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Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames sign former Ottawa Senator Derek Grant to two-way deal

Not every deal has to be a blockbuster. Grant likely won't make an impact in Calgary, but game on for Stockton.

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The Calgary Flames haven’t been sitting on their laurels since signing Karri Ramo and Michael Frolik. There’s still more work to be done, and in fact, more than one team to tend to. That’s why they’ve added a 25-year-old centre, Derek Grant, to the fold. Grant is on a two-way deal, and will likely spend his year in Stockton.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Grant&#39;s deal with Flames $700,000/$250,000 with a $325,000 guarantee.</p>&mdash; Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenDreger/status/616313939257896960">July 1, 2015</a></blockquote>

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Grant was a fourth round selection of the Ottawa Senators back in 2008. He played his first NHL games in 2012-13, and only has 25 games total. He’s scored two assists over that time.

It's his AHL numbers that carry more weight. Last season, Grant played 73 games for the Binghamton Senators, scoring 21 goals and 38 points. He registered 45 PIMs for that all-important toughness factor, and at 6'3 and 206 lbs., has some size to him.

Basically: the Adirondack Flames-turned-Stockton Heat are coming off a non-playoff year, and will need to improve to get in. It's preferable to have your AHL affiliate in the playoffs than not, and with many of the Flames' better prospects on the cusp of making the NHL, Grant adds some depth and skill to the farm club.

He’s a cheap acquisition, and there’s no loss to this; in fact, should things go horribly wrong in regards to injuries for the big club, Grant may be able to step in, similar to Ben Street when he was a Flame. Except the Flames were, of course, a much worse team when that happened, so it probably won’t be necessary.

by Ari Yanover