Going into last season, I don’t think there was a young player that Calgary Flames fans were more excited to watch than Jakob Pelletier. He showed some nice promise in the 2022–23 season when he got the opportunity to play, and with a new coach in Ryan Huska in the fold coming into last season, many expected Pelletier to be given a larger role in the 2023–24 season.
Well, last season probably could not have gone any worse for Pelletier as he suffered an injury in preseason that sidelined him until February and he was never able to gain his footing at the NHL level before another injury just a few games into his return. He was sent back to the AHL after just 13 NHL games, and he was not overly dominant at the AHL level with the Calgary Wranglers either.
With a logjam of wingers and a contract that still needs to be renewed, there is no doubt that Pelletier will be fighting to earn every second of ice this upcoming season.
Where will Pelletier slot in to start the season?
It is going to be hard to predict where Pelletier will start when the puck drops in October. The Flames (for better or for worse) have a logjam of wingers, and that was well-documented even before they went out and signed Anthony Mantha and Ryan Lomberg on the opening day of free agency. Pelletier was already starting low on the depth chart, and now question marks will be raised about his status when training camp comes around.
There isn’t much room for him right now, and it seemed as though Huska was not all too impressed with his play a season ago as when Pelletier was up with the Flames—he spent a majority of his time buried on the fourth line or in the press box before his eventual demotion to the AHL.
He will have to come into training camp and win his spot in the lineup, there is no other way to put it. His spot on the team is not going to be handed to him and there will be no shortage of players that he will have to out-perform if he wants to win an NHL job out of training camp. That will be on Pelletier and Pelletier alone.
Why this season could be make-or-break for Pelletier
I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that this season will be massive for Pelletier to see where he stands not only in this organization but as a player in the NHL. Pelletier is no longer a young prospect looking to make his mark in the league, he is now 23 years old and will be 24 next March—those are the beginning of the prime years of a player.
There are younger players who have already passed him when it comes to NHL playing time. Connor Zary has cemented himself into the Flames lineup and will be looking to build on his strong rookie campaign, Matt Coronato was given more time in the NHL than Pelletier and was seemingly gaining more trust by Huska as the season went on. Those are two players who were drafted after Pelletier was and have made a stronger impact on the ice than he has.
It looks even worse for Pelletier when you see what players like Coronato and William Stromgren did in the AHL playoffs while Pelletier didn’t stand out the way you thought he would. I know that injuries can hurt a player and their development, and that definitely happened with Pelletier this year, but he was nowhere near as impactful at the NHL or AHL level last season as they needed him to be.
At the end of the day, I am not saying the door has completely shut on Pelletier becoming an impact player at the NHL level, but some progress has to start being made. The Flames will be bringing in younger players through trades or through the draft as the rebuild continues, and if Pelletier cannot break through and cement himself on this team, then there’s a decent chance he may get passed over.
He absolutely needs to have a strong year this season, he has to gain the trust of his coaching staff and he must make an impact. If he doesn’t, well that could spell the end of his time in Calgary.
Time for Pelletier to put it all on the line
Training camp is going to be an extremely important time for Pelletier and his development. Pelletier will have to take every risk possible to make an impression and make the team. If he does end up making the team, he will have to continue to push the envelope so he doesn’t lose his spot in the lineup.
Regardless of what happens, the competition for spots will be entertaining to watch, and let’s hope for Pelletier’s sake, he can live up to the pressure and punch through.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
