RSS Flames Team Notes

[Calgary Flames]

Flames place Ivan Prosvetov, Ilya Solovyov and Rory Kerins on waivers

The Calgary Flames have made some moves to get closer to their opening night roster. On Thursday afternoon, the club announced that they’ve placed goaltender Ivan Prosvetov, defenceman Ilya Solovyov and forward Rory Kerins on waivers for the purposes of assigning them to the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers.

These moves reduce the club’s roster to 24 players: two goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards. They have to meet the NHL’s 23-man active roster limit by 3 p.m. MT on Monday. Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh, both 2024 first-rounders, are the only waiver exempt players on the training camp roster.

Prosvetov, 26, signed with the Flames as a free agent during the off-season after playing last season with CSKA Moskva. He played three pre-season games and was really sharp in road games against Edmonton and Vancouver… and was not good on Wednesday night against the Canucks, though neither was the team in front of him. Should he clear, he would be the top netminder with the Wranglers and potentially a mentor to first-year pros Owen Say and Arsenii Sergeev. He’s on a one year deal and slated to become a free agent at the end of the season.

Solovyov, 25, was a seventh-round pick by the Flames back in 2020, selected in his third year of eligibility. He’s played the past four seasons in the Flames system and has played 15 games with the Flames, split between the last two seasons. At the AHL level, he’s been a superb, reliable two-way defender. At the NHL level, he hasn’t quite shown the consistency to get a toe-hold on a full-time gig. Unless he plays 65 NHL games this season, he’ll become a Group 6 free agent at the end of the season.

Kerins, 23, was a sixth-round pick by the Flames in 2020. He’s worked his way up nicely from an initial pro season spent entirely in the ECHL. When it looked like he might not get a qualifying offer, he put together a superb body of work in 2024-25, scoring 33 goals and 61 points in the AHL, becoming an AHL All-Star, and getting his first NHL call-up with the Flames. The challenge for Kerins may just be that (a) we can debate if he’s good enough defensively to be a centre at the NHL level and (b) we can debate if he’s a good enough fit for a checking role on the fourth line. Should he clear, he’ll head to the Wranglers and likely be one of their offensive leaders.

We’ll find out if these three gentlemen clear waivers at noon MT on Friday. The Flames conclude their exhibition schedule on Friday night at home against the Winnipeg Jets.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-place-ivan-prosvetov-ilya-solovyov-and-rory-kerins-on-waivers

 

[Calgary Flames]

Kevin Bahl has a big ticket to live up to in his second year with the Flames

The Calgary Flames raised more than a few eyebrows around the NHL this past summer when they announced a hefty new six-year contract extension for shutdown defenceman Kevin Bahl.

Generally viewed as the secondary piece in the return from the New Jersey Devils in the Jacob Markstrom trade, Bahl took on a much larger role with the Flames in the 2024-25 season and established himself as a key presence both at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. In the end, he collected 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time in 73 games.

Bahl is already one of the Flames’ most established options on defence despite having just turned 25 in June. As we enter year two of the Bahl experience in Calgary, what can we expect from him?

Meets expectations​

That the Flames managed to land both Bahl and the eventual Cole Reschny pick in exchange for a declining veteran goaltender remains very impressive, but now they need even more from Bahl to justify his $5.35 million cap hit. A player making that much money must be able to contribute at both ends of the ice.

To his credit, Bahl exceeded most fans’ expectations with his transition play last season. Unlike most other 6’6″ defenders, Bahl is hardly a pure glass-and-out type with the puck, and he often channels Nikita Zadorov with his willingness to skate the puck out of the defensive zone himself.

If anything, Bahl needs to be more consistent with his physicality and defensive positioning, especially as it pertains to clearing opponents out of the crease. Last season, he sometimes looked like he was trying a bit too hard to overcompensate for whatever was hampering Rasmus Andersson, who really brought down that pairing at times, but Bahl is always going to be leaned upon heavily to lead the charge in his own end — especially if he starts being tasked with ushering more offensive-minded rookies into the league.

For Bahl to meet expectations, he’ll need to chip in anywhere between 15 to 20 points while skating with a variety of partners at 5-on-5 and finishing above 50 percent in terms of shots, scoring chances, and expected goals. Don’t be surprised if he spends a ton of time alongside Zayne Parekh, who should be able to enjoy plenty of freedom with the knowledge that he has a responsible partner out there with him.

Below expectations​

Bahl entered his first season with the Flames as just one member of a huge group of relatively untested young defenders. By the end of the year, he had done more than enough to put significant distance between himself and the likes of Jake Bean, Brayden Pachal, and Daniil Miromanov, earning himself more than $30 million in guaranteed money in the process.

But in NHL terms, one season isn’t a very long time. Fans in Calgary have seen their fair share of one-year wonders, and there’s always the risk of a player losing a bit of their internal drive after locking in a big new contract. Sure, Bahl has been highly regarded in NHL circles for a long time, dating back to when he was picked by the Arizona Coyotes in the second round of the 2018 draft and subsequently coveted by New Jersey in the 2019 Taylor Hall trade. But while he’s undoubtedly got a lot going for him, Bahl would hardly be the first Flames player to fall back to Earth immediately after a breakout season.

While he doesn’t have to worry about a wave of up-and-coming lefties challenging for his spot, Bahl still needs to earn his keep by doing all he can to limit the volume of high-danger chances headed Dustin Wolf’s way. Point production is less of a concern, but if the minuses start piling up for Bahl like they did for Andersson last year, it’ll be disappointing — although, given their lack of depth on the left side, the Flames likely won’t have anybody else to turn to.

