'See The Next Level'

A day on from dealing their top-scoring defenceman, the Flames have licked their finger, and are ready to turn the page.

A new chapter - a new-look defence corps - gets its first test tonight as Calgary hosts New Jersey at the Scotiabank Saddledome. GET TICKETS

And while the bulk of the morning skate chatter surrounded the departure of Rasmus Andersson - dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday for d-man Zach Whitecloud, two picks and a prospect - the prevailing attitude was one of opportunities being available on the back end.

“I think the young core, you know, Brew (Hunter Brzustewicz), Zayner (Parekh) when he gets back, Kuzy (Yan Kuznetsov), myself, everybody, I think it's time for us, you know, to kind of fill his shoe,” blueliner MacKenzie Weegar said Monday morning. “It's gonna be a great opportunity for Zayne and Brew, the two young guys, to see the next level that they can take.”

“I think it gives opportunity to other players, and Mackenzie Weegar is an example of that, where now he has a chance to elevate his game,” Head Coach Ryan Huska added when asked about Andersson’s departure. “But I also feel like the look of our back end now is significantly different in regards to what it did look like prior, where we have some size now. Some of that comes to the way Kuzy’s developed and come along for us, but now we have another guy, that's a harder guy to play against, so I think that that will help our checking, our defending, however you want to put it.

“I think he’s going to be a real good add for our team.”

He being Whitecloud.

The 29-year-old is likely to make his Flames debut tonight, mere hours after arriving in town, but having spent his entire career in the Pacific Division, Huska has a pretty good idea on what to expect from his new defender.

“I think he's a very steady, reliable defenceman, a little bit of the Kevin Bahl mould,” the bench boss noted. “I think he does a real good job of his responsibilities on the penalty kill. I think he defends well and he's harder around the front of the net, And I think he does have a bit of an offensive upside.

“The other thing that I think is really important for us is he’s won. We're trying to surround people with guys that have won and have an understanding of what it takes to win, and he is most definitely one of those guys.”

“When we played against him in Vegas, he's definitely a presence out there,” Weegar added. “He can move the puck. I think him and Bahl are gonna be two big D out there that are gonna be a lot to handle.

“The transition, I think, is gonna be easy, 'cause I think we play a lot of the same systems. He can come right in here and step in, but he's gonna be playing big minutes; you're gonna get a big body that can move the puck and play physical.”

There’s sure to be many an introduction this afternoon when Whitecloud arrives at the Scotiabank Saddledome. A couple familiar faces, too (Whitecloud and Brayden Pachal are former roommates, and spent time together in the AHL and with the Golden Knights).

But there’s also excitement on the part of Weegar and his teammates, about forging a new identity for that new-look blue-line.

“I think the return's great for Calgary,” he said. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that Whitey's a great guy.

“He’s gonna have a big role here.”