Matvei Gridin set up a show against De Kraken in Seattle last night.
Gridin scored his second goal of the preseason after he was loose on an escape and defeated Kraken Netminder Philipp Grubauer gloves. This goal tied the match halfway through the second period 1-1.
Although it was dominated for most of the night, Dustin Wolf stopped 35 of 36 shots to keep the flames in the game, which helped overtime and forcing a shootout.
Related: 3 collection restaurants from Flames’ 2-1 Shootout Win vs Kraken
With a chance to win the game, Flames -head coach Ryan Huska Gridin sent as their third shooter. Gridin won the game for the flames on a movement with Grubauer that stumbled backwards after he had been beaten for the second time through the first round pick of 2024.
After a new round of Cuts from Flames Training CampThe flames are laid down to only 15 ahead, with the 19-year-old Russian one of them. When he entered the camp, Gridin had an external chance to crack the schedule, but since the camp started, he looks like the type of player who has the flames in urgent need.
The flames need more target scorers
Last season the Flames scored the fourth-fast goals in the NHL and were also a Bottom-10 attack in terms of expected goals.
The main reason for this was a lack of depth score. The 35 goals of Nazem Kadri, the 28 of Jonathan Huberkereau, and Matt Coronato’s 27 were good for 39.5% of their goals last season, and all new or close career heights in goals. But that is something that the Flames can no longer expect, at least from the veterans.
Kadri surpassed the 30 goal for the first time since the 2017-2018 season and it was the third time in his 16-year career that he reached this plateau. Although the underlying figures suggest that Kadri could repeat this type of season, he turns 35 before the regular season starts and you have to wonder if the mileage on his body will delay him.
Then the career of Hukerkdeau 28 goals was the most that he had scored since he placed 30 in the back in the 2021-22 season. After that season, he joined the flames and scored 15 goals or less in seasons two consecutive seasons. His 28 goals last season came to a shooting percentage that was 5.5% better than his career average and eight percent better than the competition average. For some, this shooting percentage can be sustainable, but for Huberdeau it is unlikely because of its ranking on or under the competition average in quality score opportunities per 60 minutes among attackers, such as scoring opportunities and opportunities with a high feeling.
Outside of Coranoto and possibly Connor Zary, the Flames have no returners who are expected to make significant attacking steps. The bottom line is that the flames need more target scores.
Matvei Gridin fitting in with flames
In addition to his two goals this preseason, Gridin has made scoring opportunities on the entire ice. In four games he has 19 Scot attempts, seven shots on goal, seven scoring opportunities and three opportunities with many days. He has been one of their most productive attacking players, on average the second most goals, the fourth most expected goals and the fourth most shot attempts per 60 minutes among Flames players this preseason.
However, this type of production is nothing new for Gridin. Before he was drawn up by the Flames, he scored 38 goals for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The following season he played in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he scored another 36 goals.
Nobody has ever questioned his attacking capacity. Since he was drawn up, his ticket for the show was always based on the development of other aspects of the game and got some strength to compete at the highest level.
Gridin has shown significant development in these areas. He looks ready with the puck in traffic along the shelves. He leads the flames in take-away restaurants per 60 minutes this preseason, and while he is on the ice on five-on-five, Gridin has the best shot at goal share, the third best expected exchange exchange and the third best High-Danger Can percentage between flames Vooruit.
The Flames have several very physical attackers who have little impact on the score sheet. Having a player like Gridin, who can slot in the upper or bottom six, can give the flames a little more offensive depth to tackle their target corporal deficits, along with a little more flexibility to deal with injuries if one of their impact-attacking players is injured.
To keep Gridin around for so long, it is clearly the Flames have an interest to keep him. If he maintains this level of play during the rest of the preseason, he would have to be in the opening night schedule.
Statistics via Natural Stat Trick
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