With just over a month until main camp opens for the Calgary Flames, all eyes are set on the future. Craig Conroy sold the farm in his first year as Flames general manager and aside from a few grizzled vets, the roster is fresh. One of those fresh faces is 2021 first-round pick Matt Coronato. The Harvard standout made his debut with the Flames at the end of the 2022–23 season. With high expectations heading into last season, Coronato made the opening day roster but struggled, recording a single goal in 10 games with a -9 plus-minus.
Coronato was assigned to the AHL Wranglers playing 41 regular season games for the club last year, recording 15 goals and 42 points. Outside of a short stint with the Flames in January, Coronato didn’t see the NHL roster again until mid-March in which he started showing improvement.
With Coronato at the forefront of young wingers looking to crack the Flames roster out of camp, we wanted to know which centre would be the best suited to play alongside him. We asked, you answered.
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Coronato’s potential centres
The following poll was presented giving potential options down the middle alongside Matt Coronato. With the rebuild in full effect, if Coronato can crack the roster out of camp he will get plenty of opportunity, but who with?
Nazem Kadri elevated Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary last season while simultaneously leading the team in points with the two aforementioned rookies as linemates.
Mikael Backlund is well known for his mentorship qualities and ability to play with almost anyone.
Or, does Kevin Rooney come off shoulder surgery and anchor Coronato’s two-way game on the fourth line?
The wildcard is Connor Zary, who showed potential at centre near the end of the season. Maybe combining the young prospects together could erase some of the Flames offensive woes.
Nazem Kadri
Kadri was the runaway victor this week collecting nearly half of the votes. Kadri’s success last season was labelled as a resurrection after a 56-point down season with the Flames in 2021–22.
Kadri was maybe the most impactful player on the Flames roster last season on and off the ice. Not only did his 75 points lead the team, Kadri’s mentorship of Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary helped the team fill two crucial holes in their sinking roster at the time.
Recency bias certainly leans towards Kadri in this debate, and I’d have to agree. Coronato looks to take a big step this season and it appears Connor Zary is a front runner to get a shot at centre back. Kadri down the middle with Pospisil to complement Coronato’s game sounds like a great starting point to me.
Mikael Backlund
O captain, my captain. Backs collected just over a quarter of the vote this week to narrowly edge out Connor Zary for second place. In Backlund’s tenure with the Flames, he has seen the rise of many successful scoring wingers, manning the middle at some point for many, if not all of them. Although all have moved on to greener pastures, most recently Andrew Mangiapane, the grizzled veteran has the ability to find chemistry with almost anyone.
With Coleman coming off a career season, Coronato makes sense to slot in to the third pairing. The veteran presence would be great for support on and off the ice while the two-way nature of Coleman and Backlund’s games could both complement and improve Coronato’s overall skills very well.
Connor Zary
Maybe the most interesting option in this week’s poll, Connor Zary collected just under a quarter of the vote finishing in third place. Zary burst onto the scene last season even getting Calder conversation throughout the season. After a hot start in November, the 2020 first-round pick from the Kamloops Blazers became an everyday NHLer. His grit, effort and flash are all things Flames fans, and the coaching staff love.
Zary played centre in junior and got opportunity near the end of last season to play down the middle. Although there was a noticeable learning curve initially, Zary steadily improved over the course of his few opportunities.
It’s a tantalizing idea, but risky to say the least. The offensive potential is high but the growing pains would be drastic. Maybe a Ryan Lomberg or Blake Coleman could offer some mentorship alongside the kids or Pospisil slots in alongside the pair to balance out their games a bit.
Although the most unlikely scenario proposed, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Kevin Rooney
Rooney brings in a whopping 5% this week to finish last in our poll. It’s not that Rooney isn’t a great player, but it’s also not that Kevin Rooney isn’t a bad player. He’s Kevin Rooney. Was I excited to hear he was Brad Treliving’s big July 1 free agency signing after the Gaudreau, Tkachuk exodus of 22’? No, quite frankly I was disappointed.
But, that’s not to say Kevin Rooney doesn’t have a large role ahead of him on the 2024–25 Calgary Flames. He’s a solid fourth line centre and if the Flames ever needed one, it’s now. Furthermore, he could end up playing a huge role on the penalty kill this season with Elias Lindholm gone.
Although Rooney and the fourth line aren’t the sexiest matchup for Coronato, it’s not all about the looks. Rooney and the fourth line have a good personality, a sense of humour, and would give you the shirt of their back if you asked for it. That could be exactly what Matt Coronato needs. Someone to take it slow with, experience the little things, and get ushered into the next chapter of his hockey life at a respectable pace.
All that just to say, Coronato will still likely be at the bottom of the winger depth chart and maintaining/finding chemistry for other lines will take priority, so a fourth line role brings him into the NHL with a good amount of sheltering.
Opportunity is knocking
The Flames are in for a slow burn this season—no pun intended. But, fans can finally look forward to some fresh faces and a new identity to the team. The next era of Flames hockey is on the horizon and one of those potential franchise faces is Matt Coronato. Finding chemistry for the young goal scorer on a team with ample offensive opportunity could be just what the ivy leaguer needs to make a permanent NHL jump.
I think I speak for all Flames fans when I say, I don’t care who Coronato plays with as long as he’s playing well.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
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