Flames’ Weegar Becoming Elite NHL Defenceman

While Huberdeau’s struggles have continued, however, Weegar’s have not. He improved in a big way over the second half of the 2022-23 season, giving fans reason to be optimistic heading into 2023-24. Through the first half, he has not let them down.

Weegar Has Been Outstanding

Weegar was able to open the scoring for the Flames in Thursday’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, marking his second straight game with a goal. That now gives him 12 on the season, which has far surpassed his previous career high of eight set in 2021-22.

Weegar’s impressive 12 goals are tied for second amongst all NHL defencemen, and are just one shy of Rasmus Dahlin’s league-leading 13. They are ahead of some other excellent offensive blue liners that are having terrific seasons such as Cale Makar, Evan Bouchard, Victor Hedman, and Adam Fox. They also rank fourth amongst all Flames skaters, with only Yegor Sharangovich, Blake Coleman, and Nazem Kadri having more.

As for points, Weegar is 29 on the season, which is quite an impressive total given the Flames’ scoring woes. He leads all Flames defencemen in points and is fifth amongst his teammates. Though it looks like Huberdeau may never work out in Calgary, fans can at least take some comfort in knowing they got a very good defenceman back in the Tkachuk deal.

Deserving of All-Star Selection

Because of the Flames’ struggles this season, they have just one player in Elias Lindholm that will be representing them at the All-Star Game. The selection of Lindholm was a very strange one as several others were more deserving, none more so than Weegar.

Though Weegar will never be a shutdown defenceman to the level of a player like Chris Tanev, his defensive game has improved leaps and bounds since the midway point of the 2022-23 season. Pair that with his offensive skill, and you have someone who has become one of the better blue lines in the entire NHL.

What’s so unfortunate is that Weegar’s excellent season isn’t getting noticed due to the Flames’ struggles. That was proven by the fact he wasn’t selected to the All-Star Game, as he was more than deserving.

Weegar’s Leadership Good to Have Around

Though he doesn’t wear a letter, fans have also come to realize how strong of a leader Weegar is. He is quick to take accountability when he isn’t at his best, and isn’t afraid to call out his team when need be. The next few seasons could be tough for the retooling Flames, which makes having a leader like Weegar locked up long term all the better. He won’t only help keep the team relatively competitive, but will serve as a great example to several young players the Flames have both on their current roster and in the farm. If the Flames are able to turn things around in the next few years, fans across the league will soon enough take notice of just how talented a player Weegar is.