Above expectations​

Wouldn’t it be something if Bahl started to really make a name for himself as one of the league’s best shutdown guys? While most of the NHL’s top offensive defenders were high draft picks and stars at lower levels, there’s no real one-size-fits-all development trajectory for the best defensive blueliners. Take Jaccob Slavin, Chris Tanev, Brett Pesce, Adam Pelech, and Esa Lindell as examples — none of those guys were picked higher than the third round, and Tanev wasn’t drafted at all.

Bahl has already proven himself capable of defending top opponents at a reasonably high level from a young age. He’s never going to win any scoring races, but he’s super sturdy and it’s easy to imagine him thriving with the right partner who takes a lot off his plate and lets him focus on killing plays. (It’s why a Bahl-Parekh pairing makes so much sense on paper).

It goes without saying that Bahl will be expected to take on more responsibilities as he gains more experience in Calgary, but if he can accelerate things and get to the point where he’s one of the league’s ice time leaders while getting closer to the 30-point range, it’d be a very welcome development for Flames fans and personnel alike.

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This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/kevin-...live-up-to-in-his-second-year-with-the-flames

 

[Calgary Flames]

Expectations are high for Flames forward Connor Zary in 2025-26

There are a lot of fascinating individual player storylines on the Calgary Flames as we head into the 2025-26 season. But there might not be one more interesting than what we can expect to see from Connor Zary.

Zary kicked off his NHL career with a bang putting up 34 points in 63 games (44 point pace over 82 games) as a 22 year old. It looked like he was on his way to become a major point producer.

Zary was not able to keep the momentum going into his sophomore season. He looked dynamic at times during the first half of the season, but the point production wasn’t where he wanted it to be. He put up 27 points in 54 games (41 point pace over 82 games), a slight decline in production compared to his rookie season.

His season was ultimately derailed by multiple knee injuries, the first one coming on Jan. 7 in Anaheim.

Despite the tough finish to least year, the vibes are high around Zary. He signed a new three year contract and is 100% healthy heading into the regular season.

That brings us to the question of what should we expect to see from Zary? Let’s set some reasonable expectations for the 24 year old.

(Connor Zary’s 82 game point pace the last two seasons)

Meets expectations​

The difficulty with this exercise is that we have no idea where Connor Zary is going to play in the Flames lineup and who his line mates are going to be. He is the type of player that could play on the Flames first, second or third line. Will he be in a scoring role? Will he be asked to play more defence on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman? Will he see time on the top power play unit?

Let’s assume he is going to be an offensive leaning forward playing somewhere in the Flames top nine and on the second power play unit.

A reasonable expectation for Zary in that role would be to exceed his career highs in goals per game, assists per game, and points per game. The Flames and their fan base should be happy if Zary is to produce at a 50 point pace over 82 games.

Zary should be able to accomplish that goal. He is one of the most talented forwards on the Flames. His mix of hands, play making, and puck carrying abilities make him the type of player that should be able to put up 50 points per year.

Zary would have put up more points in the first half of last season had he not been so snake bitten. You could point to Zary as being the Flames most dynamic forward during that stretch. That should give fans confidence that he can reach the 50 point plateau this season.

Below expectations​

It’ll be disappointing if Zary is not able to exceed his point production from the first two seasons of his time with the Flames.

He’s entering the prime of his career at 24 years old. This is the time where a lot of players either take a step forward in their development or they stagnate.

The 2025-26 season is going to be an indication what what player Zary is going to be over the next two years of his contract and beyond.

A couple things can get in the way of Zary coming up short on his goals.

First will be his health. He has to stay healthy for the vast majority of the season. He needs to play in at least 75 games.

Second is falling behind in the log jam of forwards. There are a ton of players for Zary to compete with right now. Joel Farabee, Yegor Sharangovich, Adam Klapka, Martin Pospisil, and now Matvei Gridin and Rory Kerins, are all in the mix to get playing time ahead of Zary this season if he isn’t able to take another step forward. Zary is going to have to show the Flames coaching staff that he is at the top of this group or he could be lost in the shuffle.

Exceed expectations​

It’s not out of the realm of possibilities for Zary to have a big season and exceed expectations.

Like I mentioned earlier, in terms of pure talent, Zary is near the top of the list among Flames forwards. If he can find a strong connection with a couple linemates, get time on the power play, and do a better job burying his chances, he could break out and have a massive year.

Zary would be exceeding expectations if he could put up 55+ points and become a go to forward for the Flames in all offensive situations. Top six minutes at 5-on-5. First power play unit. Get plenty of shifts in overtime. Those are the things that need to happen in order for Zary to hit 55 points or more.

Zary is an X factor for the Calgary Flames season. They need to score a lot more goals if they want to get into the playoffs. Additional goal scoring is going to have to come internally. Zary is at the top of the list for internal improvement. If he can go from putting up 27 points to 50+. That could be the difference between playing into May or not.

What are your expectations for Connor Zary this season? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/expectations-are-high-for-flames-forward-connor-zary-in-2025-26

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames lose uneven outing against Jets in pre-season finale

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

Well, that was much better than Wednesday.

The Calgary Flames did not give up eight goals against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night at the ‘Dome. And they were, overall, a much better and cohesive group than they were against Vancouver. But the Flames remain a bit of a work in progress and couldn’t hold onto a three goal lead that they earned midway through the game.

The Flames ended up losing to the Jets by a 5-4 score in a shootout.

The rundown​

Midway through the first period, the Flames opened the scoring on a nice bit of cycling and puck movement. Nazem Kadri slid the puck to Zayne Parekh at the right point. Parekh threw the puck around the boards to Joel Farabee behind the Jets net. Farabee slid the puck to Adam Klapka, who skated to the side of the net and found Kadri in front, who potted the puck past Connor Hellebuyck to make it 1-0 Flames.

