The Calgary Flames have made a roster move in advance of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The club has recalled defenseman Rinat Valiev from the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League.
.@CortexBusiness Transaction Alert: The #Flames have recalled Rinat Valiev from the @AHLHeat. https://t.co/GQEw5sHtLq
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 2, 2019
With Travis Hamonic’s status for Sunday’s game in question, adding Valiev gives the team a bit of insurance.
Valiev, 23, was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at the beginning of the season in the trade that sent Brett Kulak to the Habs. Valiev is a left-shot defender who’s put up 12 points in 36 games with Stockton. It’s his second callup this season; he was previously up from Dec. 8-10, also as an insurance policy.
As a depth guy making the league minimum cap hit ($650,000) at the NHL level, Valiev makes a lot of sense to bring up as a short-term move.
