals and he’s 16th in points, and in the top 25 in even-strength production. And that’s playing on a team that had a fairly so-so power play and generally struggled to score goals.

On the ice, Weegar’s emerged as an all-situations option for Huska; Weegar’s ability to play either side of the ice allows Huska and his coaching staff to mix and match Weegar with different partners for different situations, and Weegar’s played a ton of hockey – and key minutes – because of that versatility. Off the ice, Weegar wears a letter as one of the club’s alternate captains and has emerged as a key leader for the group.

But because Weegar’s numbers are just a smidge below the top blueliners in the league, and because the Flames haven’t made a ton of noise since Weegar’s arrival, you can argue that Weegar remains a bit of a well-kept secret across the NHL. Despite his strong underlying numbers throughout his career, Weegar’s only received Norris Trophy votes twice: during the divisional-play-only 2020-21 season and again in 2021-22.

Rasmus Andersson’s exit from the Flames seems like a foregone conclusion. With Andersson in the fold, you can have a debate about who the Flames’ best blueliner is – it’s probably been Weegar for the past two seasons, but we can have that argument. With Andersson in another jersey, the top Flames defender crown is Weegar’s with no disputes.

Heavy is the head that wears that crown. If the Flames want to return to the post-season, they’ll need Weegar to not just be good… but they need him to find another level to his game. He’s been very good for two seasons with the Flames: can he go from being someone performing and producing near the levels of the league’s best to being one of their peers?

Simply put: can MacKenzie Weegar go from a well-kept secret in the Pacific Division to being firmly in the Norris Trophy conversation?

If he can, we’re probably seeing the Flames playing playoff hockey in the spring.