Adam Klapka and Nazem Kadri continue to show some chemistry. They connect for the first goal of this game. pic.twitter.com/hrtnPslkzl

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 4, 2025

Awhile later, the Flames scored again. This time, Kevin Bahl’s shot from the left point was partially blocked by a Jets defender… but Matvei Gridin whizzed past the Jets player, nabbed the loose puck and slid it between Hellebuyck’s pads to make it 2-0 Flames.

Matvei Gridin scores again! He sneaks the puck through Connor Hellebuyck's five hole! pic.twitter.com/ehXzfiE2D1

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 4, 2025

The Jets managed to get one back a little later, as a Haydn Fleury point shot was inadvertently redirected off Morgan Frost’s padding on a shot block attempt and changed directions, fooling Dustin Wolf and cutting Calgary’s lead to 2-1.

But before the first period ended, the Flames responded, with a Joel Hanley shot from the point – with oodles of bodies between him and the Jets cage – found twine just inside the post past Hellebuyck to give the Flames a 3-1 advantage.

Joel Hanley's point shot finds it's way to the back of the net! It's 3-1 Flames! pic.twitter.com/2ItlqpRBNR

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 4, 2025

Kadri scored his second of the game early in the second period on an interesting sequence. Bahl jumped into the rush and executed a great give-and-go play with Adam Klapka running interference. Hellebuyck was completely fooled, went for a poke check… and Bahl passed back to Kadri to get the freebie to extend the Calgary lead to 4-1.

Nazem Kadri and Kevin Bahl connect for the Flames 4th goal of the game! pic.twitter.com/S8qoYh2pv3

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 4, 2025

But a while later, the Jets got one back. Luke Schenn’s initial shot was stopped by Wolf, but Gustav Nyquist had position on a Flames defender and jumped on the rebound, whacking it past Wolf to make it a 4-2 Flames edge.

But the Jets scored a couple to draw even. First, Bahl couldn’t corral a loose puck after a failed zone exit and the Jets jumped all over that puck. A couple passes later and Alex Iafallo roofed the puck past Wolf to cut the lead to 4-3.

And the Jets kept pressing and with a few minutes left, Parker Ford deflected a Logan Stanley point shot past Wolf to tie the game at 4-4.

This one went to overtime, so the shootout had to decide things.

Gabe Vilardi, Josh Morrissey and Tannear Pearson scored for the Jets, while Justin Kirkland and Rasmus Andersson scored in the shootout for the Flames. The Jets won 5-4.

Pearson’s goal was a weird one, as it went up into the air and blooped in off Wolf as he tried to catch it out of the air.

BIZARRE ENDING TO JETS VS. FLAMES! Tanner Pearson's shot attempt got a couple lucky bounces as Dustin Wolf tried to secure the puck, but it slipped through the gloves of Wolf and found its way into the net! pic.twitter.com/yRPxWAeyaw

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 4, 2025

How did it go?​

Well, the good news is that the Flames scored a bunch of goals, several of them pretty nice ones, and they looked much more energetic, engaged and cohesive than they were on Wednesday. They didn’t get run out of their own rink, and that’s superb.

But as a preview of the 2025-26 season, this one was a bit worrying. Yeah, they were playing a really good Jets team. But after getting that 4-1 lead, the Flames didn’t do a very good job of managing the game. They weren’t particularly great structurally in their own end and as a result, the end of the game was way more dramatic than it needed to be.

Most Flames looked really sharp. But they were, as a group, pretty clunky, and they have some work to do when the games start to count.

This and that​

Calgary’s lines, via Pat Steinberg:

Farabee-Kadri-Klapka
Gridin-Frost-Coronato
Zary-Backlund-Coleman
Lomberg-Kirkland-Sharangovich

Hanley-Weegar
Bahl-Andersson
Bean-Parekh

Dustin Wolf started in net, backed up by Devin Cooley. Wolf played the full game.

With Jonathan Huberdeau out day-to-day, Farabee subbed in for him on the top power play unit.

Winnipeg’s lines via Mike McIntyre:

Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Nyquist-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Niederreiter-Barron-Iafallo
Koepke-Ford-Pearson

Morrissey-DeMelo
Stanley-Pionk
Fleury-Schenn

Connor Hellebuyck started in net, backed up by Eric Comrie. Hellebuyck played the full game.

Up next​

The Flames open their regular season schedule on Wednesday night in Edmonton against the Oilers.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a Presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the best warranty in the business with ten year warranties available. Check out the showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instan...even-outing-against-jets-in-pre-season-finale

 

[Calgary Flames]

Blake Coleman is looking to continue his strong play as a Calgary Flame

There are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to the Calgary Flames heading into the 2025-26 season. Where are the goals going to come from? Who is the long term backup goalie behind Dustin Wolf? What is going to happen to Rasmus Andersson? There is a lot going on around this team.

But if you’re looking for some consistently. If you’re looking for predictability. Look no further than Blake Coleman.

The Texas native has been one of the most consistent players on the Flames over his four years in Southern Alberta. I think we can expect something similar from him this season. That’s not a prediction, it’s a spoiler.

Meets expectations​

The soon to be 34 year old is entering his fifth season in Calgary after signing a six year contract in 2021. He has provided a lot of value both on and off the ice over that time and we can expect to see that continue.

From a production standpoint, it is fair to expect Coleman to put up 15-20 goals and 33-39 points, every similar to his output in three of his four seasons in Calgary. The 2023-24 season was a career year and an outlier. I don’t think we will see that type of production from Coleman again.

Away from the puck is where Coleman really earns his $4.9 million salary. We can expect to see him alongside Mikael Backlund both at 5-on-5 and the penalty kill. They will take on the most difficult match-ups playing against the oppositions top lines. Not only do they take on those match-ups, they win them. That duo has been wildly successful in their defensive shut down role.

