Former Calgary Flames first-round pick facing backlash after agents social media activity

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Tom Banks
October 28, 2024 (2:54 PM)

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Recently, the Calgary Flames sent Matt Coronato to the AHL, and now he faces potential backlash after his agent's reaction on social media.

The Calgary Flames got off to a surprisingly good start in 2024, with the team currently sitting at 5-2-1 through eight games, and while not everyone on the team is at their best, they continue to produce against solid opposition. With a deep team, the organization believed it was the best move to send former first-round pick Matt Coronato to the AHL after the return of Igor Sharangovich, and the move certainly raised eyebrows among the fanbase.

Despite the move, the belief is that Coronato, who was the No. 13 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, will continue to be a huge part of the future, but after his agent's social media activity, that has been called into question. After the move, the former Harvard forward's agent took to social media, retweeting a pair of posts that criticized the team for the move, especially veteran Anthony Mantha, who was at the center of the criticism.

This is a terrible look for Coronato, who, at 21 years of age certainly wouldn't have approved these moves, and now Elliotte Friedman has questioned how this will be received in the locker room.

«I'm worried for Coronato that the veterans will look at this and say, ''Wait a minute we're doing well and this is what's coming out?'' It's not going to go over very well and it's going to have to be settled.

"I understand everybody wants to be in the NHL, but you can't do it when the team is doing well."

Last season, Coronato dominated the AHL for the Calgary Wranglers with 42 points in 41 games played, and while he notched two goals in five games played this year with the Flames, the team just doesn't have the room for him right now. We will see if this ultimately comes back to haunt the talented forward, but if he continues to play well in the AHL, all could be forgiven, and with the Flames likely to sell some of their veterans, he may get significant burn at the NHL level later in the season.