Flames defenseman Kris Russell will be a game-time decision tonight in Calgary against the Islanders.
Russell has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old has four goals and 11 assists in 51 games while averaging 22:52 of ice time. His 174 blocked shots are the second most in the NHL behind Colorado’s Francois Beauchemin (191).
He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent who may or may not be traded prior to Monday’s deadline.
There is a wide range of opinions on Russell.
Some think he’s got significant value:
Some do not:
TSN: Shutdown defensemen, Kris Russell, and lighting $25MM on fire -- https://t.co/jTwRqkWtYq
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) February 11, 2016
Regardless, he may be tough for the Flames to re-sign, as they’ve already got Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Deryk Engelland under contract through at least next season.
Russell’s current cap hit is $2.6 million.
The Flames have two games prior to Monday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline -- tonight and Saturday (versus Ottawa).