On the ice, Jarred Tinordi provides depth on D.
The appeal for the Calgary Flames is just as much — if not more — about his history of wearing the ‘C.’
The Flames announced Tuesday that they’ve signed Tinordi to a one-year, two-way contract.
The 32-year-old bruiser will be in the mix for a third-pairing role. If he doesn’t win a job on a crowded blueline, he’ll provide a veteran presence for the AHL’s Wranglers.
“We’re looking for quality players. We have a lot of young guys,” said general manager Craig Conroy, addressing the media prior to the Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic. “He’s been either a captain or an assistant captain so many places and I’ve heard nothing but great things. To bring in a player that can push and kind of bring what we’re trying to build here, that culture, that attitude, it was something we were able to do.
“And he picked us. He had other choices, so that was a good feeling.”
Tinordi spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, registering nine points — all assists — in a career-high 52 appearances.
He also logged a regular shift on the penalty kill, was credited with 171 hits and dropped his mitts with several bonafide heavyweights. At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, he definitely can hold his own.
“I think there’s opportunity there,” Tinordi told Postmedia of the potential fit with the Flames. “I think I can help this team. There’s some young defencemen that, from what I understand, are either coming up or already there, and hopefully I can help those guys along and, at the same time, play my game and make an impact.”
To crack the Flames opening-night roster, Tinordi likely will have to beat out fellow left-shot blueliners Joel Hanley and Ilya Solovyov.
If he ultimately is assigned to the Wranglers, don’t be surprised if there is a letter stitched on his sweater. The new guy is a past captain of the U.S. National Development Team and the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
“I think I can add value to a locker room, to an organization,” Tinordi said. “I think just being a good person goes a long way. And then I think just work habits … I remember when I was a young guy, coming up in the league, I was with Montreal and I had guys that showed me the way without even talking to me, right? You just lead by example, that type of deal.
“The work ethic that I’ve had my whole career, I want to bring that to Calgary and kind of do my thing and hopefully some people can pay attention to that and it helps them. I’m still learning a lot from the young guys, too, so it goes both ways.”
Tinordi, a first-round pick of the Canadiens in 2010, has a grand total of 205 games of NHL experience. He has 429 outings in the minors.
His contract comes with a big-league cap-hit of $800,000 US.
Sharangovich ‘happy to stay here’
Yegor Sharangovich’s parents already have opened a visa application so they can travel to Calgary sometime this season.
They could become regular visitors.
After all, their son has signed a long-term extension with the Flames. Sharangovich is locked up through the end of 2029-30.
“My family and me, we’re happy to stay here,” Sharangovich said prior to Tuesday’s tee-off at the Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic. “Good organization, good teammates, good equipment and medical staff and good city for us. My family likes it, to be here. It’s a good spot for us.”
Sharangovich was among the bright spots for the Flames last winter. He popped for 31 goals and 59 points — career-highs in both categories — in his first season at the Saddledome.
He only boosted his fan-favourite status with a long-term commitment to Calgary. While he has one year remaining on his previous contract, Sharangovich has inked a five-year extension that will carry an annual cap-hit of $5.75 million.
There’s no doubt that ’Sharky’ will be an important piece for the Flames in the coming campaign. The only question is if the 26-year-old will be utilized at centre or on the wing.
“For the team, we didn’t make the playoffs and it was a long summer for us,” Sharangovich said. “But for me, it was probably almost my best season, except plus-minus.
“And I think it was a good summer for me. I had hard practice, on the ice and in the gym, and I’m just ready to go.”
Ice chips
There has been some social-media stressing about Jakob Pelletier’s status as an unsigned RFA, but Conroy isn’t sweating it. “It’s never as quick as you’d like, but I get that,” Conroy said. “But I’m pretty sure we’re going to get it done. We’re getting closer.” It’s worth noting that the 23-year-old Pelletier was in attendance Tuesday at Country Hills Golf Club. Ditto for Solovyov and Cole Schwindt, who also remain restricted free agents … The Flames confirmed that veteran blueliner Tyson Barrie will attend training camp on a PTO. The 33-year-old Barrie has been an NHL regular for more than a decade — and a major minute-muncher at points in his career — but hasn’t been able to land a guaranteed contract after he struggled last season with the Nashville Predators. “I’ve kind of been in his shoes where maybe it hasn’t gone well with a team and it’s hard to pinpoint why,” Conroy said. “But he’s very focused, he’s ready to go and he wants to come here and take a job. That’s his goal. Another high-quality individual, too” … The Flames’ rookie campers will report Wednesday for their fitness testing and medicals. Their roster for the 2024 Young Stars Classic tournament in Penticton, B.C., will be headlined by forward Sam Honzek and blue-line blue-chippers Hunter Brzustewicz and Zayne Parekh.