The Calgary Flames have a problem, though not one anyone would have envisioned before the 2024-25 season began.
Following last night’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames are now 4-0-0 on the season. This is quite the feat for a team that didn’t have much of any expectations in training camp, and it’s even more impressive given that they aren’t fully healthy.
Yegor Sharangovich, one of the team’s offensive leaders a season ago, has yet to play due to a lower-body injury. They’ve also been without Kevin Rooney, who was placed on the injured reserve after taking a massive hit from Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller in the season opener.
While neither player is expected to return to the lineup just yet, their injuries aren’t being viewed as long-term, either. This means that sooner or later, head coach Ryan Huska will be forced to make some difficult decisions, as everyone on his current roster has played some great hockey early on.
One decision that would appear obvious after a quick look at the roster is to send Justin Kirkland to the AHL. The 28-year-old had appeared in just nine NHL games prior to the 2024-25 season and was nothing more than a depth signing this summer.
That said, he has really impressed Huska since being recalled in place of the injured Rooney. Not only does he have a goal and an assist through three games, but he’s helped form a terrific fourth line alongside Ryan Lomberg and Matt Coronato. Should this play continue, he may become an NHL regular for the first time in his career.
Honzek and Klapka may come up short
There wasn’t a player on the Flames roster who impressed more in training camp than Samuel Honzek. The 2019 first-round pick was on no one’s radar to earn a spot in the lineup out of training camp, but he forced his way on after lighting it up in exhibition play. The breakout performance has helped him re-establish himself as one of the organization’s top prospects.
As is often iterated, however, the regular season is a much different beast, and though Honzek hasn’t looked out of place, he has been pointless through four games. At just 19 years old, placing him in the AHL to gain some offensive confidence may be best moving forward, and it could result in him being sent down once Sharangovich and/or Rooney is ready to return.
The other Flames forward who may wind up being demoted is Adam Klapka. The 6-foot-8 winger dressed in the first two games of the opening season but made little impact and has been a healthy scratch the past two outings in exchange for Matt Coronato.
Despite being 24, Klapka is still very much a prospect, as his game has improved dramatically over the past few years. Getting some more reps as a top player in the AHL would help that development continue, as opposed to being in and out of the press box for the Flames. He may be given one or two more looks before a decision needs to be made, but at this point, it feels as though he and Honzek may draw the short sticks.
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