When the Calgary Flames begin the regular season on Oct. 16, they’ll do so with a defensive group with a couple new faces (in the form of Nikita Zadorov and Erik Gudbranson). But with six defenders in camp on one-way NHL deals, we more or less know who the regular defenders will be on opening night.
But there are a handful of players that could be the seventh man on the blueline.
Finding a seventh defenseman can be a challenge. You need a player who has played in the NHL before and can jump in at a moment’s notice, but whose development won’t be stunted or stalled by sitting in the press box for long stretches of the season.