This could have been a copy-and-paste assignment — and that’s not what Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy had in mind a few weeks back.
It’s no secret that Conroy is determined to add a difference-maker at centre, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add a blue-chip blue-liner with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and then balked at the prices to land a free-agent middle-man. We certainly can’t blame him for that.
And so as we continue our series of the Flames’ depth chart re-dos with a look at the pivot position, this is more refresher than anything.
Recent additions
Justin Kirkland is back for a second stint in the Flames organization, returning on a one-year, two-way deal. Now 27, Kirkland logged a pair of appearances last season with the Arizona Coyotes. Conroy & Co. selected three potential pivots — Trevor Hoskin, the reigning MVP in the Canadian Junior Hockey League, plus Luke Misa of the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads and Hunter Laing of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars — with mid- to late-round swings at the 2024 NHL Draft.
Recent departures
The most significant departure came at mid-season, when Elias Lindholm was swapped to the Vancouver Canucks. After a short stay on the West Coast, Lindholm signed a doozy of a deal — seven years, with an annual cap hit of $7.75 million US — with the Boston Bruins on Canada Day. Ben Jones, who finished second on the Wranglers’ team scoring charts in 2023-24, is moving to Minnesota, hoping for a big-league breakthrough with the Wild.
Still on the to-do list
Conroy will continue to search for a long-term fit in a trade, although not many teams are willing to part with a promising young pivot. The Flames’ general manager did cross a major item off his to-do list by locking up Yegor Sharangovich with a five-year, $28.75-million extension. He still has some paperwork to complete, needing to finalize a new contract with restricted free agent Cole Schwindt.
If the season started tomorrow
The Flames’ only sure things at centre are Nazem Kadri, Mikael Backlund and Kevin Rooney. That means, barring a surprise acquisition, they will need to lean on one of three internal options — Sharangovich, Martin Pospisil or Connor Zary — to log a regular shift up the middle. Expect auditions during exhibition action. In each case, there is reason for hesitation. Is Sharangovich, who buried a team-best 31 goals this past season, a more dangerous shooter from the flank? Can Pospisil still be a force on the forecheck if he is being asked to handle additional defensive duties? Do you really want to split Zary and Kadri after they developed such strong chemistry last winter?
Rookie watch
Schwindt was among the Flames’ final training camp cuts last fall, but he wound up waiting until January for his first recall and was tapped for just four NHL appearances in 2023-24. The 23-year-old is reliable in his own zone and led the Wranglers with four playoff tallies. He’s also the only right-shot centre with a realistic chance of earning a full-time role. Sam Morton was an intriguing add as a college free agent. He turns 25 this month, so he’s much more mature than your average new guy. Misa was a standout at development camp. The 18-year-old speedster notched a hat-trick in the Snowy Cup scrimmage, although it’s worth noting he was mostly working the right wing in that session.
Don’t forget about
While Kirkland has just nine NHL outings on his resume, he could be a training camp darkhorse. This lefty was among the AHL’s top faceoff men last season, successfully swiping nearly 60 per cent of his draws. He is a trustworthy penalty-killer. He also has experience on both wings and, at 27, is the kind of guy that you could cast as the 13th forward and not worry about stalling the development of one of the kids. Here’s one more thing that could work in Kirkland’s favour — if you check his HockeyDB page, you’ll notice he was coached in junior by Ryan Huska. You have to think the Flames’ bench boss had a say in this signing.
Burning question
Does the search for a cornerstone centre now wait until the 2025 NHL Draft? Or can Conroy, in the meantime, come up with a creative way to land a building-block piece at this crucial position?