World Cup of Hockey schedule released; Monahan, Gaudreau to be insured by NHL/NHLPA if unsigned

With the World Cup of Hockey’s return, we don’t have to wait until October to see meaningful games played anymore. Sure, we still have to wait that long for the actual Calgary Flames to return to action – but as far as competitive games between high-end talent go, Sept. 17 is the date to watch out for.

And even though they remain unsigned, that high-end talent should still include Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.

So even if two of the Flames’ best don’t have contracts by the time the World Cup starts – and that would really be something – they should still be dressing for Team North America.

In addition to Gaudreau and Monahan, the Flames have two other players partaking in the World Cup of Hockey. Jyrki Jokipakka will dress for Team Finland, while Michael Frolik will represent the Czech Republic. (So will Jakub Nakladal, for that matter, who serves as another point of interest if he’s ever re-signed.)

That leaves just three teams for Flames fans to watch, plus Team Canada if you really want to. But with Team North America, what’s the point?

Here’s the schedule for the tournament. Bolded are games Flames players will appear in.

There’s at least one Flame playing every day – and at its peak, three will play on Sept. 19. 

The games will be broadcast on Sportsnet in Canada, although it’s not completely clear which specific channels just yet.