Folks, we&#8217;re headed into a busy week for the Calgary Flames. They play three exhibition games, starting with hosting the Seattle Kraken on Monday evening. They&#8217;ll be working through the process of cutting their camp roster down to a season-opening 23 players. And they have a ton of tough decisions to make during that process.
As we kick off the final week of camp, let&#8217;s delve into the mailbag!
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Ryan, given the young depth on the blue line and the acceleration up front can you please give us a thought on which members of camp that will not make the main roster this year will be wearing a jersey opening night next season? Keep up the great! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyc</a>
&mdash; Big Daddy (@bigdaddybustard) <a href="https://twitter.com/bigdaddybustard/status/1840502255377912259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Three blueliners that won&#8217;t be here on opening night but I think could make a case for opening night in 2025 are Hunter Brzustewicz, Artem Grushnikov and Zayne Parekh.
I fully expected to be impressed by Parekh, and while he&#8217;s not quite NHL-ready, you can see the elements of his game that made the Flames so excited about his game. I didn&#8217;t expect Brzustewicz and Grushnikov&#8217;s games to be so damn polished. Brzustewicz had a fantastic offensive season last year but there were questions about his defensive game – which was quite good. And Grushnikov dealt with a late-season injury which prevented him from appearing for the Wranglers in the Calder Cup playoffs, but there has been zero rust or hesitancy in his game like you sometimes see from defenders coming back from an injury. Having someone with Grushnikov&#8217;s skillset to play alongside their high-tempo offensive blueliners feels like a great future fit.
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Why should the flames sign Barrie, they seem to have a glut of young defence needing opportunity. Do you think Conroy has learned from the valimaki experience not to waive Pelletier but look for a trade instead?
&mdash; Derek (@KohutD) <a href="https://twitter.com/KohutD/status/1840528085793603829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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What are your thoughts on Jakob Pelletier&#39;s very underwhelming pre-season? And how would you handle him going into the regular-season?
Thanks
&mdash; #4 Andersson (@tritongamez) <a href="https://twitter.com/tritongamez/status/1840496842045350291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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On Tyson Barrie: The balancing act to me is this: you probably can&#8217;t dress Barrie and Brayden Pachal for every game. Barrie could be a net positive on a power play unit, while Pachal defends well and is an effective penalty-killer. They&#8217;re both right shot defenders that would be on your third pairing. Do you gain more from having Barrie on your PP or Pachal on your PK?
On Jakob Pelletier: I&#8217;m a big fan of the person and the player. When he&#8217;s on his game, man, he&#8217;s so useful and versatile because he can bring some energy, speed and tenacity to basically any line or game situation. But he hasn&#8217;t looked like himself since his shoulder surgery, and especially since his hit from Jacob Trouba last spring. He needs to get his swagger back, and as much as putting him on waivers to send him to the AHL is a gamble, it might be the right move for his development.
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Is it Wolf and Vladar, 1 and 2, at the goalie position to start the season? Does Cooley require waivers? Also, do you expect Barrie to sign a contract soon? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlamesNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlamesNation</a>
&mdash; Maureen (@mbbrennan) <a href="https://twitter.com/mbbrennan/status/1840497135932092746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Devin Cooley does require waivers, and I think worries over potentially losing him on waivers could influence the Flames&#8217; goaltending decision-making. I think Dan Vladar is a lock because of his experience and performance in the NHL to date. So the Flames have to decide if they keep Wolf, Cooley, or both, on the NHL roster going forward.
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Are the Flames significantly worse if they trade Andersson now for a super high return (player, prospect, and a 1st)? They are clearly worse, but would they really be significantly worse.
&mdash; Matt (@matty_matt__) <a href="https://twitter.com/matty_matt__/status/1840498041142514026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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This will be a cop-out answer, but for the overall team as a whole it depends on what the player they receive back would be. If you sent out Rasmus Andersson, your blueline group flat-out gets worse because you&#8217;re probably replacing him with somebody with less experience and talent. He&#8217;s a really smart player that can play any game situation and anchor a defensive pairing with a less-experienced partner. You take that out of your lineup and you leave a big gap.
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If Kuzmenko gets off to a good start, say a 40-goal pace, does Conroy sign or trade him?
&mdash; asimpleplan (@asimpleplan1) <a href="https://twitter.com/asimpleplan1/status/1840528368724521254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Considering the number of young wingers knocking on the door that need top nine spots to be fully effective in the NHL, I would need a lot of convincing to sign Andrei Kuzmenko. Nothing against the player, but for a team that&#8217;s looking to build for the future, I think you need to prioritize opening spots for those young players.
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I didn’t hear much about Poirier during camp and now he is with the Wranglers. How was his camp? Still finding his way after missing a year or being passed by Parekh and Brust (not going to try to spell).
&mdash; Trevor (@Slavvyth) <a href="https://twitter.com/Slavvyth/status/1840587471333278083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Jeremie Poirier was pretty decent in training camp, but coming off his injury and the time he missed last season due to his scary arm laceration, he&#8217;ll need a bit of time to build up his game and confidence. He&#8217;ll be battling for playing time within the Flames&#8217; system, but he&#8217;s still a really talented player and he has the benefit of a couple years of pro experience while some of the newcomers will be a bit wide-eyed when it comes to the adjustments they&#8217;ll have to make to be good pros. Don&#8217;t count out seeing Poirier in the NHL this season, especially if he can get out to a good start.
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Happy to see that the Flames have signed Andrew Basha! Will they try to sign anyone else before the season starts?
&mdash; Carly Culhane (@cculhane96) <a href="https://twitter.com/cculhane96/status/1840580575666593797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Two names to keep an eye on in the next little while for potential signings: Jaden Lipinski and Luke Misa.
Lipinski could be headed back to the Western Hockey League as an overage 20-year-old player, or he could be playing pro with the Wranglers this season. (It depends on how he looks in Wranglers camp&#8230; and how many other pieces the Flames are juggling on the farm.) But Honzek&#8217;s junior teammate was superb up the middle for the Vancouver Giants last season and could be making a case for an entry-level deal either way.
Meanwhile, Misa is another late 2005 birthday that, like recent signee Andrew Basha, could afford the Flames a bit of contract flexibility via an extra year of entry-level slide on a potential entry-level contract. As a later-round player Misa&#8217;s a bit less of a sure thing in terms of his development, but he&#8217;s someone OHL onlookers are quite excited about. A deal for him may come closer to the end of the calendar year, though.
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When would you predict the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> start dealing a few vets away to make room for more younger players?
&mdash; Chris Chepil (@chepilinski) <a href="https://twitter.com/chepilinski/status/1840516541865193805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Last year, Craig Conroy had looming time pressures that threatened to force his hand on several prominent trades. Rather than rush, he slow-played his hand and only really seemed to make moves when the offers were right. Everyone&#8217;s welcome to criticize the trade returns he received, but he could&#8217;ve just rushed to make all of his moves earlier in the season to avoid the headaches and distractions. He didn&#8217;t, and the team was probably better off for his patience.
This season, I think we&#8217;ll see a similar strategy. The Flames probably have prices in mind for various assets (like Kuzmenko or Anthony Mantha, or even Dan Vladar) and probably won&#8217;t rush out to move them unless there&#8217;s a particular time pressure&#8230; or they get their price.
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Ryan, Happy Sunday! This training camp: Who has surprised you the most in a good way?
&mdash; CGY_Anand (@CGY_Anand) <a href="https://twitter.com/CGY_Anand/status/1840501039877017855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I thought Sam Honzek was fairly ordinary in last year&#8217;s camp, but that was probably to be expected coming off a mid-season injury in 2022-23 and a short summer. I&#8217;ve really been impressed by how well he&#8217;s played in the pre-season games. I&#8217;ve watched all of them, and the details of his game are superb. He does a lot of little, smart things that add up and contribute to his team building and keeping momentum, and you don&#8217;t usually see 19-year-olds figuring out that part of the game this quickly.
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When are we getting a 24/7 webcam to follow construction progress of ScotiaPlace? It’ll be a huge L if the team/city don’t get one up &amp; running. Almost every major new arena/stadium build has had one.
&mdash; v5 Calgary Flames (@v5FlamesGM) <a href="https://twitter.com/v5FlamesGM/status/1840512476427043204?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I&#8217;ll ask about this with the project team. Right now they&#8217;re just digging a hole so there&#8217;s not a lot of stuff to see, but quite a few fans have asked about this possibility. We&#8217;ll see what happens. It could be a pretty cool thing to track if they set one up.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
<h2>The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda</h2>
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Folks, we're headed into a busy week for the Calgary Flames. They play three exhibition games, starting with hosting the Seattle Kraken on Monday evening. They'll be working through the process of cutting their camp roster down to a season-opening 23 players. And they have a ton of tough decisions to make during that process.

