Flames ink forward Daniel Pribyl
Young Czech player brings size to club but is a work in progress: Treliving
Yes, he’s big. Yes, he’s skilled. What Daniel Pribyl is not — and his new boss stressed this point repeatedly after the announcement Friday the 23-year-old right winger has inked a two-year, entry-level pact with the Calgary Flames — is a saviour or even a sure thing.
“He’s still a young player. This is still a two-year project,” Flames GM Brad Treliving cautioned after confirming one of the NHL’s worstkept secrets — Pribyl was signing with the Saddledome-dwellers after five pro campaigns at home in the Czech Extraliga.
“I know people will say, ‘Oh, slide him beside Johnny and Mony,’ but I look at this as a two-year commitment right now. It might not be October, and quite frankly, I’m not expecting it to be October that all of a sudden he’s the answer to our prayers. It would be nice, but we look at this as a player who may have to spend time — and who knows how much time — in the minors and grow and develop there.
“We’re certainly not going to pressure him or build expectations that are going to be weighing him down.”
Pribyl is listed at 6-foot-3 and 217 pounds, expectations not included. With those measurements, the new fella would have been the second-tallest (a tie) and thirdheaviest forward on the Flames roster this past season.
And the intrigue doesn’t end with his physical attributes.
A pass-first sort, Pribyl tickled twine 16 times and collected 29 assists in 45 regular-season skates for Sparta Praha this winter, finishing tied for second in the Czech Extraliga scoring race. He added five goals and six helpers in nine playoff outings before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Several other NHL squads were interested in the right-handed forward — he has experience at centre and wing, but the Flames plan to use him on the flank — and Treliv- ing & Co. continued their courtship even after learning Pribyl would need surgery to repair his ACL. In fact, the procedure was done in Calgary.
“It’s hard to find that skill package in a body like that,” Treliving said. “His skating probably still needs some work, but once he’s up and going, he gets around the ice fine. That explosiveness off the mark is good. He passes the puck well. He’s got good hands. He’s got quick hands, but he’s got really good hands to make plays. You see him on the power play, he’s got great vision.
“So there’s skill there, and it’s in a 6-foot-3 frame. Those are hard to find. But again, there’s lots of work to be done. … Any time you see a European sign in the last 12 months, everybody is like, ‘ Well, is this the next (Artemi) Panarin?’ This is a different player, so let’s be cautious.
“But he’s a big body who shoots right and can make plays, and we’re short on that.”
Pribyl will spend a big chunk of the off-season in Calgary to rehab his knee with the Flames staff and should be fully recovered by the time training camp opens in September.
So if you see a tall, lean lad — “If he speaks with a bit of a Czech accent, that might be your tipoff,” Treliving cracked — walking with a crutch, go ahead and welcome him to town.
Just don’t tell him that you’re expecting 40 goals or 80 points next season.
“This is not a guy we’re pencilling in to be the saviour here, by any stretch of the imagination,” Treliving said after Friday’s announcement.
“He’s a 6-foot-3 skilled player who makes us deeper today. Where he eventually ends up?
“Like every player, that will depend on how he plays and performs and adapts and all that sort of stuff.”
It might not be October, and quite frankly, I’m not expecting it to be October that all of a sudden he’s the answer to our prayers. BRAD TRELIVING