Here, in the Music City, his teammates have taken note of Kirkland’s well-wishes.
Even though he’s sidelined, he’s still part of the family.
Linemate Kevin Rooney knew Kirkland would be a hit in the Calgary dressing room right from the drop of the puck in September.
“I think it was the first day of camp, I came home and told my wife ‘I really like this Kirky guy!’” Rooney recalled Monday. “I think he was just a guy everyone was rooting for all along, tough to see his season come to an end like that.
"We know he’s got a great rehab team, so he’s going to be ready to go for next year.”
Rooney knows what it’s like to be sidelined - to feel separate from the group.
But as Kirkland navigates this latest gut-punch, he’ll have a good support group in his Flames teammates.
“Me and Pelts went through the same thing last year, we were injured in camp and out until February,” Rooney said. “The team did a great job of making us feel like we were still part of the team by including us in some video sessions here and there, to keep us a part of it.
“We were at every home game, cheering the boys on. He’s definitely going to be a big part of it, and obviously happy that he’s got Mo (Anthony Mantha) to go through the process with.”
“When you get injured, you sometimes feel like you’re not really around the team a lot, not helping the team out,” defenceman MacKenzie Weegar agreed. “But you just go up to them, and you talk to them, just reassure that we’re there for them and they’ll be back.
“We need those guys to be positive. They’re huge for our team and we still love having them around.”
Mantha suffered a similar injury in early November. The 30-year-old is back in Calgary, rehabbing, and according to Flames head coach Ryan Huska, he’s off to a good start in his recovery.
“It does blow me away how quickly they get them moving around now,” Huska said last week. “(Mantha’s) already doing exercises and things in the gym. He’s doing really well, and Justin will be joining him shortly, unfortunately.”
Weegar said Monday the group has sent some texts to Kirkland in the past few days, and he’s chatted with him by phone.
And when the Flames return home from Tennessee following Tuesday’s game to open a five-game, pre-holiday homestand, Weegar, Rooney and co. will have another ally - another friend - to help them continue pushing in what’s quickly becoming a wild Western Conference.
For Kirkland, it’s another step in the journey.
And Weegar’s got all the confidence in the world that for Kirkland, this latest setback will be just a blip on the radar.
“He’s battled adversity before,” Weegar said, "and he’s gotten through adversity.
“It’s not a goodbye, he’ll be back with our team.”
