Calgary Flames unexpectedly place top prospect Jakob Pelletier on waivers: Montreal Canadiens may claim

All off-season long, the Calgary Flames have seen standout performances from some young forwards like Samuel Honzek, Matt Coronato, Connor Zary and Adam Klapka, and while it's a positive for the team, the same can't be said for Jakob Pelletier. The 2019 first-round pick has struggled with injury in recent years, and now, after weeks of speculation, the team have officially given up on him, placing him on waivers officially on Sunday.

From the outside, the move may come as a surprise, but given how many young forwards have passed him over in the Flames organization, it was the obvious move to make for this regime as they reward the players that have earned their spot in the team. At 23-years of age, Pelletier has played in just 37 games over the past few years, tallying 4 goals and 10 points in that time, and being a Quebec native, he has already been linked to the Montreal Canadiens.

While he hasn't quite lived up to the hype yet, there's no doubting that Pelletier has first-round talent and a future in the NHL, so if he finds a team where he can play a big role moving forward, we may see him flourish if given the chance. Ultimately though, the Flames franchise simply passed him by with many talented young forwards joining the team, and while Montreal won't be the only team interested, they are certainly one to watch in the race for the 23-year old winger.