The Calgary Flames have added some organizational depth. The club has announced the signing of goaltender Adam Werner and defensemen Kevin Gravel and Nick Desimone to identical one year, two-way deals worth $750,000 at the NHL level.
#Flames have signed a trio of players to one-year, two-way contracts at $750,000.
Right shot d-man Nick Desimone.
Left shot d-man Kevin Gravel.
Goaltender Adam Werner.
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) July 28, 2021
Werner, 24, becomes the club’s de facto third-string goalie. He’s Swedish and previously played with the Colorado Avalanche organization, where he played two NHL games in 2019-20. He was a fifth round pick in 2016. He provides some nice depth and gives the Flames a bit of cushion at the AHL level, as otherwise the club only had WHL standout (and pro rookie) Dustin Wolf and Tyler Parsons (who’s coming off a few significant injuries) in their minor league pipeline.
Gravel, 29, is a left shot defender who was a Los Angeles draft pick way back in 2010. He’s played 109 NHL games split between the Kings, Oilers and Maple Leafs, but has largely been a steadying veteran presence in the AHL, where he’s played 214 games. He seems likely to wear a letter for Stockton, as he did last season for Bakersfield.
Desimone, 26, is a right shot defender who was an undrafted free agent signing by San Jose a few seasons back. He’s spent four seasons of pro in the Sharks organization, serving as depth but never getting a shot at the NHL. He had 46 points in 65 games two seasons ago, but was loaned to the Rochester Americans last season – an indication that he wasn’t in their long-term plans. Like Gravel, he gives them a veteran player that can help insulate the tough minutes for the club’s young blueliners.
Gravel and Desimone join a Stockton depth chart that likely includes Connor Mackey, Ilya Solovyov, Johannes Kinnvall, Colton Poolman and Yan Kuznetsov – a grouping that includes two seasons of North American pro between the five of them.
