Heading into the 2024-2025 season the Calgary Flames only have two true NHL centres in their lineup. Nazem Kadri and Michael Backlund are both good, productive centres. Unfortunately after that, the current Flames roster has no proven NHL centres. This leaves a glaring spot open for a key role in the Flames top nine. Calgary has some internal options they hope can fill this void. Heading into training camp the Flames have three leading options that could start the season at centre.
Flames Search For a Centre
Martin Pospisil
Martin Pospisil burst onto the scene last year in Calgary. He was a player that wasn’t really talked about much in terms of making the jump to the NHL last season. Pospisil however, surprised just about everyone after being called up last November. He proved to be an impact player and spent the remainder of the season as a mainstay with the big club. During the season Pospisil played his 63 games primarily on the wing. Although he’s a natural centre, it’s common for young players to start on the wing in the NHL as it’s considered an easier transition. It appears however that after the first couple days of training camp, the Flames are going to give Pospisil a chance to find out if he can make the leap to NHL centre.
Why It Could Work
There’s plenty of reason to believe Pospisil can make the jump to NHL centre. Firstly, Pospisil finished the season a plus 14, third best on a team that gave up more than they scored. Although plus-minus isn’t a perfect statistic, it’s a positive sign that Pospisil won’t be a liability defensively with the added responsibility that comes with playing centre. Secondly, Pospisil finished the season with a 45.1% win percentage on faceoffs. Although 51 faceoffs isn’t a massive sample size, the 23 wins are a positive sign for a rookie. Lastly, Pospisil is one of the Flames fastest skaters. His skating ability will make it easier for him to transition both to offence and defence. The Flames have slotted Pospisil alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Mantha to start training camp. This is a clear indication that the coaches have some belief Pospisil can play centre in the NHL. It looks like he is the odds-on favourite to get this roster spot.
Yegor Sharangovich
Sharangovich played time at centre for the Flames last season. However, despite this, the Flames haven’t started him at centre. This is likely due to the fact that in addition to the Flames’ need for centres, they also need to score goals. Sharangovich is coming off a season where he scored 31 goals. Moving Sharangovich to the wing should free him up to focus more on the offensive side of the game. The Flames are hoping this freedom leads to another 30-goal season, or maybe even more. However, if Pospisil doesn’t work out a centre Sharangovich could be moved to the middle.
Why It Could Work
As mentioned, Sharagovich proved last season he could play centre in the NHL. The fact the Flames have seen it first-hand makes it easy to put Sharangovich back in the middle. He’s a good skater and a responsible two-way forward. These assets saw him flourish in a penalty-killing role and helped him as a centre. Often times we think of centres as distributors rather than shooters, which is not the case for Sharangovich. However, there are enough examples around the league of scorers being very effective centres, see Auston Matthews. Sharangovich took over 300 faceoffs last season but won only 39% of those draws. This is an area he’ll need to improve on if he is going to be the long-term solution at centre. For now, it’s clear the Flames prefer to keep Sharangovich on the wing but expect to see him slide into the middle if others struggle in this role.
Connor Zary
Much like Pospisil, Zary burst onto the season last year. He put together a very respectable rookie campaign, scoring 34 points in 63 games. Also like Pospisil, Zary is a natural centre but spent the entirety of last season on the wing. He showed last year he can be a plus player in the NHL as a winger. Now, fans are looking to find out how good he can be. He’s going to get top-nine minutes this season and be given every opportunity to build on his rookie success. The ultimate improvement would be adding offence while also stepping into a role at centre.
Why It Could Work
Zary is comfortable in the middle. He played the majority of this time in junior at centre and was relied on to take big faceoffs for the Kamloops Blazers. Last season, Zary won a respectable 44% of his 109 faceoffs. This is a positive indication he can hold his own in the faceoff circle. Additionally, Zary is a good skater. He showed last season he can more than keep up with the speed of the NHL. Last season, Zary managed to be a plus player for the Flames, despite the fact they lost more than they won and were outscored on the season. This indicates again he is responsible enough to play in the middle without becoming a detriment defensively. The biggest question for Zary will be to prove he can drive his own line. It’s a big ask of a second-year player, but if given the chance that’s what Zary would have to prove to become the long-term solution down the middle.
What To Expect This Season
As mentioned, it looks like Martin Pospisil is the Flames preference at centre for now. Despite this, it would be no surprise to see all three players get some time down the middle. This will be an intriguing storyline to follow through training camp and all season long. If any of them can flourish in this role it would be a huge win for the Flames. Finding a young centre will be key as the Flames build for the future.
Main Photo: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