It’s reasonable for Flames fans to expect Coleman to produce similar defensive results this season, like he has in the last three years.

Off the ice, Coleman is part of a Flames leadership core that has played a huge role in turning the culture of this organization around from one where people wanted to leave, to one people want to stay. I expect him to continue being a mentor to young forwards like Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, and Matvei Gridin.

Below expectations​

The one thing that might get in the way of Coleman not meeting expectations this season is father time.

Coleman will turn 34 years old on Nov. 28. That is the age when some players start to slow down. Will we see that with Coleman? We might. But there is a good chance he is able to continue to be an effective player.

Coleman played his first full NHL season in New Jersey as a 27 year old. He has played in 624 games. He should have plenty of tread left on his tires.

A couple things would have to happen for Coleman to have a down year.

First, Coleman would need to produce at a 30 point pace or less over the course of 82 games. Coleman has consistently been a 30+ point player. The Flames will need him to continue that pace.

Secondly, his defensive results would have to take a hit. Coleman has been one of the best analytical players on the Flames over the last three seasons. He would be playing below expectations if those key stats like CF%, SCF%, HDCF%, and xGF% all fall below 50%.

If those things happen, Coleman could be passed on the Flames depth chart by one of the many left handed wingers in the organization.

Above expectations​

Could you imagine if Coleman was able to repeat his 2023-24 campaign? That is the definition of the rugged winger exceeding expectations this season.

Anything above 45 points would be an incredible accomplishment. Especially when you consider Coleman’s age and the competition he is going to be playing against on a nightly basis.

He’s done it before, why can’t he do it again? Now, they call them career years for a reason. But who knows? Maybe Coleman can replicate his success from two years ago.

It certainly would help a Calgary Flames that struggled to score goals last season.

Coleman is still an important member of the Flames both on and off the ice. It’s going to be interesting to see what his future looks like as he only has two years remaining on his contract. If the Flames are good, you can almost guarantee he will remain with the club this season. But if they struggle, he could be a great fit on a contending team. He is the type of player and person you want on your team when competing for a Stanley Cup.

What do you expect to see from Blake Coleman this season? Sound off in the comments!

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/blake-coleman-is-looking-to-continue-his-strong-play-as-a-calgary-flame

 

[Calgary Flames]

The Flames’ to-do list is very short heading into opening night

The Calgary Flames are enjoying a rare stretch of consecutive days off the ice this weekend, a brief respite before a pretty hellacious regular season schedule that’s compressed due to the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

The last gate for the Flames to clear before opening night in Edmonton on Wednesday is filing their season-opening 23 player active roster with the league on Monday afternoon.

The state of things​

As of now, here’s how the Flames’ training camp roster sits:

• Forwards [14]: Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund, Morgan Frost, Yegor Sharangovich, Blake Coleman, Justin Kirkland, Matt Coronato, Adam Klapka, Connor Zary, Matvei Gridin, Ryan Lomberg, Martin Pospisil, Joel Farabee and Nazem Kadri
• Defencemen [8]: Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, MacKenzie Weegar, Daniil Miromanov, Zayne Parekh and Brayden Pachal
• Goaltenders [2]: Devin Cooley and Dustin Wolf

So… they need to remove one player from the active roster before 3 p.m. MT on Monday to meet the roster limit.

Option A: Someone goes on waivers on Sunday (for assignment on Monday)​

Of the 24 players in camp right now, only two don’t require waivers to be removed from the active roster: Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin – we’ll talk about them later. That means anybody else would need to be placed on waivers on Sunday, clear waivers on Monday and then be sent to the Wranglers before 3 p.m. MT. (If they were claimed off waivers, that would achieve the same objective.)

So if there are no Flames on waivers on Sunday, they’ll be looking at Options B or C…

Option B: Someone waiver exempt gets demoted by Monday​

Again, the only waiver exempt players on the active roster are Parekh and Gridin.

Parekh is subject to the CHL transfer agreement because he was drafted from a CHL team, so he can only be sent to the OHL and once he’s sent down, he cannot come back until his junior team’s season is completed. While Parekh had some rough nights during the pre-season, he’s going to be given every chance to be a regular this season based on how excellent he’s been in the OHL.

Gridin was not drafted from a CHL team and so he’s eligible to play in the AHL (in addition to the NHL and CHL), so the Flames have a lot more flexibility with how they move him around this season. He was one of their best players in training camp but he’s played zero professional games and unless he’s playing regularly, he may be better off with the Wranglers.

Option C: Someone is placed on the injury reserve list by Monday​

Late in Wednesday’s game, Jonathan Huberdeau barrelled head-first into Vancouver netminder Kevin Lankinen. Huberdeau was on the ice for awhile before being helped off. Generally-speaking, the NHL has a specific protocol for players that have suffered suspected head injuries or concussions, and the return to play protocol takes around a week. On Thursday, Flames head coach Ryan Huska classified Huberdeau as out day-to-day.

Huberdeau had a head on head collision with Kevin Lankinen. Looks like he got his bell rung. pic.twitter.com/qeynTWeg92

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 2, 2025

If Huberdeau isn’t back at 100% as of Monday, or there’s some question about his potential availability, the Flames could always place him on the injury reserve list to clear him off the active roster on Monday and then activate him whenever he’s ready to go. As long as he’s on the IR for a week retroactive to his injury, the Flames have flexibility. (We suspect that once the Flames are 100% healthy, Gridin will migrate down to the Wranglers to get big minutes in the AHL.)