As we kick off the final week of camp, let's delve into the mailbag!

https://twitter.com/bigdaddybustard/status/1840502255377912259

Three blueliners that won't be here on opening night but I think could make a case for opening night in 2025 are Hunter Brzustewicz, Artem Grushnikov and Zayne Parekh.

I fully expected to be impressed by Parekh, and while he's not quite NHL-ready, you can see the elements of his game that made the Flames so excited about his game. I didn't expect Brzustewicz and Grushnikov's games to be so damn polished. Brzustewicz had a fantastic offensive season last year but there were questions about his defensive game – which was quite good. And Grushnikov dealt with a late-season injury which prevented him from appearing for the Wranglers in the Calder Cup playoffs, but there has been zero rust or hesitancy in his game like you sometimes see from defenders coming back from an injury. Having someone with Grushnikov's skillset to play alongside their high-tempo offensive blueliners feels like a great future fit.

https://twitter.com/KohutD/status/1840528085793603829

https://twitter.com/tritongamez/status/1840496842045350291

On Tyson Barrie: The balancing act to me is this: you probably can't dress Barrie and Brayden Pachal for every game. Barrie could be a net positive on a power play unit, while Pachal defends well and is an effective penalty-killer. They're both right shot defenders that would be on your third pairing. Do you gain more from having Barrie on your PP or Pachal on your PK?

