The Calgary Flames have been rumored to want to add to their team thanks to their miraculous performance this season.
Most of the rhetoric has been around adding a right-shot center in their lineup to help fill out their lack of depth and lack of right shots. The dream would be to add a younger player with a term that fits their long-term vision, but recent reports show that they could look for a short-term add.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel’s placement on waivers today doesn’t fill their center need but could be a much better depth add to their current roster.
Make the claim
Aube-Kubel has not had a great season in Buffalo. Playing in just 19 games, he has recorded one goal and one assist for two points alongside 17 penalty minutes and a minus-four rating. It’s easy to look at him and suggest that if he can’t play well on the Sabres, then why should the Flames add him? Well, in reality, Aube-Kubel has been a great depth player for a number of strong teams over the last few years.
He won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022 before appearing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals the last two seasons. Last year, he posted six goals and ten assists in 60 games played. He also brings a physical presence to the lineup, which has always been a calling card for the Flames fourth-line. He also had a previous fight against Ryan Lomberg back in 2021, it would be hilarious to reunite these two on the same line.
Right now the Flames are rocking Clark Bishop on their fourth-line right-wing position. Although it’s a great story for Bishop, who scored his first goal since 2018 on Saturday night, he’s not a long-term option if the team wants to seriously push for the playoffs.
Aube-Kubel has a $1.5M cap hit this season, which isn’t a problem for the Flames, but also would be a zero-cost acquisition for the team. If they start searching for depth and end up using a draft pick for a different player, it could end up being a waste of an asset. This is a potential low-risk add for the team that is desperate for some NHL fourth-line depth.
