The Calgary Flames are starting to see some light at the end of the injury tunnel, and that’s welcome news for a team looking to build momentum heading into the All-Star break. Friday’s pregame skate ahead of their matchup with the Washington Capitals featured a notable return to the ice: forward John Beecher, who’s been sidelined since early January.
Beecher, who the Flames picked up off waivers from Boston back on November 18, has been working his way back after suffering an injury during a fight with Nicolas Hague on January 3. That scrap not only left him banged up-it also earned him a one-game suspension for throwing a punch at Michael McCarron in a later scrum. Between the injury and the suspension, Beecher has now missed 10 games.
But there’s good news on that front. Head coach Ryan Huska confirmed that Beecher’s trending in the right direction, even if he’s not quite ready for a return just yet.
“Very much so,” Huska said when asked if Beecher is progressing. “We won’t see him before the break, though. But everything is progressing nicely with him.”
Also making progress is veteran forward Blake Coleman, who’s been out of the lineup for the past seven games with an upper-body injury suffered on January 8 in Boston. Coleman has a reputation for being a gamer-someone who’s willing to gut it out even when he’s not at 100%-but the Flames are taking a cautious approach as he works his way back.
“I would say he’s close,” Huska said. “I don’t think we’ll see him this week, in my opinion, but that could change as it goes.
Every day, he’s getting better and better so you never know with Blake. He’s one of those guys that is more than willing to play when he’s not quite 100%.
So we’ll see as it keeps progressing.”
As of Friday, Coleman was still skating in a non-contact jersey, a sign he’s not quite cleared for full participation but is inching closer.
With both Beecher and Coleman still on injured reserve, the Flames are currently carrying a full 23-man active roster: two goaltenders, eight defensemen, and 13 forwards. That includes Zayne Parekh, who, despite being on a conditioning stint with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, still counts against the NHL roster cap.
Also on IR are defenseman Jake Bean and forward Sam Honzek. The Flames have had the luxury of an extra healthy forward and defenseman recently, but that flexibility will be tested once Beecher or Coleman are ready to return. Activating either player would require a corresponding move-likely sending someone down to the Wranglers to clear a roster spot.
So while the Flames aren’t back to full strength just yet, they’re getting closer. And with the season grinding into its second half, getting healthy bodies back in the lineup could be just what this team needs to make a push.