Here we are Calgary Flames fans; the beginning of training camp is under a month away and the ice is already being placed in the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Flames roster is pretty much set, but like any team, there are questions that need answering and thus potential holes that may need to be filled. For example, who will be there on opening day?
Forwards Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund are pending free agents as are defencemen Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov, among others. New general manager Craig Conroy has stated that he doesn’t want to let players leave for nothing like Johnny Gaudreau did last offseason, and has already shipped off last year’s best forward Tyler Toffoli. Therefore, some spots may be empty if Conroy starts fielding more offers for the players who don’t show interest in re-signing with the Flames.
Unfortunately, the team doesn’t have a ton of cap space to take back big contracts in trade or to sign free agents. A cost-efficient option would be to invite some players currently without contracts to training camp and the preseason on professional tryout contracts (PTOs). These contracts put all of the pressure on the player and are usually a win-win situation for the team. Last season the Flames welcomed forwards Sonny Milano and Cody Eakin as well as defenceman Michael Stone. They saw Milano and Eakin walk but kept Stone who retired a Flame after the 2022-23 season.
Having veterans plus new, experienced pros mixed in with the youth and exuberance always makes for a great training camp recipe that brings the most out of all parties involved. There are a handful of great PTO options for the Flames this season, so without further ado let’s analyze what we feel are three of the best available.
Nolan Patrick, Forward
The first interesting candidate is former second-overall draft pick Nolan Patrick. Back in 2017, he was selected directly after current New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier by the Philadelphia Flyers. This came after a stellar junior career where he starred for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Brandon Wheat Kings. He put up 205 points in 163 games for the team from 2013-2017. For the 2017-18 season, the Flyers immediately added him to the roster and he suited up for 73 NHL games as an 18-year-old. He didn’t light the league on fire by any means, but still scored a respectable 30 points. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t progress much from there and also struggled with injuries. Since his rookie year, he has only played 149 out of a possible 246 games and scored just 47 total points.
The Flyers shipped him off with Philippe Myers to the Nashville Predators for Ryan Ellis in July 2021. Later that same day the Predators flipped Patrick to the Vegas Golden Knights for Cody Glass. He signed a two-year extension with the Golden Knights but suited up in just 25 games in 2021-22 and sat out the entire 2022-23 season. He struggles with a hereditary migraine disorder and having also suffered multiple concussions in the meantime hasn’t helped him any. Currently, his health status is unknown, and surely not many teams are going to be calling, so a PTO may be perfect to see where he’s at. At the end of the day, he is just 25 years old and is still a former lottery pick who can play all three forward positions. While he may never rediscover the flair that got him drafted so high, he still has the potential to be a serviceable NHL forward.
Max Comtois, Forward
Next up is another young forward who showed immense promise not too long ago. Longueuil, Quebec native Max Comtois was also selected in the 2017 NHL Draft but 48 picks after Patrick and by the Anaheim Ducks. He had a very successful time in junior with the Victoriaville Tigres and Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior League (QMJHL) with 244 points in 205 contests. He made his debut with the Ducks in the 2018-19 season and excited many with 18 points through his first 39 games. He had his best season in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, where he impressively led all Ducks skaters in scoring with 16 goals and 33 points in 55 games.
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Since then, Comtois has sadly taken a few steps back instead of forward. Injuries have hampered his young career as well. In 2021-22 he put up just 16 points in 52 games, and then last season had a mere 19 points in 64 games. He is coming off of a two-year contract that paid him just over $2 million per season and like Patrick, is still young at just 24 years of age. He has shown an aptitude for scoring and is also a physical presence up front, throwing an average of 146 hits per 82 games. The young winger still being without a contract is interesting, and the Flames could take advantage by giving him an audition and then signing him on the cheap if all goes well.
Tomas Tatar, Forward
Finally, we have an option that stands as a more proven commodity when compared to the previous two. Czech forward Tomáš Tatar is surprisingly still without a contract this far into the offseason. At almost 33 years of age, he is by far the oldest player we’re analyzing here but he is also a tested, consistent veteran the Flames could add to their forward group. Since breaking into the league back in 2010-11 with the Detroit Red Wings, he has scored 20 or more goals in a season seven times, with his highest total being 29 in the 2014-15 season. The winger has also spent time with the Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens, and most recently, the New Jersey Devils. Last season with the Devils, he scored 20 goals and 48 points in a full 82 games as he played out a two-year, $9 million contract he signed in 2021.
On a per-season basis, he averages 22 goals and 46 points and is responsible defensively with a 37:34 takeaway-to-giveaway ratio. He also exhibits positive puck possession statistics with a career Corsi For percentage of 56.5 at even-strength. Tatar can play either wing and doesn’t need to be on the powerplay to be successful either, as just 101 of his 455 career points have come on the man advantage. Teams are surely interested in his services but likely find themselves cash-strapped and unable to offer him a fair deal. Therefore instead of banking on the potential of a younger player, the Flames could see if Tatar could work somewhere in their top six with a tryout offer. He could be an effective player to bridge the gap until the Matt Coronatos and Jakob Pelletiers of the world are ready for bigger roles.
All in all, the Flames could certainly enter training camp and the preseason with the roster they have, but with these and many more enticing options available, why not grab one or two of them and experiment a bit? If a multitude of trades happen, it wouldn’t hurt to have players such as these able to fill roster holes.
