Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson empties his notebook on all things Flames, with thoughts on Matvei Gridin, Morgan Frost and future statue plans.
Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson empties his notebook on all things Flames, with thoughts on Matvei Gridin, Morgan Frost and future statue plans.
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This will be fun, I think.
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The standard practice for a beat reporter is a morning email to the boss — this is what I’m planning to write about, and this is roughly how many words it will be.
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So what am I writing about today? Not really sure.
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And how long will it be? I guess we’re about to find out.
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The Calgary Flames capped an eight-game pre-season with a seven-round shootout, a long goodbye to the NHL’s last extended exhibition session. Under the new CBA, teams will play only four tuneups per fall.
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The good news is that, as the Flames enjoy a weekend off the ice, there are a lot of random quotes, notes and tidbits in this notebook of mine.
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Noon News Roundup
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So here goes, a recap-of-sorts of what I’ve heard, witnessed and surmised over the past couple of weeks …
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Matvei’s road map
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Let’s start with the biggest story of Flames’ camp — 19-year-old winger Matvei Gridin.
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As I was driving away from the Saddledome on Friday night, yet to reach the speed that Gridin seems to fly around the rink, I was thinking back to an interview in June, shortly after he wrapped a playoff run with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes and returned home to Russia for the off-season.
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“I’ve just gotta show that I compete hard and can make plays,” Gridin told me then, already looking ahead to this tryout. “Sam Honzek is a great example — what he did last year at the main camp. So what’s the problem for me to do the same thing?”
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No problem, apparently.
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A year ago, Honzek forced the Flames into an extended audition. Gridin, who was undoubtedly pencilled in to start the season with the Wranglers, did the same.
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A year ago, Honzek led the Flames in pre-season points. With three goals, Gridin finished atop the team charts in another very important category.
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A year ago, Honzek was rewarded with an opening-night job.
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And Gridin? Well, that’s the part we’re not sure of yet.
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I absolutely believe the speedy forward has earned a spot on Calgary’s initial roster. It wouldn’t make much sense to me to demote him so you can keep an eighth defencemen, a guy who seems unlikely to fetch a waiver claim.
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I certainly think it’s a good sign that Flames coach Ryan Huska has gone out of his way to point out that Gridin isn’t just all offence or all speed.
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“Even though he’s 19 years old, the lower frame on him, he’s thick,” Huska said earlier this week, praising the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. “He’s big and strong and powerful. So if he’s in a situation against a bigger defenceman, he is — at this age — going to be able to hold them off and he’s going to be able to make plays. He has the ability to protect pucks, and I think he can play a big man’s game, even as a younger player.”