On Jakob Pelletier: I'm a big fan of the person and the player. When he's on his game, man, he's so useful and versatile because he can bring some energy, speed and tenacity to basically any line or game situation. But he hasn't looked like himself since his shoulder surgery, and especially since his hit from Jacob Trouba last spring. He needs to get his swagger back, and as much as putting him on waivers to send him to the AHL is a gamble, it might be the right move for his development.

https://twitter.com/mbbrennan/status/1840497135932092746

Devin Cooley does require waivers, and I think worries over potentially losing him on waivers could influence the Flames' goaltending decision-making. I think Dan Vladar is a lock because of his experience and performance in the NHL to date. So the Flames have to decide if they keep Wolf, Cooley, or both, on the NHL roster going forward.

https://twitter.com/matty_matt__/status/1840498041142514026

This will be a cop-out answer, but for the overall team as a whole it depends on what the player they receive back would be. If you sent out Rasmus Andersson, your blueline group flat-out gets worse because you're probably replacing him with somebody with less experience and talent. He's a really smart player that can play any game situation and anchor a defensive pairing with a less-experienced partner. You take that out of your lineup and you leave a big gap.

https://twitter.com/asimpleplan1/status/1840528368724521254

Considering the number of young wingers knocking on the door that need top nine spots to be fully effective in the NHL, I would need a lot of convincing to sign Andrei Kuzmenko. Nothing against the player, but for a team that's looking to build for the future, I think you need to prioritize opening spots for those young players.

https://twitter.com/Slavvyth/status/1840587471333278083

Jeremie Poirier was pretty decent in training camp, but coming off his injury and the time he missed last season due to his scary arm laceration, he'll need a bit of time to build up his game and confidence. He'll be battling for playing time within the Flames' system, but he's still a really talented player and he has the benefit of a couple years of pro experience while some of the newcomers will be a bit wide-eyed when it comes to the adjustments they'll have to make to be good pros. Don't count out seeing Poirier in the NHL this season, especially if he can get out to a good start.

https://twitter.com/cculhane96/status/1840580575666593797

Two names to keep an eye on in the next little while for potential signings: Jaden Lipinski and Luke Misa.

Lipinski could be headed back to the Western Hockey League as an overage 20-year-old player, or he could be playing pro with the Wranglers this season. (It depends on how he looks in Wranglers camp... and how many other pieces the Flames are juggling on the farm.) But Honzek's junior teammate was superb up the middle for the Vancouver Giants last season and could be making a case for an entry-level deal either way.

Meanwhile, Misa is another late 2005 birthday that, like recent signee Andrew Basha, could afford the Flames a bit of contract flexibility via an extra year of entry-level slide on a potential entry-level contract. As a later-round player Misa's a bit less of a sure thing in terms of his development, but he's someone OHL onlookers are quite excited about. A deal for him may come closer to the end of the calendar year, though.

https://twitter.com/chepilinski/status/1840516541865193805

Last year, Craig Conroy had looming time pressures that threatened to force his hand on several prominent trades. Rather than rush, he slow-played his hand and only really seemed to make moves when the offers were right. Everyone's welcome to criticize the trade returns he received, but he could've just rushed to make all of his moves earlier in the season to avoid the headaches and distractions. He didn't, and the team was probably better off for his patience.

This season, I think we'll see a similar strategy. The Flames probably have prices in mind for various assets (like Kuzmenko or Anthony Mantha, or even Dan Vladar) and probably won't rush out to move them unless there's a particular time pressure... or they get their price.

https://twitter.com/CGY_Anand/status/1840501039877017855

I thought Sam Honzek was fairly ordinary in last year's camp, but that was probably to be expected coming off a mid-season injury in 2022-23 and a short summer. I've really been impressed by how well he's played in the pre-season games. I've watched all of them, and the details of his game are superb. He does a lot of little, smart things that add up and contribute to his team building and keeping momentum, and you don't usually see 19-year-olds figuring out that part of the game this quickly.

https://twitter.com/v5FlamesGM/status/1840512476427043204

I'll ask about this with the project team. Right now they're just digging a hole so there's not a lot of stuff to see, but quite a few fans have asked about this possibility. We'll see what happens. It could be a pretty cool thing to track if they set one up.

Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
<h2>The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda</h2>
Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.

Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at <a href="http://www.villagehonda.com/">www.villagehonda.com</a>.

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