The word \u201creckless\u201d might have negative connotations in most situations.<\/p>\n
In the particular context that Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska used it, though, it was meant only as a positive.<\/p>\n
Sam Morton has been great in training camp so far this year. He\u2019s putting himself firmly in the conversation for the Flames\u2019 fourth-line centre job on opening day with his play.<\/p>\n
And the way Huska sees it, being reckless is a big part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a little bit of recklessness in him right now, which I didn\u2019t think he had last year,\u201d Huska explained. \u201cTo me, he looks like a guy who is really fighting to make the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not afraid to make people angry at him on the ice. He\u2019s going hard into battles. He\u2019s finishing checks on much bigger guys. I feel like the pace he\u2019s played the game at has been really good so far.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morton should be on everyone\u2019s radar as one of the players who is pushing for a job on opening night. The Flames\u2019 fourth-line centre likely will be either him or Justin Kirkland.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still way too early in training camp to be making predictions, but it\u2019s shaping up to be a fight to the finish.<\/p>\n
Huska said Morton was probably the Flames\u2019 best player in their split-squad game against the Edmonton Oilers at the Saddledome on Sunday night and was impressed again with the 26-year-old\u2019s performance against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
He recorded two shots against the Oilers and four against the Kraken, but it was his physicality that stood out as much as anything. At 6-feet tall and weighing in at 185 lbs., Morton is never going to be the biggest player on the ice, but he has shown a notable willingness to use his body.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think with just a little bit more experience in the league, realizing that if you want to make a difference, sometimes you\u2019ve got to bring the physicality and a tough mentality into the game,\u201d Morton said Wednesday, shortly before he flew to Vancouver for a pre-season matchup with the Canucks. \u201cI think it\u2019s been a focus and the recklessness is also just a little bit of desperation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, everyone is a really good player. If you\u2019re trying to take someone\u2019s job you\u2019re trying to take the job of a really good player, so I\u2019m definitely trying to have a little bit of desperation and if physicality can help my game, then that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
How close is Morton to earning a spot on the Flames roster? Kirkland still is the front-runner for the fourth-line centre job, but it\u2019s telling that Morton was one of the four Flames prospects who were called up for the last game of the season in April \u2014 and he scored in his debut, too.<\/p>\n
This clearly is a player the Flames are high on. After signing with the organization following the conclusion of his NCAA career with at Minnesota State in 2024, Morton spent all of last season with the Wranglers in the AHL.<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
He scored 20 goals and 25 assists in 70 games, the fifth-most on the roster, but it won\u2019t be his offence that earns him more NHL playing time. It will be his defensive acumen and ability to win battles along the boards.<\/p>\n
Yes, Morton scored in his NHL debut and it was a great moment for him, but the one game he played last season also taught him a valuable lesson about what it\u2019s going to take: A little recklessness can go a long way.<\/p>\n
\u201cDesperate might be a similar word and I think a high amount of compete is hopefully what he meant with recklessness. That\u2019s definitely something I try to bring,\u201d Morton said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I got a full understanding or feel for the NHL level in that one game, but I also understood that it\u2019s hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to do the hard things if you want to be in a position to keep playing in the league. If that\u2019s physicality or winning battles and having a high compete-level, maybe that\u2019s something I took away from that last game. It\u2019s hard to just go out and carry the puck around and make a ton of plays. You\u2019ve got to find other ways to impact the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far in pre-season, Morton\u2019s been doing just that.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s making the fight for the fourth-line centre job look like it\u2019s going to be tight.<\/p>\n
daustin@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n www.twitter.com\/DannyAustin_9<\/p>\n