The Daily: Flames Issues Not Insurmountable, Eichel Elite Again in Vegas?

Jonathan Huberdeau went from being listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury to not being able to fit a swollen foot in his skate. The Calgary Flames winger was spotted in a walking bood post-game on Tuesday.

Not great news for a team that has dropped six straight after a 5-1 start. Especially when you consider Huberdeau was finally looking more comfortable in Monday’s overtime loss to the New York Islanders.

That, Calgary Flames news and more in the latest CHN Flames Daily:

Calgary Flames

One thing the Flames didn’t have to deal with last season was injuries. Excluding the bionic Sean Monahan, they were extremely fortunate for most of the season, right up until the playoffs when Chris Tanev went down.

That’s not the case this season with Michael Stone joining Chris Tanev on the injured list and the Flames forced to rotate Connor Mackey and call-ups Nick DeSimone and Dennis Gilbert into the mix.

They’re leaning heavily on the top four blueliners right now and it’s not ideal. The Calgary Flames defence looks tired.

With Jonathan Huberdeau injured, perhaps with multiple ailments, healthy scratch Adam Ruzicka jumped into the role on the left side on the top line. He didn’t look bad but depth and salary cap numbers are not the Flames’ friend right now.

Head coach Darryl Sutter suggested some guys are complacent after a ho-hum training camp from the ‘kids’ and that doesn’t mix well with a team going through injury issues.

All that said, the Flames haven’t played as poorly as their recent 0-4-2 record indicates and once some of the other players start playing up to par for longer periods, I think they’ll be fine and back in contention for a top three spot in the Pacific Division.

Next up — the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

NHL News, Notes, Trade Rumours and National Hockey Now

VGK: Can Jack Eichel reach elite levels for the Vegas Golden Knights? The Calgary Flames could use him right now.

SJS: Breaking news: David Quinn isn’t trying to get Connor Bedard to the San Jose Sharks.

DAL: The Dallas Stars are off to their best start since 2015-16 and here’s why.

NYI: New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert made a brilliant call in the third period that vaulted his club to a comeback win over the Calgary Flames.

BOS: The Boston Bruins experienced one of the worst weekends in their history, so it’s really not surprising that it took captain Patrice Bergeron to once again pull them out of it.

PGH: With losses come changes, so the abundant changes in personnel changes for the Pittsburgh Penguins were pretty much due.

PHI: Philadelphia Flyers and their fans should enjoy watching Carter Hart right now because his early-season play has been extraordinary.

WSH: Washington Capitals forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel introduced himself early in his debut, as he rocked Evander Kane on one of his first shifts.

FLA: Is Colin White the latest success story for the Florida Panthers?

DET: Tyler Bertuzzi skated with the Detroit Red Wings this morning and they’ll be joining the team on the upcoming West Coast trip.