Two players.
Both beloved in their former NHL home.
Now, nearly four months after a blockbuster trade, Jake Middleton and Blake Coleman both get to face their former squads as the Flames continue a four-game homestand against the Wild. GET TICKETS
Calgary was in the midst of Development Camp activities when the July deal was announced; Coleman and defenceman Olli Maatta moved to Minnesota for Middleton and three draft picks.
Middleton developed a following in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, from his ‘tarps off’ interviews to his rugged playing style. Thursday morning, he recalled how it felt to leave a home that he and his family had made for parts of five seasons.
“I wasn't surprised. I kind of knew it was coming, obviously, still, there was a lot of emotions those first 48 hours,” he said. “But after that, it was just excitement, you know?
"You're excited for a new team and a new opportunity.”
The blueliner enters Thursday’s contest with points in back-to-back games, including a short-handed goal a week ago in Las Vegas.
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But it’s what the 30-year-old brings to the Flames dressing room off the ice that has Head Coach Ryan Huska making comparisons to Coleman, who developed into one of Calgary’s main leaders over his time here.
“I think that's why we were excited to get Jake to start with,” Huska said Thursday morning. “He's a presence at times on the ice. Really good dude in his own way and another good family man.
“So there's a lot of similarities in the way both those guys are at the rink and the way they are away from the rink as well.”
Coleman, meanwhile, makes his first appearance in a visiting sweater at the Scotiabank Saddledome since Nov. 7, 2019, while with the New Jersey Devils. Coincidentally enough his Head Coach that night - John Hynes - is the same man who runs the bench with his new squad in Minnesota.
But for the 34-year-old, returning to the Stampede City brings a half-decade’s worth of memories flooding back.
“My girls grew up here. It's the longest I've spent in any city in the NHL,” Coleman said Thursday morning, after reconvening with some of his former Flames teammates Wednesday evening. “We’ve got a lot of good friends and neighbours, hit milestones here; there's a lot of things, but it's mostly the people.
“It's fun to come back and see you guys that you played with and staff that you've been around for a long time.”
And for his efforts here - five years that included a career-best 30-goal campaign in 2023-24 - Coleman is sure to get a rousing ovation from the C of Red. Much like the one Middleton will deservedly receive at Grand Casino Arena when Calgary makes its lone visit to Saint Paul next March.
But on the ice, there’s sure to be chatter. And Middleton is pretty sure about what he’s going to get from his former mates once the puck hits the playing surface.
“Most likely to be Kirill (Kaprizov),” Middleton said when asked who would be the first Wild player to chirp him. “Kirill will have something to say, I'm sure. You know, I haven't had a net front battle with Joel Eriksson Ek in five-plus years, so that'll be exciting to do again.”
Coleman’s old linemate, Flames captain Mikael Backlund, won’t get the opportunity to try and get his longtime friend off his game this evening (Backlund will not play, due to an upper-body ailment).
But deep down, it all comes from a place of respect, of shared brotherhood.
No matter which team you might be rooting for (or representing) this evening.
“I guess the best compliment I could give him, (he’s) just a great family man and a great person,” Huska said Thursday when asked about Coleman. “He was a really good player for us.
“I think a lot of our younger players learned a lot of great things from him.”
