The Flames will likely try to fill Kevin Bahl’s void internally

On Sunday, the Calgary Flames announced that defenceman Kevin Bahl will miss the remainder of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon prior to Friday night’s game with the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s a tough injury on many fronts, not the least of all because Bahl was having a really good season. Since joining the Flames from New Jersey in a 2024 off-season trade, Bahl has grown into a consistent, reliable and trustworthy defensive defender. If there was a lead to protect, a penalty to kill, or a tough opposition match-up, odds are Bahl was on the ice for it.

Now he’s not an option for those situations.

So who can fill the void?

The short answer is, well, nobody. There’s no one player that can step in to make up for Bahl’s absence. But we do expect to see a few things going forward.

The Flames claimed Joel Hanley off the waiver wire on Mar. 5, 2024.

Since arriving, he’s played regular minutes with just about everybody: MacKenzie Weegar, Brayden Pachal, Rasmus Andersson, Hunter Brzustewicz, Zayne Parekh, Jake Bean and Daniil Miromanov. He’s played a little bit on every single pairing, too. He’s killed penalties.

Sometimes he’s played a lot. More recently, he’s been relegated to the press box as the Flames gave some of their younger players more runway. Well, now there’s a chance for Hanley, a pending unrestricted free agent, to get a bit of a run. He’s probably destined to leave the Flames at the end of the season – you don’t need to imagine too wildly to see Carson Carels slotting into his NHL roster spot next year – but Hanley’s been a really good solider for the Flames and given them some good hockey.

He’s earned some ice time for the next while.

With Bahl in the lineup, the Flames have had fairly clear roles for their regular defenders:

With Bahl out, Hanley is playing with Nemec. But considering how well Hanley and Parekh looked last year, and how dang reliable Kuznetsov has been as a complement to offensive minded players – like Parekh and Weegar – perhaps we might see a bit of a swap if the Flames feel like they can lean on Kuznetsov a bit more later in the season.

Don’t let their record fool you: the Flames are in a rebuild. They’re not interested in making any moves that block the progression of their young up-and-comers. And it doesn’t make much sense for the Flames to expend assets on any short-term, band-aid solutions.

So unless a really impressive leftie defenceman hits the waiver wire that’s a clear upgrade over Hanley – ideally on an expiring contract – we suspect the Flames will amble on with the remaining healthy blueliners they have on their roster.