The Calgary Flames are in an awkward position as the 2024-25 campaign inches closer. They have several large contracts that many fans believe will hinder them for the foreseeable future, but they haven’t quite embraced the rebuild yet. With Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, and MacKenzie Weegar’s names all being tossed around as potential trade candidates if the Flames can find a deal for any of them, they still have some business to take care of before the season gets underway. Jakob Pelletier, who is currently an unsigned restricted free agent (RFA), is reportedly not close to signing a new contract. As a well-known fan favourite prospect around the league, Pelletier hasn’t broken out at the NHL level just yet, but it seems like a matter of time before he explodes offensively and becomes a core piece to the Flames’ future.
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At 23 years old, the 2019 first-round pick hasn’t quite had the start to a hockey career that he was hoping for at this point. Over parts of two seasons, Pelletier has only played 37 games with the Flames but has impressed having scored four goals and adding six assists for 10 points which comes out to a 0.27 points-per-game average. His career in the American Hockey League (AHL) has been strong, as he has played parts of three seasons scoring 48 goals and adding 63 assists for 111 points through 119 games which comes out to a 0.93 points-per-game average. While he may still need to clean up some small things in his game, he is ready to be a full-time NHL player.
The Flames are not going to be contending this season, so bringing Pelletier back and giving him more ice time to develop seems like the logical thing to do. However, they need to try and get a deal done as soon as possible so they don’t have to worry about an offer sheet. The Edmonton Oilers lost two of their youngsters to offer sheets when the St. Louis Blues tendered massive offers to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, which the Flames may have to start worrying about if they take much longer to get a deal done. While they have the money to match any offer that comes their way, they would surely like to keep his cap hit low.
Pelletier Fits Well With Flames’ Current Lineup
The Flames may not be a strong team this season, but they have a nice mixture of veterans and youngsters that should help their young players develop into solid contributors. Unfortunately, they are going to have to go through a brutal rebuild before they can begin to consider contending and bring themselves back into the playoff picture.
Ever since the massive Matthew Tkachuk trade with the Florida Panthers, the Flames have been trending negatively and haven’t been able to dig themselves out of the hole they’ve dug, so their focus should be on their future. While the deal at the time seemed even, and Weegar has shown himself to be a trustworthy defender on a nightly basis, Huberdeau has not been a great fit and his massive $10.5 million contract that extends through 2031 has been viewed as one of the worst deals in the entire league.
Pelletier is going to be a huge part of their future. If his impressive play at the AHL level is any indication of his potential in the NHL, he could be a core piece of the Flames’ future success. His offensive game is impressive in itself, and his defensive game is improving with every season. While most fans around the league are in consensus that he should be a full-time NHL player, the Flames seem to disagree. Hopefully, they give Pelletier the opportunity he deserves this season and he becomes a mainstay in their everyday lineup.
