With the departure of Dillon Dube, the collection of Calgary Flames centres got a little bit smaller. (Although the team technically got a little larger in terms of average size.)
The rookie pivot playing out of his natural position on the third line was part of a group that has given the Flames a relatively unique ability in the faceoff dot. They’ve fluctuated a little in the volatile statistical category, but as of Thursday afternoon, ranked eighth in the league winning 51.9% of the battles in the circles.
That doesn’t always translate into success, as the top two teams on that list prove — with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings playing abysmal hockey and experiencing major organizational personnel changes in the process.