We’ll see how things unfold between now and 3 p.m. MT on Monday.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-flames-to-do-list-is-very-short-heading-into-opening-night

 

[Calgary Flames]

Can Dustin Wolf avoid the sophomore slump? (Chasing 97 Points)

Former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving often quipped that the game of hockey should simply be called “goaltending” because of how crucial that position is to having success. After all: if you have goaltending, you have a lot. But if you don’t have goaltending, you don’t have much.

In 2024-25, the Flames had goaltending because of Dustin Wolf, and it’s hard to argue that there were many players more integral to their club’s success last season.

But as Craig Conroy continues to work on fleshing out the rest of the club’s roster with young, high-end players, he’ll be relying heavily on Wolf to hold things together and keep the team competitive in individual games and the overall standings. With the Flames finishing oh-so-close to a playoff berth in 2024-25, they’ll need Wolf not only to maintain his standard of play from his rookie year… but somehow find another level.

At a position where there’s a ton of year-to-year volatility and variability, can Wolf avoid the sophomore slump in 2025-26?

Over the past three decades, most goaltenders that made the All-Rookie Team in their first NHL seasons have tended to turn out pretty well – they were strong rookies and then maintain that level of play for awhile. But we’ve seen a few players have brief windows of brilliant play for a season or two before crashing back down to Earth a bit: among them, Jim Carey, Dan Blackburn, Sebastian Caron, Steve Mason and Alex Nedeljkovic.

There are tons of reasons why goaltenders can regress in their performance after early success.

On the opposition side, teams do their homework. After a year in the league facing NHL shooters, each team’s video and goaltending staffs would be working to figure out a goaltender’s tendencies and traits – look at how many teams worked to get additional screens and tips against Wolf in the back half of 2024-25 as an example of these adjustments.

On the Flames’ side, just think of how the Flames took the training wheels off Wolf in the back half of the season after using Dan Vladar to insulate him early on, and think of how the Flames suddenly have less established backup goatending than Wolf had to rely on in his rookie year. As a result, the Flames will be leaning on Wolf more and more, and he’ll be operating without much of a safety net. The Flames’ situation with Wolf – realizing they have a good netminder on their hands and taking the training wheels off – isn’t atypical of a team that has a goaltender that performs this well; they’re simply removing a safety net that doesn’t seem to be necessary.

So, why might Wolf not regress?

The Flames have a lot of confidence in Wolf because, well, he’s Dustin Wolf, and has been since he migrated to the Western Hockey League in 2017. He put up preposterous numbers in the Dub and racked up wins and shutouts at a record pace – take away the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the 2020-21 season and he’s probably the top goalie statistically in WHL history. He went to the AHL and after a quick adjustment, did the same thing. And we saw how he adjusted to full-time NHL work in 2024-25: he thrived. His resume, in terms of consistently strong individual performances dating back to 2017-18, is pretty bonkers.

There are plenty of reasons to look at conventional goaltending wisdom and go, “Oh man, I’m worried that Wolf might backslide a bit in 2025-26.” But Wolf has been defying conventional goaltending wisdom for the better part of a decade in high-end hockey.

We’ll see if he can keep doing it this season.

Barn Burner Goes Live at Cowboys Casino in Calgary!​

Hockey fans, it’s that time of year again—the season is kicking off, and Barn Burner is bringing the action LIVE to Cowboys Casino in Calgary! Join us Wednesday, October 8th for a special live episode of Barn Burner. The show starts at 7 PM, with puck drop set for 8 PM as Calgary takes on Edmonton in a must-see matchup. Enjoy food and drink specials, catch all the excitement, and soak in the atmosphere with fellow fans. This isn’t just a game—you get to experience it live with the Barn Burner crew! Bring your friends, grab a seat, and make it a night to remember. Don’t miss Barn Burner Live from Cowboys Casino—October 8th!

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/can-dustin-wolf-avoid-the-sophomore-slump-chasing-97-points

 

[Calgary Flames]

Can the Flames’ veteran centres fend off Father Time? (Chasing 97 Points)

Friends, two things can be true at the same time.

First and foremost: Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri are two of the most important players on the Calgary Flames roster. Secondly: Kadri turned 35 on Monday, while Backlund turned 36 on St. Patrick’s Day.

We need to discuss both sides of this coin, as it’s pretty crucial heading into the upcoming season to wrap our heads around this duality.

Backlund is the longest-tenured Flame and the club’s captain. He’s been a regular presence with the team since 2009-10 and one of the better two-way players in the league for over a decade. He’s not exactly a sniper, but his line consistently is relied upon to shut down the opposition and/or out-score them, usually in what are known as “tough minutes” situations – deployments starting in the defensive end of the ice, usually against the other team’s top two forward lines.

While Backlund is the team’s defensive conscience, Kadri is their most reliable offensive centre. Backlund starts in the defensive zone, which allows Kadri’s line to get the offensive zone deployments better attuned to his scoring prowess. While Kadri’s no defensive liability, he’s such a strong player in the offensive zone that his usage is skewed that way, and he’s usually given linemates that can either crash and bang, or pass the puck, or both.

Simply put: Backlund is crucial to the Flames’ defensive game and Kadri’s equally crucial to their offensive game.

But both players are 35 or older, and the Flames don’t have anybody in-house that could immediately effectively replace them in the lineup. Yes, that’s probably a problem. In an ideal world, the Flames would have some up-and-coming centres to take on their roles, in a similar vein as they had Dustin Wolf in net, and they have Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz on the blueline, and Matt Coronato and Connor Zary on the wings.

While Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter are exciting young centres, they’ll need time to develop, and Morgan Frost is working on carving out a clear niche for himself within the Flames’ lineup after his mid-season acquisition in 2024-25. So for better or worse, Backlund and Kadri will be the team’s key centres for a while longer.

