Calgary Flames fans were left holding their breath after Jakob Pelletier went down on the ice in pain after taking a crushing hit from Seattle Kraken forward Marian Studenic on Monday. The hope was that it looked worse than it actually was, as the 22-year-old Pelletier was viewed as one of the Flames’ most exciting players entering the 2023-24 season. Unfortunately, it sounds as though he will be out of the lineup for some time.
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The Flames announced on Wednesday morning that Pelletier will be forced to undergo shoulder surgery next week as a result of the hit and will be out of the lineup indefinitely. Though there hasn’t been any confirmation as to what exactly the injury was, the fact that they said he is out indefinitely suggests this could be months rather than weeks. If that is the case, management may be forced to find a replacement for the young winger, and as fate would have it, one is available in free agency.
Phil Kessel Still Waiting on Contract
Not long ago, I explored the possibility of the Flames signing Phil Kessel to an inexpensive one-year deal. The three-time Stanley Cup champion remains a free agent despite making it clear he wants to play this season. While he isn’t the top-end offensive producer he was for many years with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins, he proved this past season with the Vegas Golden Knights that he is still a very capable NHL forward.
Playing on a stacked Golden Knights team this past season, Kessel was forced to average less than 13 minutes per game in ice time. Despite the lowered minutes, he was still quite productive, providing the Golden Knights with 14 goals and 36 points in 82 games. Given that the Flames have far less depth, he could be relied upon for bigger minutes and could very well see those totals improve further, as a result. For a team that struggled to score goals last season, it doesn’t seem to be a bad fit.
One concern several teams had in regard to signing Kessel is his ongoing NHL-leading Ironman streak, which currently sits at 1064 games. You may recall the backlash the Florida Panthers got prior to the 2020-21 season when they planned on scratching Keith Yandle, who at the time had the longest Ironman streak of all time. They faced major scrutiny from players and fans alike, resulting in them playing Yandle despite the coaching staff feeling like he wasn’t one of their best six options on the back end.
That backlash was likely a big part of the reason why the Golden Knights chose to play Kessel in all 82 outings last season, as he went on to play just four in the playoffs, where the Ironman streak doesn’t come into effect. It shouldn’t be an issue, however, as Kessel recently went on record saying he isn’t concerned about his Ironman streak moving forward, and instead just wants to help whatever team is willing to sign him in any way possible.
Flames Have Room to Sign Kessel
A quick glance at CapFriendly may make you question how the Flames would get a deal for Kessel done, as they are over the cap by roughly $213,000 at this time. That said, assuming nothing changes on the status of Oliver Kylington, his $2.5 million deal may be eligible to be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), which would free up more than enough room. With Pelletier expected to miss significant time, his $863,000 cap hit could be placed on LTIR as well.
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As far as what it would take to sign Kessel, it is hard to imagine it would require more than the league minimum at this time. If he had any other offers, he would have signed them by now, and with his career earnings north of $92 million, he isn’t exactly hurting for cash. A league minimum deal should work to get this done and could prove to be a deal beneficial to both sides.
