Flames interested in free agent Jake Virtanen: report
The Calgary Flames are in on unrestricted free agent forward Jake Virtanen.Ā
The Flames are in competition to land Virtanen with the Edmonton Oilers, according to Bob Stauffer.
“I believe that Calgary is another team, and that’s where Virtanen played with the Calgary Hitmen,” Stauffer said on Oilers Now on Tuesday. “It could be a Battle of Alberta situation. I know that there [are] some people [who] don’t want Jake Virtanen in the mix here and there [are] others that think that Jake Virtanen at a $750,000 price point on a PTO coming in to earn a contract might be worth the investment.Ā
“It’ll be something to watch for.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be Edmonton. It could be Calgary. I do believe there’s a possibility that it’ll be one of the two Alberta teams.”
"It'll be something to watch for. I don't know if it's going to be Edmonton–it could be Calgary–but (Virtanen)'s representative is (agent) Kevin Epp, and I do believe there's a possibility it could be one of the two Alberta teams," says @Bob_Stauffer about Virtanen on a PTO š§ https://t.co/horToXYnwT
— Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer (@OilersNow) September 13, 2022
The Oilers were also linked to the winger by Rick Dhaliwal.
āJake Virtanenā¦ I do believe the Oilers are one of the teams in the mix. I think thereās four or five,āĀ Dhaliwal said this week on Donnie and Dhali, which began its second season on CHEK television this week. āJake Virtanen, the size, speed, he comes cheap ā so thatās why there are four or five teams in on him.”
He hasnāt played an NHL game since being placed on leave by the Vancouver Canucks on May 1, 2021, after accusations of sexual misconduct first became public. The 26-year-old was charged with sexual assaultĀ in January,Ā but a jury later found him not guilty.
Virtanen played four seasons with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, amassing 161 points (85 goals, 76 assists) in 192 games from 2011-2015.Ā
He had 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 36 games with Spartak Moskva of the KHL in 2021-22.Ā
In 317 career NHL games over parts of six seasons, Virtanen has 100 points (55 goals, 45 assists).
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