Flames Wrap: Weegar, Sutter Extensions, Waivers and NHL Trade Talk

It’s been quite a week for the Calgary Flames. After all the signings, cuts, waiver pickups and assignments, it looks like the roster is almost set.

Almost.

Let’s take a look at the stories this week.

Calgary Flames week in review

• There is plenty of talk, including Flames GM Brad Treliving himself, about a continued search for a winger on the NHL trade market. Treliving has given head coach Darryl Sutter a number of options to work with but the veteran bench boss hasn’t liked any of them. Meanwhile, he’s got Trevor Lewis running on the right side of the third line alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. Not ideal.
• One of the players who was believed to be a possibility there was Radim Zohorna, who was picked up on waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, given two games on the left side, then waived by the Flames. The biggest surprise? The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t re-claim the big 6-foot-6 winger who might have been most improved in the Pens training camp.
• Another player waived by the Flames was defenceman Juuso Valimaki, who was once the franchise’s top prospect. He made the big league early. But injuries and COVID have really messed with his trajectory here. I wrote about his summer and his mental strength, knowing how tough it would be to get back into the NHL with the deep Flames defence. In the end, Valimaki was waived with the intention of sending him to the AHL. But the Arizona Coyotes scooped him up. The fresh start should be good for the big blueliner, who just turned 24 this week.
• The Flames do still have one PTO player in town, with Michael Stone a hard guy to say no to. Easy passes included Sonny Milano and Cody Eakin, who failed to impress Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter during nearly two weeks of camp.
• On the positive front, the stud defenceman acquired in the Matthew Tkachuk deal is sticking around for a while. A long while. MacKenzie Weegar inked an eight-year extension worth $50 million. That’s a $6.25M AAV (for those not interested in doing math). The deal kicks in next season.
• So does the new contract for Darryl Sutter. The reigning Jack Adams Award winner gets another two seasons after this one to prove he can win the ultimate prize with the Calgary Flames. It was a “no-brainer.”
• Jinx? The Calgary Flames are favoured to win the Stanley Cup. This according to analytics site MoneyPuck.

Have a great week.