If you want to be a pessimist, yeah, it’s likely that as they are – as happens to us all – Backlund and Kadri will both probably slow down a bit and become a little bit more prone to injuries. If you want to be an optimist, there are things that Backlund and Kadri both do well that probably won’t be impacted too much by any slight reductions in mobility – Backlund’s defensive acumen, for instance, is as much about his knowledge about where to be on the ice as it is about how quickly he gets there, as is Kadri’s shot.

But the Flames are holding out hope that Backlund and Kadri can both continue to do their things and allow time for successors to emerge. Father Time is undefeated, and the Flames are betting that his impacts will be minimal for the next little while. Regardless of whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, it is a bit of a gamble.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/can-the-flames-veteran-centres-fend-off-father-time-chasing-97-points

 

[Calgary Flames]

Introducing the 2025-26 Flames opening roster

The Calgary Flames announced their season-opening roster on Monday afternoon.

The Flames will begin 2025-26 with a mix of young and old players, an interesting juxtaposition between veteran players retained from Brad Treliving’s regime and a wave of younger players brought up from within the team’s drafting and development system.

Here’s a rundown of all 25 players on the opening roster – 23 active players and two on the injury reserve list.

Goaltenders​

#1 – Devin Cooley – goaltender​

28 years old; from Los Gatos, California; 6’5″, 187 pounds
$775,000 AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2025-26 season
Played junior hockey with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) and Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) and college hockey with the University of Denver Pioneers (NCAA)
Signed as a free agent
6 career NHL games, all with San Jose

#32 – Dustin Wolf – goaltender​

24 years old; from Gilroy, California; 6’0″, 166 pounds
$850,000 AAV; seven year contract extension (through 2032-33) begins in 2026-27 with $7.5 million AAV
Calgary’s seventh round pick (214th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Everett Silvertips (WHL)
71 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Won World Junior Championship with United States in 2021
WHL top goaltender in 2019-20 and 2020-21 (CHL also in 2019-20)
AHL top goaltender in 2021-22 and 2022-23
AHL most valuable player in 2022-23
Calder Trophy runner-up in 2024-25
Produced 31.5 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

Defencemen​

#4 – Rasmus Andersson – defenceman (alternate captain)​

28 years old (turns 29 on Oct. 27); from Malmö, Sweden; 6’1″, 202 pounds
Right shot defender; primarily plays right side
$4.55 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2025-26 season
Calgary’s second round pick (53rd overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Malmö Redhawks (J20 SuperElit) and the Barrie Colts (OHL, as an import)
536 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Produced 11.4 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#7 – Kevin Bahl – defenceman​

25 years old; from New Westminster, British Columbia; 6’6″, 230 pounds
Left shot defender; primarily plays left side
$5.35 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2030-31 season
Arizona’s second round pick (55th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Acquired in a trade with New Jersey – the Flames traded Jacob Markstrom to the Devils for Bahl and a 2025 first-round pick (Cole Reschny)
221 career NHL games, with New Jersey and the Flames
Produced 0.2 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#19 – Zayne Parekh – defenceman​

19 years old; from Nobleton, Ontario; 6’0″, 185 pounds
Right shot defender; primarily plays right side
$942,500 AAV; will be restricted free agent following 2027-28 season (unless he plays fewer than 10 NHL games this season)
Calgary’s first round pick (ninth overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
1 career NHL game, all with the Flames
OHL and CHL top defenceman in 2023-24
Won Memorial Cup with Saginaw in 2024

#24 – Jake Bean – defenceman​

27 years old; from Calgary, Alberta; 6’1″, 191 pounds
Left shot defender; primarily plays left side
$1.75 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2025-26 season
Carolina’s first round pick (13th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Calgary Hitmen and Tri-City Americans (WHL)
Signed as a free agent
261 career NHL games, with Carolina, Columbus and the Flames
Won World Junior Championship with Canada in 2018
Won Calder Cup with Charlotte in 2019
Produced 1.2 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#44 – Joel Hanley – defenceman​

34 years old; from Keswick, Ontario; 5’11”, 190 pounds
Left shot defender; primarily plays left side
$1.75 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2026-27 season
Played college hockey with the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (NCAA)
Claimed off waivers from Dallas
246 career NHL games, with Montreal, Arizona, Dallas and the Flames
Produced 7.9 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#52 – MacKenzie Weegar – defenceman (alternate captain)​

31 years old; from Nepean, Ontario; 6’0″, 206 pounds
Right shot defender; plays either side
$6.25 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2030-31 season
Florida’s seventh round pick (206th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
Acquired in a trade with Florida – the Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk and a 2025 fourth-round pick (Mads Kongsbak Klyvo) to Florida for Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt and a 2025 first-round pick (Cullen Potter)
550 career NHL games, with Florida and the Flames
Won QMJHL Championship with Halifax in 2013
Won World Championship with Canada in 2023
Produced 18.5 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#62 – Daniil Miromanov – defenceman​

28 years old; from Moskva, Russia; 6’4″, 207 pounds
Right shot defender; primarily plays right side
$1.25 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2025-26 season
Played junior hockey with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL, as an import)
Acquired in a trade with Vegas – the Flames traded Noah Hanifin to Vegas for Miromanov, a 2024 third-round pick (Kirill Zarubin) and a 2026 first-round pick
93 career NHL games, with Vegas and the Flames
Produced 1.0 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#94 – Brayden Pachal – defenceman​

26 years old; from Estevan, Saskatchewan; 6’2″, 202 pounds
Right shot defender; primarily plays right side
$1.188 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2026-27 season
Played junior hockey with the Victoria Royals and Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Claimed off waivers from Vegas
138 career NHL games, with Vegas and the Flames
Won WHL Championship with Prince Albert in 2019
Produced 1.7 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

