‘I feel like my game is in the best spot it’s ever been’
Getting to play for the team he grew up cheering for is a big part of the appeal for Jake Bean returning to Calgary.
The former Hitmen star is a true born-and-raised Calgarian, and playing for the Flames is a childhood dream come true.
But that’s not the only reason he signed with the team on Monday.
“There’s definitely an opportunity presenting itself here,” Bean said. “I feel like my game is in the best spot it’s ever been. I feel like I’ve grown every year in the NHL and it feels like the right time for me to come to a spot where I really feel I can make an impact.”
As it stands today, the Flames would likely enter the season with a defensive corps that would rely heavily on Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar to play big minutes.
There’s competition for the fifth and sixth jobs on the blueline, for sure, and really, beyond Andersson and Weegar you could probably mix and match where the others play.
That’s by design, and something the Flames hope will bring out the best in everybody.
That includes Bean.
“He’s going to get a great opportunity here, that’s the one thing Jake and I were talking about.,” said Flames GM Craig Conroy. “Come in, it’s like anything, any camp, there’s opportunity and there’s spots and he’s going to want to take the highest spot he can in the lineup and the most minutes. It’s going to be a competitive camp because I think people see there’s opportunity.
“Even people like Hanley and Pachal, they’re all going to be battling. They all want more. With Bahl coming in, we’ll see where he fits in, so it’s exciting for us and I expect us to have a real competitive camp. “
So, where does Bean fit in?
Well, he’s a left-shot defenceman, so that will definitely work in his favour in a stable of rearguards that features three important righties in Andersson, Weegar and Miromanov.
He’s also a smooth skater who can move the puck and he averaged 16:19 of ice time in 72 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets last year while scoring four goals and adding nine assists.
It’s not hard to see him fitting in nicely on the Flames’ second pairing, although we’re obviously months away from head coach Ryan Huska and his staff working out the specifics.
But Bean clearly is the type of player who fits into the Flames’ current plans. Conroy wasn’t interested in signing free agents to long-term deals in free agency, and Bean is coming in with something to prove on a two-year contract that will pay him US$1.75 million per year.
The 26-year-old wants to be in Calgary and understand what playing for the Flames means.