Adam Klapka is getting a bigger stage Saturday night in Los Angeles, and the Flames are betting his steady start can hold up with better linemates.
After spending the first 19 games almost entirely on Calgary’s fourth line, Klapka is moving up to skate with Morgan Frost and Yegor Sharangovich against the Kings. That shuffle, reported Friday during practice, sends rookie Aydar Suniev in the opposite direction as he joins Jonathan Castagna and William Strömgren on the fourth line.
Flames head coach Ryan Huska said the move comes after a stretch in which Frost’s line has leveled off, while Klapka has quietly become one of the team’s most reliable forwards.
“I think Morgan’s line’s plateaued a little bit over the last little while,” said Huska, via Flames TV. “And I think Adam, when you look at the whole body of work over the course of the year, has probably been one of our more consistent forwards.
So he’s getting some power play time because he’s doing things the right way, and I think he deserves an opportunity to move up the lineup with how he’s played. The challenge is to make sure he stays with the style that he’s been playing and not getting away from it because his line mates have changed.
And I think he’s at the point with the way his season’s gone so far that he recognizes how he has to play each and every game to be successful. And that shouldn’t change no matter what line you’re on.”
That consistency has stood out on a team that has had its share of ups and downs through the first quarter of the season. The fourth line, in particular, has been one of Calgary’s brighter spots. The left wing spot has cycled through players, first Martin Pospisil and then Jonathan Castagna at center, but Klapka has held down the right side for every game so far.
The numbers back up the eye test. Klapka has averaged 11:04 in five-on-five ice time per game, yet he sits near the top of the Flames’ five-on-five scoring list with five points. Only Matt Coronato, Ryan Strome, Sharangovich and Frost have more, and all of them log significantly more ice time.
Klapka has also earned more looks on the second power play unit, starting off and on with Calgary’s Oct. 18 game against Carolina. He cashed in Wednesday night against the New York Rangers with a power play goal.
The 26-year-old free agent signing out of Czechia has been in the Flames organization since 2022. He brings size and surprising speed, but consistency has been the sticking point in his pro career. This season, though, he’s been far more dependable, and it’s shown on the scoresheet with seven points in 19 games.
Now comes the next test: a move up the depth chart, more responsibility, and a chance to prove his game travels with him. Calgary opens a three-game road trip Saturday night against the Kings.
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