There comes a time with every team and player when experiments run their course, and it is time to pull the plug on them. This time, for the Calgary Flames, it is Adam Klapka. He was a nice story when he joined the team in the tail end of the 2024–25 season. However, over the last year, he has proved not to help the team in a big way. Now, he’s holding down a roster spot that a younger player could use in the NHL.
Everyone loves an underdog story, and Klapka even making the league should be a success in its own right, but it is time for it to end.
A detriment to the team
Klapka was never going to be someone who was going to light up the score sheet in any way. His numbers across the many different leagues he has played in over his career prove that. Now, however, Klapka is proving to hurt the team more than help it these days.
Klapka has always been known as a physical presence. At 6’8″ and 235 pounds, size is something you simply cannot teach, but you can teach discipline and skill in the NHL game. Those are two things Klapka has proved he doesn’t have at the highest level. He already has 27 penalty minutes in just three games after logging 112 last season. I get, as someone who likes to mix it up, that penalties are going to happen, but he has been plain undisciplined, and it puts the team at a disadvantage.
It is one thing if he puts the puck in the back of the net like no one else on the team, but what is he doing when he is out there? The answer is nothing. He has been putting the team down a man. That takes time away from guys like Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh simply because they are not penalty killers. And when he is on the ice, he doesn’t use his massive frame to his advantage. He gets knocked off the puck easily, and he tries to play more skilled than he actually is. It leads to many more turnovers and chances against.
Klapka has been given plenty of opportunities to prove he is an NHL player. At every turn, he shows that he isn’t. While he stays on the roster to do cardio for the 10 minutes of ice time or so he gets per game, the Flames place Connor Zary on waivers. I’m not sure how that one works.
Younger players should get Klapka’s opportunity
There are a few players who are not on the roster simply because Klapka is still taking up a spot. Aydar Suniev had a great training camp and probably should be with the Flames. But because the roster is full at forward, he is in the AHL. Brennan Othmann has also been sitting when I thought he proved to be an NHL player for the team during camp. He would be much more effective and offers a much higher upside than Klapka does.
You can go down the line and see how many guys could have the opportunity to play in the NHL but simply cannot due to the lack of space up front. I don’t think it is too far-fetched to say that Klapka is stealing ice from some of the prospects. We know what Klapka is. It is not worth having him in the lineup over some of the prospects anymore.
The experiment has run its course
At the end of the day, this season will be determined by the development of the younger players. The Flames are not going to win a lot of games, and that is okay. However, the team cannot be as embarrassing as they have been in opening the season. Bringing in some fresh blood to breathe any kind of life into the lineup because it dearly needs it.
Klapka, as I mentioned above, was a nice story a few years ago, but it is time to move on. He is not effective in the role that he is here to play. The time is now to experiment with some new players. I am pretty sure he would clear waivers, so they would keep him in the organization. If they need him again, he will always be ready for a call-up.
So, if the Flames want to make a statement, shaking up the roster is a start. Starting with moving on from Klapka makes the most sense.
