The Daily: Flames Goalie Woes, Can Monahan Avoid Another Trade?

The Calgary Flames have had a wild week with the return of Matthew Tkachuk and then Sean Monahan, whose trade to Montreal almost never . Their goaltender Jacob Markstrom is angry with himself, and it will be interesting to see how head coach Darryl Sutter handles it all going forward. And was the Alex Formenton situation with Ottawa a sign of things to come for one of the Flames?

That and more in the CHN Daily:

Calgary Flames

To say things have been difficult on goalie Jacob Markstrom since that first-round series against the Dallas Stars would be an understatement. Nobody feels that more intensely than Markstrom himself. He told the world he "sucks at hockey right now" after a mistake led to the first Montreal Canadiens goal on Thursday.

Sean Monahan's return to the Saddledome couldn't have gone better. At least for him. 

From TSN via Montreal Hockey Now, there's a story about how the Montreal Canadiens almost missed out on the Monahan trade with the Flames.  

Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said Monahan could have been captain had he been healthy and on a longer-term deal. 

NHL News, Trade Tidbits, and National Hockey Now

Seattle: Matty Beniers scored the overtime winner for the Seattle Kraken against the Washington Capitals. All of a sudden, the Kraken are two points behind the Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division and overall Western Conference. Doesn't look like the Calgary Flames will be able to defend their title. 

Ottawa: The Ottawa Senators did not come to an agreement with RFA forward Alex Formenton before the Dec. 1 NHL deadline to sign RFAs. With no clarity in the Hockey Canada investigation that could also impact Calgary Flames winger Dillon Dube, the team wasn't willing to budge. 

DAL: The Dallas Stars signed forward Roope Hintz, securing a piece of the puzzle , but another recent signee Jason Robertson is on fire. The 23-year-old scored a hat-trick Thursday night to become the first player with 20 goals this season.

NYI: New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello addressed the media to provide updates.

BOS:  Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney continues to do his best to keep superstar winger David Pastrnak wearing the Spoked B beyond this season. Just sign him already. Or deal him to the Calgary Flames. 

PGH: Pittsburgh Penguins players react to Kris Letang’s health scare.

PHI: After the Philadelphia Flyers broke a 10-game losing streak the other night, are they on the up and up?

WSH: The Washington Capitals got some much-needed good news this morning at practice ahead of their game with the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

FLA:  Aleksi Heponiemi getting a prime shot to show his worth for the Florida Panthers.

DET: Could the Detroit Red Wings be without Tyler Bertuzzi for another long period of time?

VGK: The Vegas Golden Knights really love giving players away to the Carolina Hurricanes.

SJS: Tomas Hertl messed up, and the San Jose Sharks rushed to his defense.