For these likely linemates, this could have been a rocky start.
Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane, a fascinating forward combo for the Calgary Flames, happened to be attending the same three-on-three scrimmages this summer in the Toronto area.
When Kadri signed a free-agent deal with the Flames, Mangiapane was quick to offer his congratulations. That doesn’t, however, mean there was immediate chemistry on the ice.
“No, he was the captain of his gym, and he didn’t pick me,” Mangiapane said with a smile. “I’m still a little ticked off about that.”
These potential second-line sidekicks were finally skating together Monday as Mangiapane joined his buddies for his first full training-camp session. The 26-year-old winger had been skating solo to be sure that he wouldn’t aggravate a lower-body ‘tweak.’
“It felt good to get out there with the rest of the guys,” Mangiapane said afterward. “Obviously, I’ve been kind of rehabbing some injuries that happened in the summer, but it was nothing serious. It just felt good to get out there and get moving again and play hockey.
“It’s mostly behind me, I think. Now, it’s just getting the rust off, getting up to game-speed, getting that practice work in and hopefully get into some exhibition games later on.”
Kadri’s exhibition intro will also wait.
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The 31-year-old centre is just three months removed from a Stanley Cup run with the Colorado Avalanche — and he was wearing extra padding to protect a thumb injury in the final — so the Flames don’t want to rush him back into action.
Whenever he does debut, it’s a good bet that Mangiapane will be working on one of his wings. This is an intriguing match — both talented, both tenacious, both capable of tickling twine.
Mangiapane splurged for 35 goals last winter. Kadri piled up 59 assists, smashing his previous career-high. Hmmmmm.
“He’s a winner, so it’s exciting times,” Mangiapane said of Kadri. “We’ll see what happens, but obviously he brings a lot of experience and he’s a very skilled player.
“I think he could work well with a lot of guys on our team. I think he’s that type of player that if you play with him, he makes other people around him better. You don’t want to read too much into it, but he’s a good player and happy that he’s on our team now.”
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SHOTS FIRED
Rasmus Andersson is determined to take more shots this season.
After Sunday’s exhibition opener, the workhorse defenceman was mostly taking good-natured shots from his Flames teammates.
Andersson rarely passes on an opportunity to talk a little trash so after he whiffed on a pair of one-timers on the same power-play shift, you knew he’d be getting an earful from his pals.
“Those were fun to watch, made us laugh a little bit on the bench,” grinned centre Mikael Backlund. “The first one, I was like, ‘Oh boy.’ And then the second one was like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on here?!?’ ”
Indeed, there were a couple of malfunctions at the junction, as legendary broadcaster Ed Whalen would have put it.
No worries. Just as long as the 25-year-old is connecting on those clappers by October.
Andersson put up a career-high 50 points last season, although that count included only four goals. He totalled 152 shots on net, not enough for his liking.
“I think my overall game was really good last year on the defensive side of the puck,” said Andersson, the Flames’ leading minute-muncher in 2021-22. “And I kind of want to keep building on the offensive side of it, be a bit more creative here and there and I think I can shoot a little bit more. I think I had two shots a game was my average, and I have to get that up.
“With the amount that I’m on the ice, I think I should at least be averaging around three or four a game,” he continued. “Honestly, I think last year I was looking to pass a lot … We always talk about the D shooting a lot and I think I’m one of those guys who wants to make an extra pass. You’re just never happy. You saw in the playoffs when I scored from my own zone so you know, you just have to throw some pucks at the net and work from there. It’s the hardest kind of defence when there is a rebound and when it’s chaotic in front of the net so I have to get a little better at shooting the puck. And the rest of my game, I felt pretty happy with last year.”
ICE CHIPS: Backlund had kind words for the new arrivals, a list headlined by Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. “We’re all getting to know each other still, but great guys coming in and easy guys to be around,” Backlund said. “It feels like they’ve been here forever, even though camp just started. It makes it just an easy transition when they are such nice guys” … A hat-trick of forwards — fourth-liner Brett Ritchie and farm-clubbers Emilio Pettersen and Martin Pospisil — needed Monday off. According to the team, all three are day-to-day with lower-body injuries … The Flames will send a troupe to Seattle on Tuesday for an exhibition clash with the Kraken. The action will be streamed on the team website, with the puck dropping at 8 p.m. MT.
Twitter.com/WesGilbertson
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