Yesterday, the Calgary Flames placed Cole Schwindt, Devin Cooley, and Jakob Pelletier on waivers for the purpose of being assigned to the AHL. With the start of the regular season being just around the corner, tough decisions needed to be made. Here is an update regarding the news:
Pelletier manages to clear
Both Cooley and Pelletier have cleared waivers. Flames fans were surprised to learn that the team would risk losing a player like Pelletier for nothing, but he didn’t perform well enough in camp to earn a roster spot. Players like Adam Klapka, Matt Coronato, and Samuel Honzek showed more, and this resulted in Pelletier losing his spot on the team.
With Pelletier clearing waivers, he’ll now have the chance to improve his game in the minors in hopes to earn a call-up to the NHL. As Pelletier was a first-round pick, the optimism is still with some fans on if he can turn into something at the NHL level. It’ll be better for him to start in the minors and to let his play do the talking.
As for Cooley, he’s the third goalie in the organization and it made little sense for the Flames to carry three goalies on their NHL roster. He’ll also be assigned to the Wranglers where he will likely be their starter.
Flames lose Schwindt to Vegas
The Vegas Golden Knights decided to take a flyer on Cole Schwindt, who was part of the return for the Flames in the Matthew Tkachuk trade. Schwindt had an okay camp, but his play wasn’t enough to solidify a spot for himself on Calgary’s fourth line.
Schwindt did manage to play four games with the Flames last season where he went pointless. It was kind of a surprise on why a team would claim him over a player like Pelletier. It’s likely because of Schwindt being a centre, which is a position that is always in demand. Losing Schwindt isn’t the biggest loss in the world, but it does take a hit at the Flames’ depth down the middle.
