Flames will have four new faces in their lineup tonight
The Calgary Flames will look like a much different team in their first game out of the All-Star break.
The Flames are set to take on the Boston Bruins in their first game in 10 days with plenty of new faces in the lineup. The most intriguing of the bunch is Andrei Kuzmenko, who was acquired over the break from the Vancouver Canucks as part of the package received in exchange for Elias Lindholm. He will wear No. 96 with the Flames and will begin tonight’s outing on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich.
Another new face to the organization is Brayden Pachal, who was claimed off of waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights two days ago. He will be wearing No. 94 with the Flames and is pencilled in to play on the third pairing alongside Oliver Kylington.
The other two faces, Jakob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney, aren’t new to the organization but will be making their 2023-24 Flames debuts. Both players suffered shoulder injuries in the preseason and were forced to go through lengthy recovery periods to get back to this point.
Pelletier, who was selected 26th overall in the 2019 draft, was able to suit up for the first 24 games of his NHL career a season ago, registering three goals and seven points. The dynamic 22-year-old has impressed in the early years of his pro career, scoring 45 goals and 102 points in 105 career AHL games.
Rooney, on the other hand, is looking to impress the Flames’ coaching staff in hopes of remaining with the team for the rest of the season. The 30-year-old appeared in just 17 games last season before being sent to the AHL, which marked his first visit to the minors since the 2018-19 campaign. He is by no means an offensive threat; he is great on faceoffs and has proven at times in the past to be an asset in a fourth-line role.
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