Jakob Pelletier Assigned to AHL, Kevin Rooney Waived

Monday was a busy day between games for the Calgary Flames.

Former first-round pick Jakob Pelletier was activated off injured reserve and assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL. The 26th overall pick in 2019 doesn’t require waivers and can be assigned to the AHL without concern of being claimed by another NHL team.

Pelletier, 22, has been out of the lineup since Sept. 25 after receiving an awkward hit from Seattle’s Seattle’s Marian Studenic during a preseason puck race through the neutral zone.

The Quebec native scored three goals and four assists in 24 games last season. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound left wing showed potential for greater offensive output in late February when he recorded two goals and two assists in a back-to-back against Arizona and Vegas.

Jakob Pelletier is projected as a core player in a wave of younger players pushing to make up a new core of the Calgary Flames.

In addition to the Pelletier news, per Elliotte Friedman, Kevin Rooney has been placed on waivers to activate the 6-foot-2, 190-pound center off of long-term injury reserve. Rooney, 30, carries a $1,300,000 cap hit through the 2023-2024 season and will have that hit diminished to $150,000 if he clears.

July 13, 2022, was a painfully silent day for Flames fans. Tensely awaiting news of an extension for star left wing Johnny Gaudreau as the 2022 class of unrestricted free agents hit the market, the city finally received some information.

General Manager Brad Treliving had signed unrestricted free agent Kevin Rooney to a two-year, $2,600,000 deal.

It is not the news the fanbase was precisely waiting for, but certainly something to look into.

Brought in to serve as a go-to penalty-killing center, the Canton, Massachusetts, native has dealt with adversity during his time with the organization. Rooney struggled to make an impact in 17 games with the Flames last season and eventually found his way down to the AHL Wranglers, where he recorded two goals and 17 points in 51 games.

A shoulder injury has sidelined the shutdown center this season from mid-preseason until early January. With 13 forwards already on the Flames roster, unless the Flames make a move, Rooney will have to suit up with the Wranglers if he is to return to on-ice action.

To add difficulty to Rooney’s journey back to the NHL, Calgary already sports an above-average penalty kill unit. The group’s 84.3% success rate ranks them sixth across the league. Nine shorthanded goals, including four from Flames’ leading scorer Blake Coleman, rank the team second in that category.

Following a tough loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary takes to the ice on Tuesday to face off against the Ottawa Senators.