The Calgary Flames made a Sunday morning roster move ahead of their matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers, recalling defenceman Brayden Pachal from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers and placing Kevin Bahl on the injury reserve list.
Bahl sat out Friday night’s game against Anaheim with a lower body injury, and the absence came together late. Joel Hanley, the team’s seventh defender, was pressed into duty about 15 minutes before warm-up was set to start. With Bahl still in question, Pachal gives Calgary some extra experience on the blue line if anything else pops up.
Pachal opened the season with the Flames as their eighth defenceman before being waived on Oct. 6 and sent to the Wranglers the next day after clearing. At the time, Calgary was carrying 13 forwards and eight defencemen, which made it harder to shuffle the forward group. Moving Pachal and Connor Zary to the AHL opened the door for Jonathan Castagna and Aydar Suniev, and that switch has worked well for the big club.
The recall also gives Pachal another NHL opportunity after logging steady minutes in the AHL. In 11 games with the Wranglers, he’s posted three assists and a plus-3 rating, usually lining up with Axel Hurtig or Jake Livingstone on a shutdown pair. He was a surprise scratch in Saturday’s Wranglers game, a clear sign the call-up was coming.
Because Pachal cleared waivers earlier this season, he can stay on the NHL roster without going through waivers again for 30 days, or 10 game appearances. With his age and veteran profile, he looks like a short-term insurance option for Calgary.
The Flames host Philadelphia on Sunday night, while the Wranglers return to action Tuesday night in Henderson.
In Other News...
Flames Must Solve A Massive Blue-Line Loss For The Rest Of The Season
The Flames are suddenly trying to piece together their blue line after losing their top defenseman for the rest of the season, a blow that changes the look of the roster and the way Calgary has to manage matchups from here on out. The injury leaves a major void on the back end, and the team is already leaning on a collective response to keep the defense stable through the final stretch.
Joel Hanley has been asked to take on a bigger role, while Brayden Pachal has been recalled from the AHL to help absorb some of the minutes and responsibility. It is the kind of adjustment that can ripple through every pairing and every special-teams decision, and for Calgary the challenge now is not just replacing one player, but finding enough reliable coverage to survive without him. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Blue Line Just Lost A Key Piece At The Worst Time
The Flames blue line took a major hit at a time when every point matters, with Kevin Bahl now out for the rest of the season. Calgary confirmed Sunday that the defenceman suffered an Achilles injury and wont return, a tough blow for a team that had leaned on him as a top-pair presence.
Bahls absence leaves the Flames trying to absorb a loss that arrived before warmups on Friday, turning a routine game day into a much bigger concern. For a defense group already under pressure, the challenge now is finding a way to replace his minutes and stability without the kind of player who had become such an important part of the matchup picture. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Suddenly Face A Blue Line Problem They Can't Ignore
The Flames are suddenly staring at a blue line problem they cannot paper over for long. Kevin Bahl has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon, and the injury will force Calgary to reshuffle its defense for the rest of the season while it waits to see whether a later move to long-term injured reserve makes sense.
Bahls absence strips away a key piece of the group and leaves the Flames with a lineup decision they did not want this early. However the club sorts through the replacement options, the impact will be felt in both the short term and the bigger picture, because losing a defenseman of his importance changes the way the entire back end has to function. [Read more 🡒]