Calgary Flames fans fumed when Matt Coronato was scratched from the lineup this past weekend.
So this will feel like a double whammy.
According to reporters on scene as the Flames practised Wednesday in Ottawa, Coronato and Zayne Parekh were operating as the extras.
That would hint that two of Calgary’s most exciting young players and most important building blocks — a 22-year-old right-winger and a 19-year-old defenceman — are slated to sit Thursday against the Senators.
While head coach Ryan Huska is searching for any sort of spark after a 2-8-1 start, we’d count these as a pair of puzzlers.
Coronato returned to the lineup for Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he was limited to 11:21 of icetime — most of that in a fourth-line role.
Although there is no denying that Coronato has struggled mightily this season, with just three points and opponents outshooting the Flames by a 71-45 margin when he’s on the ice at even-strength, 11 minutes isn’t much time to show he can bounce back from his last sit-out.
With the Senators allowing four goals per game, the third-worst average in the NHL this fall, this may have even been a golden opportunity for Coronato to snap out of his scoring drought. He’s gone seven straight contests without a point and is likely feeling some added pressure after signing a seven-year, US$45.5-million extension in the summer.
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Parekh has played the past nine in a row and while he’s so far earned just one assist, he seems to be gaining confidence with each outing. The rookie rearguard was recently promoted to the Flames’ top power-play, although he was shuffled off that unit in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs scored their first of the evening with Parekh caught up ice, resulting in a two-on-one rush. However, some of the Flames’ most experienced players — including captain Mikael Backlund and workhorse defencemen Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar — were also guilty of costly gaffes.
If and when Parekh logs his 10th game of this season, it ensures this will count as the first year of his entry-level contract. Since it wouldn’t make much sense to return him to junior, a level that he has already dominated, that should be a non-factor.
If Huska sticks with Wednesday’s practice combos against the Senators, Brayden Pachal would replace Parekh on the back-end and Adam Klapka would sub for Coronato.