Flames Add PTO Forward as the Depth Problem Gets Louder

A former Penguins forward is expected to sign a professional tryout with Calgary, per a report Wednesday. The name hasn't been confirmed, so there's not much to say about the player himself yet — but the move itself tells you something about where the Flames are right now, a few weeks from camp.

When I wrote about the injury situation ten days ago, eight players were unavailable. The current injury list has thinned some in the interim, but Henry Mews remains out, and the broader picture hasn't changed enough to stop the front office from going PTO shopping. That's the context here. This isn't a depth add on a healthy roster; it's a team patching holes before it even knows how many holes it has.

The forward group was already thin before Blake Coleman was traded to Minnesota. Coleman was one of the few forwards who finished last season in positive territory, and he's gone. Huberdeau played just 41 games. The Flames' big offseason commitment was Simon Nemec on the blue line — a five-year deal that signals where the organization's priorities are — but that doesn't put wingers in the lineup. A PTO is a low-cost way to add a body and see what sticks. It's also a sign that the front office knows the forward depth isn't where it needs to be when camp opens.