With one pre-season game remaining, Calgary's opening night roster is close to being decided
One week until the start of the regular season.
One pre-season game remaining on the docket.
One Calgary Flames team searching for answers on their opening day lineup.
The less said the better regarding Calgary’s penultimate pre-season clash, Wednesday’s 7-2 thrashing came at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton dressed close to its big-league roster, while the Flames iced roughly a half-dozen skaters pegged to be in the NHL from the start this season, none among them the proven veterans beyond Dillon Dube and Yegor Sharangovich, and none among the top four defensemen.
They were unsurprisingly manhandled by the Connor McDavid-led Oilers, with number-two goalie Dan Vladar victimized for the converted touchdown.
Where does that leave the Flames, with Friday’s game in Vancouver the last exhibition tilt before “opening day rosters” must be submitted next Wednesday and they kick off the campaign the next night at home to the Winnipeg Jets?
The goaltenders are obvious, Jacob Markstrom and Vladar, with Dustin Wolf easy to put in the minors and be at the ready.
The defense is essentially set, too, because Oliver Kylington is unable to play: MacKenzie Weegar, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, Jordan Oesterle and Dennis Gilbert.
The forward ranks are the puzzle not pieced together.
With rookie Jabob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney both out indefinitely due to shoulder surgeries, the Flames have their first 11 in the bag: Jonathan Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm, Yegor Sharangovich, Nazem Kadri, Dillon Dube, Adam Ruzicka, Andrew Mangiapane, Mikael Backlund, Matt Coronato, Blake Coleman and Walker Duehr.
After that, Dryden Hunt probably has the inside track.
Mucking the waters is the need for another center. Calgary’s top three of Lindholm, Kadri and Backlund is one of the better trios in the league, but the hole is the fourth line. Dube and Ruzicka could be bumped down in that spot, while Hunt is capable of playing center, but it doesn’t appear to be his most comfortable position.
Other options include Cole Schwindt, acquired in the summer of 2022 in the Matthew Tkachuck trade to Florida, or 2020 first-round draft choice Connor Zary.
Schwindt, Zary and Adam Klapka are, as of now, the top options to be the final player on the roster.
The Flames promised to have positions open for young players to take. Which one has staked their claim?
