The Calgary Flames have done a great job building up their prospect pool, particularly when it comes to the blue line. Names such as Hunter Brzustewicz, Zayne Parekh, and Henry Mews are intriguing prospects who could be a big part of the Flames’ future defence core. While the Flames have a strong future on the right side, they also have no shortage of intriguing left-handed defensive prospects.
Players such as Etienne Morin and Ilya Solovyov have gotten a lot of attention, but one name seems to remain in the shadows, and that’s Jeremie Poirier. The 22-year-old was drafted by the Flames in 2020 but has yet to make his NHL debut. With how much defensive talent the Flames have added in recent years, Poirier has been a player who has sort of been overshadowed, and the question remains whether or not he’s truly a part of the Flames future moving forward.
Poirier has suffered with the injury bug
There’s no doubt that Poirier is a talented hockey player. Selected in the third round with the 72nd pick, the Flames were getting a defenceman who had tremendous offensive upside and was known to be a great puck carrier who was smooth at transitions from both zones on the ice.
So why hasn’t Poirier made an NHL appearance yet? In a perfect world, he’d likely be getting NHL games by now and even could’ve contended for a permanent spot on the blue line. Well, the elephant in the room is his injury history and how he has struggled to stay healthy on a consistent basis.
Last season, Poirier was seen as a player who’d be given a serious look by Flames’ management during his time with the Wranglers. Unfortunately, a series of injuries derailed those plans. He suffered a burst appendix that required surgery, and after he was rehabilitated, he went on to suffer a scary laceration to his arm that put him out of commission long-term.
Poirier would play 23 games with the Wranglers that season, scoring three goals and 13 points and recording four points in six playoff games. It was truly an unfortunate series of events that heavily influenced Poirier’s development plans and hopes at impressing management for a potential call-up.
Poirier’s condition has since progressed for the better
This season, Poirier has been in a much better state for the Wranglers which has enabled him to showcase his skillset once again. He’s recorded four goals and 26 points in 48 games and currently stands in the top 20 for defensive scoring in the AHL. A bounce-back season is a positive sign for his development and just shows how strong he truly is.
As he continues his strong play, Poirier’s name will pop up more frequently as a call-up candidate for the Flames. The team goes through their rotation of bottom pairing defenceman, and some more youth certainly wouldn’t hurt.
When do the Flames make the call for Poirier?
So when does Craig Conroy decide to give the young defencemen a chance? Well, it all depends on his health and consistency in play. Poirier is still young, and while he has certainly suffered from setbacks, he still has a future with the Flames. It would make zero sense to give up on him at this stage, but the Flames need to be cautious.
As for when he gets a shot, assuming his health and play stay within the Flames’ standards, I see Poirier making a strong push to join the team next season. It wouldn’t hurt for the Flames to overhaul their bottom four, and Poirer could compete for a chance with more spots likely being up for grabs next year.
The team won’t call him up until they are certain Poirier can handle NHL minutes. Therefore, the team isn’t going to rush him, hence why we’ve seen players like Solovyov getting NHL reps instead.
Still, if the team does need some offence on the blue line, Poirier would be a strong candidate looking at his skill set alone. His comeback this season has been quite encouraging, and the Flames can only hope that his progression continues to stay positive, as this is a player who may have an NHL opportunity waiting for him shortly.
