“Nice to see you guys.”
That’s how Adam Ruzicka greeted the media after the Calgary Flames’ morning skate on Sunday.
It had been a while since he’d been called on for a scrum with the press.
Out of the lineup since Feb. 20 and with only four games under his belt since Jan. 27, Ruzicka has been out of the spotlight, quietly working on his craft and hoping for another opportunity to play.
When you’re in that situation, maybe chatting with the media for a couple of minutes isn’t so bad.
Being sidelined hasn’t been easy for Ruzicka, as he readily admitted Sunday.
“Obviously, a little frustrating, right?” Ruzicka said. “But just day-to-day and work hard, stay positive.”
Ruzicka has had somewhat of a strange couple of months.
First inserted into the lineup on Nov. 1 of last year for the Flames’ eighth game of the season, against the Seattle Kraken, Ruzicka started off strong with eight points in his first seven games.
He spent time on the first line with Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli, but was eventually moved to the fourth line, where his production tailed off. That’s probably to be expected, given that fourth-liners Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis had both gone eight games without a point prior to Sunday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
But while the 6-foot-4 centre has scored six goals and 14 assists in 41 games this season, it’s worth noting the 23-year-old hasn’t picked up a point since he got an assist on Dec. 23 against the Anaheim Ducks. That’s 16 games he’s played without recording a point.
Still, though, for a Flames team that has struggled to score goals recently, Ruzicka has some intriguing upside. He’s well-rested, too, so it would seem like he’s a candidate to get back in the lineup and hopefully provide a boost as the Flames attempt to make an end-of-season playoff push.
So what does he have to do to get back in?
“Maximize his skill set every day,” said Flames head coach Darryl Sutter.
There was some expectation Ruzicka might return to the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Senators after he skated alongside Walker Duehr and Milan Lucic at Saturday’s practice, but he suggested that likely wasn’t going to happen at the Flames’ morning skate and then he didn’t join the team for their pre-game warm-up.
It’s frustrating, to be sure, for a player whose season started so brightly.
“Obviously, could be better and could be worse,” Ruzicka said about the year as a whole. “I’m only looking day-to-day, so I’m coming to practice and looking at that specific day. Not looking at the past, what I did or what I’m going to do. Today’s a new day. There’s some things I have to work on.”
https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/calgarysun/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cal-022023-gya-21_275922470.jpg?quality="90&strip=all&w=576 2x" height="750" loading="lazy" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/calgarysun/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cal-022023-gya-21_275922470.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288" width="1000"/>
Ruzicka has been putting in the work while he quietly bides his time and waits for his next shot.
It’s not like he’s just sitting on his hands and it’s definitely not like the practice time he’s getting with the Flames is useless. He’s staying focused on the work and the grind and trying to get better so that when an opportunity does come his way, he’s ready to take advantage and help the Flames win.
“The better practice you have, the more confidence you’re going to get,” Ruzicka said. “The better practice you have, the more repetitions you get and when you get in the game, the repetition pays off.”
That’s what you’d want to hear from any hockey player who is trying to work their way back into their team’s lineup.
And it also only makes sense that Ruzicka would be feeling frustrated at this point in the season, too. Who would want a player who was content sitting in the press box, especially when their team is fighting for their playoff lives?
That only makes it harder.
“Honestly, it sucks, right?” Ruzicka said. “I can’t help the team, can’t do anything, so I’m honestly just trying to get in the lineup and help the team as much as I can.”
Post a Comment