One of the Calgary Flames’ most promising prospects is finally back in game action. Suffering a laceration to his wrist just four games into the 2023–24 season, Jeremie Poirier has been sidelined for months on a long recovery journey.
Now over four months since the incident, Poirier has returned to the Calgary Wranglers’ lineup for his first taste of game action in 2024.
Poirier’s return is huge for Calgary
Poirier’s one of the best prospects in the Calgary Flames’ system at the moment. His development as an offensive blueliner has been solid and if not for his injury, there’s a real chance he would have seen NHL action by now.
Being an offence-first defenceman, his biggest gap was his defensive zone coverage. Since being drafted, he’s worked hard on both ends of the ice and his trajectory coming into the 2023–24 season was meant to be a big one for him as he’d potentially take the reins as a top pairing defender with the Wranglers.
Last season, he posted 41 points in 69 games and was second in points among Wranglers defencemen, only behind Nick DeSimone (who’s longer with the Flames). So in terms of raw outputs, Poirier would be the next defender up.
With the Flames undergoing major changes with the trade deadline—having already traded Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars and becoming increasingly closer to trading Noah Hanifin, the Flames’ blueline depth chart is primed for Poirier to climb up and solidify his spot as either the Wrangler’s top defenceman or even a bottom pairing NHLer. This includes closing out 2023–24 but also includes looking forward to what role he could find himself in to start 2024–25.
However, in the immediate future, his development from now until the end of the season will be great as having him return to action will be a huge bonus regardless of which team in Calgary he suits up for.
Picking up where Poirier left off
Realistically, the Flames will want to ease him back into the AHL. He started skating at the end of January and now over a month later, he’s finally back on the Wranglers roster. Depending on how the trade deadline goes for Calgary, he could be a prospect called up if the next set of games sees him picking up right where he left off prior to injury. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Flames waited a little longer towards the end of the season before making a re-call for Poirier.
In his first four games of the season, Poirier picked up seven points—one goal and six assists. Of course, it’s a small sample size and he’s likely not a point-per-game AHLer (yet), but there’s no denying that his start to the season was one of the most promising for a Flames defence prospect in recent memory. If he’s able to show some offensive flair while still being defensively sound, it’d be completely justified to get him some NHL reps.
A welcomed return with the Wranglers
The Wranglers are playing today in a Sunday matinee against the Colorado Eagles. After this game, they have 14 more regular season games.
Currently, the Wranglers sit sixth in the Pacific Division but are within striking distance of third. The AHL’s Pacific Division sends seven teams to the postseason, so barring a major collapse, the Wranglers will be playoff-bound by season’s end.
This stint to end the season will be a high-pressure environment for Poirier and he’ll get a big opportunity to show the Flames exactly what type of player he can be. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him spend the bulk of his playing time with the Wranglers while making a couple of end-of-season appearances for the Flames, then finally pushing for a playoff run with the Wranglers.
Welcome back, Poirier!
Photo from @AHLWranglers on Twitter.