Forwards​

#10 – Jonathan Huberdeau – forward (alternate captain) (injury reserve)​

32 years old; from St-Jérôme, Quebec; 6’1″, 200 pounds
Left shot forward; primarily plays left wing
$10.5 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2030-31 season
Florida’s first round pick (3rd overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
Acquired in a trade with Florida – the Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk and a 2025 fourth-round pick (Mads Kongsbak Klyvo) to Florida for Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a 2025 first-round pick (Cullen Potter)
912 career NHL games, with Florida and the Flames
Set NHL single-season record for assists by a left wing in 2021-22
Won Memorial Cup with Saint John in 2011
Won QMJHL Championship with Saint John in 2011 and 2012
Produced 10.1 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#11 – Mikael Backlund – forward (captain)​

36 years old; from Västerås, Sweden; 6’0″, 206 pounds
Left shot forward; primarily plays centre
$4.5 million AAV; two year contract extension (through 2027-28) begins in 2026-27 with $3.5 million AAV
Calgary’s first round pick (24th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with VIK Hockey Ungdom and VIK Västerås HK (J20 SuperElit) and the Kelowna Rockets (WHL, as an import)
1,066 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Won WHL Championship with Kelowna in 2009
Won World Championship with Sweden in 2018
Won King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2022-23
Produced 1.0 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#16 – Morgan Frost – forward​

26 years old; from Aurora, Ontario; 6’0″, 192 pounds
Left shot forward; primarily plays centre
$4.375 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2026-27 season
Philadelphia’s first round pick (27th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
Acquired in a trade with Philadelphia – the Flames traded Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick (Shane Vansaghi) and a 2028 seventh-round pick to Philadelphia for Frost and Joel Farabee
310 career NHL games, with Philadelphia and the Flames
Produced 3.4 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#17 – Yegor Sharangovich – forward​

27 years old; from Minsk, Belarus; 6’2″, 196 pounds
Left shot forward; can play centre or either wing
$5.75 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2029-30 season
New Jersey’s fifth-round pick (141st overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with Dinamo-Raubichi (MHL)
Acquired in a trade with New Jersey – the Flames traded Tyler Toffoli to New Jersey for Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick (Aydar Suniev)
360 career NHL games, with New Jersey and the Flames
Produced 0.5 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#20 – Blake Coleman – forward (alternate captain)​

33 years old; from Plano, Texas; 5’11”, 199 pounds
Left shot forward; can play either wing
$4.9 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2026-27 season
New Jersey’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Tri-City Storm and Indiana Ice (USHL) and college hockey with Miami University RedHawks (NCAA)
Signed as a free agent
624 career NHL games, with New Jersey, Tampa Bay and the Flames
Won Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020 & 2021
Produced 0.2 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#23 – Justin Kirkland – forward​

29 years old; from Winnipeg, Manitoba; 6’3″, 183 pounds
Left shot forward; can play centre or the wing
$900,000 AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2025-26 season
New Jersey’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Signed as a free agent
30 career NHL games, with Anaheim, Arizona and the Flames
Produced 3.4 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#27 – Matt Coronato – forward​

22 years old; from Greenlawn, New York; 5’10”, 183 pounds
Right shot forward; primarily plays right wing
$6.5 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2031-32 season
Calgary’s first round pick (13th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Chicago Steel (USHL) and college hockey with the Harvard University Crimson (NCAA)
112 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Produced 10.4 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#29 – Sam Honzek – forward​

20 years old; from Trencin, Slovakia; 6’4″, 194 pounds
Left shot forward; primarily plays left wing but has dabbled at centre
$886,666 AAV; will be restricted free agent following 2027-28 season
Calgary’s first round pick (16th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia) and the Vancouver Giants (WHL, as an import)
5 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Produced 0.9 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#43 – Adam Klapka – forward​

25 years old; from Praha, Czechia; 6’8″, 235 pounds
Right shot forward; primarily plays right wing
$1.25 million AAV; will be restricted free agent following 2026-27 season
Played junior hockey with HC Slavia Praha (Czechia U20) and the Tri-City Storm (USHL)
Signed as a free agent
34 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Produced 3.3 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#47 – Connor Zary – forward​

24 years old; from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; 6’0″, 178 pounds
Left shot forward; can play centre or left wing
$3.775 million AAV; will be restricted free agent following 2027-28 season
Calgary’s first round pick (24th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
117 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Produced 2.1 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#70 – Ryan Lomberg – forward​

30 years old; from Richmond Hill, Ontario; 5’9″, 184 pounds
Left shot forward; can play either wing
$2 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2025-26 season
Played junior hockey with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) and college hockey with the University of Maine Black Bears (NCAA)
Signed as a free agent
337 career NHL games, with Florida and the Flames
Won Stanley Cup with Florida in 2024
Produced 0.5 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#76 – Martin Pospisil – forward (injury reserve)​

25 years old; from Zvolen, Slovakia; 6’2″, 173 pounds
Left shot forward; can play centre or either wing
$1 million AAV; three year contract extension (through 2028-29) begins in 2026-27 with $2.5 million AAV
Calgary’s fourth round pick (105th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the RB Hockey Juniors (U20 SM-liiga) and the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
144 career NHL games, all with the Flames
Produced 7.3 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#86 – Joel Farabee – forward​

25 years old; from Syracuse, New York; 6’0″, 183 pounds
Left shot forward; can play either wing
$5 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following 2027-28 season
Philadelphia’s first round pick (14th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the U.S. National Development Program (USHL) and college hockey with the Boston University Terriers (NCAA)
Acquired in a trade with Philadelphia – the Flames traded Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick (Shane Vansaghi) and a 2028 seventh-round pick to Philadelphia for Farabee and Morgan Frost
415 career NHL games, with Philadelphia and the Flames
Produced 1.6 goals below replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#91 – Nazem Kadri – forward (alternate captain)​

