The last year has been anything but smooth sailing for Calgary Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier.
The 23-year-old was forced to miss a good portion of the 2023-24 campaigns due to two separate shoulder injuries, having played in just 34 combined regular season games. As a result, he and the entire Flames fan base knew it wasn’t a lock that he would crack the opening night roster out of this year’s training camp.
Despite not having waiver eligibility, the Flames chose to cut Pelletier, allowing all 31 other NHL teams the opportunity to claim the skilled yet undersized winger. They all passed, further proving just how much his stock has dropped over the last 12 months.
“I think it was kind of on me to get back to the way I used to play a year and a half ago,” Pelletier said in an interview with Logan Gordon on Sportsnet 960 nearly a month ago. “It was kind of a slap in the face, but sometimes you need to take a step back to take two forward.”
To Pelletier’s credit, he has continued to work on his game since being reassigned to the AHL, and, thanks to that hard work, is beginning to rebuild his value.
Through 16 games with the Calgary Wranglers, Pelletier has 16 points. He’s found the back of the net just twice, but his 14 assists have him in a three-way tie for the AHL lead.
The issue for Pelletier when it comes to a potential recall this year is that if the Flames are going to do such, they would need to be confident that they can keep him up for the remainder of the season. His play with the Wranglers suggests he wouldn’t get through the waiver wire a second time.
Pelletier is currently on a one-year deal, though he remains under club control as an RFA at season’s end. Due to the fact he doesn’t have waiver eligibility, he may be in a tough position to earn a call up to the Flames this season. That said, if he can continue this play throughout the entirety of the season, he should give himself a true opportunity to earn a spot with the Flames in 2025-26.
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