When this season kicked off, it was expected that the Calgary Flames’ first-round pick in 2021, Matt Coronato, would be a mainstay on the Flames roster. He had all the potential to be an impact player for the team as they looked to rebound from the miserable season just a year ago.
To start the year, it looked like that would be the case, as Coronato scored his first NHL goal in just his second game of the year. However, after that, it looked like Coronato was still trying to find his footing at the NHL level. So, after his tenth game, the Flames decided to send Coronato down to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, where Coronato has done nothing but dominate since being assigned.
With the Flames playing much better since then, it might be the time to give Coronato another shot at becoming a regular with the Flames, as we potentially may see some guys being shipped off sometime in the near future.
Coronato has dominated the AHL
Since being sent down the Wranglers, Coronato took it as a challenge, and he has taken the league by storm ever since his first game. In 12 appearances since joining the Wranglers, he has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points; that would put Coronato on a 39-goal and 83-point-pace in a 63-game campaign if he were to spend the rest of the year in the AHL. For a player who is just getting his first pro games in, those are some extremely impressive numbers, and we are all hoping it translates to the NHL level.
It is more than just the points though. The way he is playing is really encouraging. He is pushing the pace, playing with speed, using that incredible shot of his, and he is making all the right plays that is propelling the Wranglers to victories. He isn’t the main reason that the Wranglers sit second in the AHL standings, but he is sure a big part of it. With all the negativity that surrounded the Flames early on this year, getting him in a positive environment was a huge boost for his confidence.
Why re-calling Coronato should be considered
The Flames are playing their best hockey of the year right now. It has not been world-beating, but they are playing much better at this point in time than they did in their first ten games of the year—coincidently when Coronato was on the main roster.
The team got a jolt of energy with the pair of rookies in Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil being brought up and they have performed extremely well, Jonathan Huberdeau is finding some positive form on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, and Yegor Sharongovich is solidifying a spot with Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane. All of this translates to there being no room in the top nine.
The fourth line however, has struggled. Both Adam Ruzicka and Dillon Dube have both been up and down this season and Walker Deuhr has yet to show any resemblance to the player he was at the tail-end of last season, A.J. Greer is the only guy who has been consistent. There might be a spot there for Coronato, while also being a mainstay on a power play that has struggled. He could add some much-needed scoring power to a Flames team that needs it, that is obviously assuming that he can bring what he has been doing in the AHL to the NHL team.
Sure, it isn’t ideal for a guy to play maybe ten minutes a night where he could be developing with major minutes in the AHL, but at some point, they will have to give Coronato a shot if he continues to dominate as he has been. He was not given the best opportunity to begin his NHL career as Ryan Huska threw Coronato around the lineup for what seemed like every single game, he was never given a solid spot to just go out and play. That can be hard for a just-turned-21-year-old to handle in his first professional season.
No need for a rushed decision
Bringing Coronato back up to the Flames is what I’m sure every fan wants—it sure is what I want too—but there is obviously no need to rush that decision. The Flames are passable hockey while the Wranglers are playing great hockey. If it isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it.
Injuries will happen, and I am sure we are going to be seeing some players traded (I’m looking at you Elias Lindholm), so Coronto will get his shot at some point, and when he does, he will probably take full advantage of it.
