Coleman is going to be 34 in November ... Craig should be shopping him basically right now
Agree, but if a team is looking to move a vet at this time other teams can smell some desperation. There would obviously be a market, though I can’t imagine him fetching a fair market return barring there being a suitor equally desperate to fill a void. Maybe, but if Coleman were to be moved now don’t count on an exciting return.
My thoughts? Pospisils roster spot is not guaranteed right now. There's some fws banging loudly on the door.
He just signed a three year extension. He’s a locked in vet now. Preseason isn’t important for him to prove anything except to get his work in and get season ready.
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It might be time for Backlund to drop to the 4th line with PK duty. I know he's the captain and they just resigned him for 2 more years, but let's be realistic...he's not going to generate a lot of offense at this point in his career. I think my centers would be Kadri, Frost, Kerins, and Backlund to start the year. Kerins gets time on PP 2 as well. I just think he has a knack for offense and we need that in a lineup without a true top line.
Controversial? Maybe, but it's time to let some of these young guys start to takeover the team.
Kerins is not going to move past Backlund based on exhibition games, let’s try to stay just a little grounded here.
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Coleman is going to be 34 in November ... Craig should be shopping him basically right now
It is one of the problems with waiting for the wheels to come off before committing to a new direction. The Flames have too many veterans and not enough spots for youth.
Conroy was busy his first season, but that was due to the number of pending free agents. Last season he made one mid season move and no moves this off season. Now we have a roster full of middle line veterans and no room for the kids.
He just signed a three year extension. He’s a locked in vet now. Preseason isn’t important for him to prove anything except to get his work in and get season ready.
Pospisil also one of the fastest skaters in the NHL. Faster burst or top speed last season than McD and I believe McKinnon as well. No way we give up on Pospisil. He will get himself back to where he needs to be.
Flipping Kerins for a future pick would be preferable to losing him for nothing via waivers.
How about just playing your offensively talented and NHL ready prospect?
We have a few guys locked into one ways that don't move the needle much offensively for this team and that concerns me because as a result we may see Kerins, who seems to have a nose for the net and knack for showing up on the scoresheet, trot off to another club where he'll likely succeed (I didn't have nearly this level of confidence in players like Pelletier, Duehr, Schwint, etc).
If we waived him and he gets claimed, I will not be happy.
I get that him and Kirkland would have inherently different places on an NHL roster, but Kirkland (who most assuredly would not be claimed) being a lock for a spot because of his shootout record over a guy with actual upside would be poor roster management to me.
But perhaps Kerins deserves to play for a club that actually sees his value. Here, he's gotten the short end of the stick on multiple occasions. Buried in the ECHL, no games at last year's camp to showcase himself, then a healthy scratch after sent down to the Wranglers. How many doors does he have to break down for Flames management to finally pay him (positive) attention?
At least there's some consideration being given this time around by the coaching staff. But yeesh.. give the guy 2-3" to his frame and he's probably looked at in a whole different light by this team and scouts everywhere. I haven't seen a guy jump this many hurdles only to continue to be overlooked.
Youngest player in the AHL top 10 scorers...
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Last edited by TrentCrimmIndependent; 09-27-2025 at 11:15 PM.
I think Kirkland needs to play against some inferior competition. Have no issue throwing him to the Wranglers for a bit while guys like Kerins and Morton deserve a spot on the roster. Kerins needs a decent 10-15 game sample size to see if he can still hang around. IIRC he didn't seem too out of place with his brief stint last year with limited ice time.
Are the top 12 that are going to be on the team. It's a matter of finding who can fight for the reserve spots and continue to fight their way onto the roster.
Coleman is going to be 34 in November ... Craig should be shopping him basically right now
Dude. Agreed. He's aging himself out of being a part of this team's plans, and the bottleneck of young players making cases for themselves is piling up.
You can only go back to the Backs-Coleman well for so long. They could be described as whelming last year. Not at the level they were previously.
Dude. Agreed. He's aging himself out of being a part of this team's plans, and the bottleneck of young players making cases for themselves is piling up.
You can only go back to the Backs-Coleman well for so long. They could be described as whelming last year. Not at the level they were previously.
Aging himself out of the plans? Lmfao.
If those "plans" involve winning, you don't do it without a player like Blake Coleman. Check yourself.
By the time the Flames are actually bidding for the prize, Coleman will be working a hockey ops job (hopefully here). As in retired.
He's into his regression years now. He can only defy father time for so much longer.
Flipping him while there's value to a team actually contending would both be doing him a solid (because he's a player you win with) and wise asset management for the Flames.
Even if Kirkland comes back and plays the way he did prior to a serious knee injury you have to keep Kerins who has the potential to produce higher in the lineup. I think Kerins is a lock to start with the team.. we'll see about Morton but I really hope they don't waive him in favour of Kirkland.
