Flames Can't Continue Over-Reliance on Defence & A.J. Injury Replacements
Plus, MacKenzie Weegar is developing into an elite blueliner
Welcome to the THW Calgary Flames Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Flames writers.
In today’s edition, we have an article that discusses the team’s over-reliance on its blueliners, why it’s helped them win games, and how it can’t continue. We also look at injury replacements for A.J. Greer and argue about MacKenzie Weegar’s trajectory to becoming an elite defenseman.
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Now, on to the good stuff…
3 Flames Who Can Step Up in A.J. Greer’s Absence
January 28, 2024 by Rupert McDonald
Fans who were tuned into the Calgary Flames game on Thursday (Jan. 25) versus the Columbus Blue Jackets were forced to watch A.J. Greer go hard into the boards and suffer what at the time appeared to be a devastating ankle injury. The 27-year-old immediately went down in a heap and needed the assistance of his teammates to get down the tunnel.
It has since been revealed that Greer will miss roughly eight weeks with a fractured left foot. Though by no means a superstar talent, he has excelled in a fourth-line role for the Flames this season. When at his best, he brings plenty of physicality to the lineup, and has also provided some secondary scoring. His absence will hurt the Flames, though it will also make way for some others to step up and make an impression while he is out. Here are three who could benefit from that opportunity.
Flames’ Weegar Becoming Elite NHL Defenceman
January 26, 2024 by Rupert McDonald
When the Calgary Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, it was Jonathan Huberdeau coming back in the return that had fans in Calgary so excited. After all, they were getting a player who had been one of the league’s best offensive producers for several years and was coming off a career-best 115-point season.
The other NHL player coming to Calgary in the deal was MacKenzie Weegar, who was much less known. While his stats indicated he was a solid defenceman with some offensive skill, he wasn’t a very talked about player, given that the Florida Panthers are a team that often struggles to get the attention of the media.
While Huberdeau really struggled early in his Flames tenure, Weegar wasn’t a whole lot better. The 30-year-old defenceman wasn’t producing offensively and had some major inopportune gaffes in his own end of the ice. While Huberdeau’s struggles have continued, Weegar’s have not. He improved in a big way over the second half of the 2022-23 season, giving fans reason to be optimistic heading into 2023-24. Through the first half, he has not let them down.
Flames’ Over-Reliance On Defencemen Can’t Continue
January 26, 2024 by Abigail Hubbard
The Calgary Flames’ blueliners have been the backbone of the team for the 2023-24 season. Although the forwards have started to find their footing, the defencemen have still been a major presence up front. Noah Hanifin’s goal against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 23 marked the 29th goal scored by the defence this season. While this kind of performance is great to see, the Flames can’t afford to rely so heavily on their defence to help them out up front.
The season so far hasn’t been pretty for the Flames. They’ve had some spectacular wins and some devastating losses. There hasn’t been any kind of consistency, and many of the forwards have struggled because of it. The Flames are lucky that their defencemen haven’t succumbed to these kinds of slumps, but if they continue to overuse them, they may end up having a hindered defence.