FlamesNation Mailbag: Discussing the captaincy and training camp dark horses

We’re into the last few weeks of summer, friends, and before too long it will be September and hockey will be nearly upon us. As we try to wring the last few ounces of fun out of our remaining summer days and nights, let’s delve into the mailbag once more!

In his appearance on the Rod Pederson Show last week, new Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska discussed the captaincy. He mentioned that the captain will be selected by the coaching staff and management, they’ll take into account that person’s relationship with Huska, and that he wants somebody who’s in for the long-haul.

Based on all of that, it really does seem like the most likely candidates are Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. Andersson’s signed through 2025-26 (and seems like a likely candidate for an extension) and Weegar’s signed through 2030-31. Both guys have worked under Huska (on the penalty kill and within the defensive group), while Andersson has a more extensive history with Huska dating back to their AHL days.

Honestly, either guy would be good. Both are high-end players that play in every game situation and aren’t afraid to speak up to the media (or to their teammates) when it’s needed. (Weegar appeared on Flames Talk with Pat Steinberg and Aaron Vickers last week and spoke quite a bit about the captaincy. It’s worth checking out.)

I really like this question.

The most obvious (non dark horse) prospects pushing for NHL gigs are Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier, Walker Duehr and Dustin Wolf.

But I’ve really liked the growth I’ve seen over the past year (or so) from forward Adam Klapka and defenceman Ilya Solovyov. Klapka is a big dude, and he’s managed to figure out how to use his size effectively as a compliment to his skill. He was really good in the last 20-25 games for the Wranglers. Meanwhile, Solovyov became a really reliable defender for the Wranglers last year, used extensively as a shutdown guy down the stretch and excelling in the role. If the Flames need a bottom-six forward or a third-pairing blueliner, these guys could be called upon with strong camps.

According to the fine folks at CapFriendly, Noah Hanifin’s deal includes an eight-team no-trade list for 2023-24. Now, contractual clauses have different forms and functions. Some involve the player submitting a list automatically on a specific day. Some involve the player submitting a list when requested by his club. It’s impossible to know what form Hanifin’s clause has, or the teams on it, without seeing his contract.

This will shock y’all, but I’m a gigantic nerd about hockey and I love learning new things. As somebody that grew up in this market watching the team, it’s incredibly fun and rewarding to be able to learn new things about the game every day. With being able to regularly chat with players, coaches, scouts, management, and a bunch of really bright, curious people in our local media, I’m constantly learning.