Flames News & Rumors: Zary, Bahl, Andersson & More

As for Bahl, he hasn’t played since taking a dangerous hit from Minnesota Wild forward Jakub Lauko roughly three weeks ago. The 24-year-old was in some serious distress immediately afterward, lying on the ice for some time while grabbing his head.

Bahl, who was acquired from the New Jersey Devils this past offseason in the Jacob Markstrom deal, has proven to be a solid top-four option for the Flames. Though known more for his defensive play, he was also chipping in offensively with 14 points through 47 outings.

Andersson Gets in a Game

Though Andersson was able to crack Sweden’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, their stacked blue line had many questioning whether or not he would draw in. Sure enough, he wound up being a healthy scratch for the first two games of the tournament, but was able to suit up for what ended up being Sweden’s final outing versus the USA on Monday night.

Andersson fared well in the game, logging 13:17 in ice time, most of which came in the defensive zone. Despite the rather limited minutes, he did a good job at preventing high-danger opportunities from the loaded USA roster, perhaps indicating he should have been in the lineup from the get-go. The 28-year-old will now go back to the Flames and continue to be the workhorse he’s been all season long.

Solovyov & Kuznetsov Recalled

Wednesday morning saw the Flames’ first roster transaction since the 4 Nations Face-Off began, as they recalled both Solovyov and Kuznetsov from the Calgary Wranglers. It’s a bit of a peculiar move given that they now have 10 defencemen on their active roster.

The clear indication here is that while Bahl is getting healthier, he isn’t ready to return just yet. Still, that leaves the Flames with nine blueliners, whereas they’ve carried eight all season. It could be an indicator that Tyson Barrie or Daniil Miromanov will be placed on waivers, but such a transaction has yet to take place.

As for Solovyov, seeing him back isn’t a major surprise given that he was with the Flames prior to the 4 Nations break. The 24-year-old has been arguably the Wranglers’ best defenceman this season, and entered the 2024-25 campaign with a legitimate opportunity to crack the Flames’ backend. He’s logged 11 career NHL games to date, recording three assists.

Kuznetsov, meanwhile, is a similar shut-down style defenceman as Solovyov. The 2020 second-round pick doesn’t provide much of anything offensively, but is sturdy in his own zone, which has been beneficial to the Wranglers. He made his NHL debut last season, suiting up for one game in which he logged 11:58 of ice time.

Looking Ahead for the Flames

The Flames’ first game out of the break will take place at the Saddledome on Saturday night. It’s an extremely important one, as they will then start a six-game road trip that will see them take on the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Dallas Stars.