Flames’ Tkachuk, Brodie ‘not expected’ to return this season

Anze Kopitar and Dion Phaneuf both had a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings best the Calgary Flames 3-0.

Already missing Sean Monahan and Kris Versteeg for the rest of the season, and currently without Johnny Gaudreau as he remains with his family, the Calgary Flames look likely to finish off 2017-18 without a couple more usual stars.

Head coach Glen Gulutzan said Wednesday that he doesn’t expect defenceman T.J. Brodie or winger Matthew Tkachuk to play again this season, according to Flames play-by-play announcer Derek Wills, though Gulutzan didn’t completely rule out a possible return.

Brodie hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury on March 18, during Calgary’s 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Tkachuk has been sidelined since March 11, leaving the Flames’ tilt against the New York Islanders (an eventual 5-2 loss) with an upper-body injury as well.

Calgary’s 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday left the Flames mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, removing any need to rush their stars back into action.

With five games left in their 2017-18 season, the Flames rank fifth in the Pacific Division with a 35-32-10 record.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.