35 years old; from London, Ontario; 6’0″, 185 pounds
Left shot forward; primarily plays centre
$7 million AAV; will be unrestricted free agent following the 2028-29 season
Toronto’s first round pick (7th overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers and London Knights (OHL)
Signed as a free agent
985 career NHL Games, with Toronto, Colorado and the Flames
Won OHL Championship with Kitchener in 2008
Won Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022
Produced 4.0 goals above replacement in 2024-25 (via Evolving Hockey)

#92 – Matvei Gridin – forward​

19 years old; from Kurgan, Russia; 6’1″, 190 pounds
Left shot forward; can play either wing
$942,500 AAV; will be restricted free agent following 2027-28 season (unless he doesn’t play 10 NHL games this season)
Calgary’s first round pick (28th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft
Played junior hockey with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) and Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
QMJHL top rookie and top offensive rookie in 2024-25

About the 2025-26 roster:

The Flames’ roster features nine homegrown draft picks representing the 2007 (Backlund), 2015 (Andersson), 2018 (Pospisil), 2019 (Wolf), 2020 (Zary), 2021 (Coronato), 2023 (Honzek) and 2024 (Parekh and Gridin) drafts, though Popsisil isn’t on the active roster to start the season. The Flames are carrying 12 Canadians, five Americans, two Russians, two Swedes, two Slovaks, a Czech, and a Belarusian.

The youngest player on the roster is Matvei Gridin (born Mar. 3, 2006), while the oldest player is Mikael Backlund (born Mar. 17, 1989). Three players on the roster – Honzek, Gridin and Parekh – weren’t alive when the Flames played in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final.

The tallest player is Adam Klapka (6’8″), the shortest player is Ryan Lomberg (5’9″). The heaviest player is Klapka (235 pounds), the lightest player is Dustin Wolf (166 pounds).

Changes from last season’s opening roster:

On the 2024 opening roster but no longer with the club are Tyson Barrie, Andrei Kuzmenko, Anthony Mantha, Kevin Rooney and Dan Vladar.

New faces since last year’s opening roster are Farabee, Frost, Kirkland, Gridin, Parekh and Cooley.

Coaching staff and management​

The head coach is Ryan Huska (50; Cranbrook, B.C.), who’s entering his third season as Flames head coach.

The assistant coaches are Dave Lowry (60; Sudbury, Ontario), Trent Cull (52; Georgetown, Ontario), Cail MacLean (49; Middleton, Nova Scotia), Jason LaBarbera (45; Burnaby, B.C.) and Jamie Pringle (50; Picton, Ontario). Based on our understanding of things: the forwards are managed by Lowry and MacLean, the defencemen by Cull, the power play by MacLean, the penalty kill by Cull, goalies by LaBarbera and video by Pringle.

The general manager is Craig Conroy (54; Potsdam, New York), who’s entering his third season as Flames GM. His assistants are Dave Nonis (58; Burnaby, B.C.), Brad Pascall (54; Coquitlam, B.C.) and Peter Hanlon (St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador).

Barn Burner Goes Live at Cowboys Casino in Calgary!​

Hockey fans, it’s that time of year again—the season is kicking off, and Barn Burner is bringing the action LIVE to Cowboys Casino in Calgary! Join us Wednesday, October 8th for a special live episode of Barn Burner. The show starts at 7 PM, with puck drop set for 8 PM as Calgary takes on Edmonton in a must-see matchup. Enjoy food and drink specials, catch all the excitement, and soak in the atmosphere with fellow fans. This isn’t just a game—you get to experience it live with the Barn Burner crew! Bring your friends, grab a seat, and make it a night to remember. Don’t miss Barn Burner Live from Cowboys Casino—October 8th!

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/introducing-the-2025-26-flames-opening-roster

 

[Calgary Flames]

Dryden Hunt is in for an exciting 2025-26 season if it’s anything like last year

Dryden Hunt has played a great in between role between the Calgary Wranglers and Calgary Flames the last couple of years.

He served as alternate captain of the Wranglers last season and typically played on the top line with Rory Kerins and a mix of William Stromgren, Martin Frk or Sam Morton as the other winger on their line. He is a simple and reliable call-up to make to the Flames as needed. While he didn’t crack the opening roster this season, he did clear waivers and is still available as an option for a call-up.

Meets expectations​

Dryden Hunt is one of the only players between the Flames and Wranglers who is expected to perform at the same level as he did last season. There is always room for improvement, but if he is able to light it up for the Wranglers again and contribute if and when the time comes at the Flames, he’s doing his job.

Hunt was a high performer in the AHL last season and chased Rory Kerins’ scoring all season. This type of dynamic continuing into this season, will challenge them both and keep them ready for their next big step. Dryden Hunt finished with 16 goals and 33 assists in 49 games and averaged a point per game in 2024-25. For the Flames, he played in five games and put up three assists. The expectation is that he sees more NHL time this season.

Exceeds expectations​

Hunt is a great cusp player to have in your club and depending on the scenarios with the NHL forwards, injuries and his own performance, he could got back to his performance in the 2023-24 season, where he split time between leagues. He still knows what it takes to play at the NHL and he’s not going to let any of those opportunities he gets go to waste.

Hunt could hypothetically do more at the AHL, but even if he performs at the same level, the point where he can exceed expectations is at the NHL level. If Hunt is able to even average a point every second or third game in the NHL, he’s going to be above the bar set for him.

Below expectations​

Dryden Hunt hasn’t played in a way in the last few seasons where it seems he’s going to fall off his game significantly, but if he’s not able to keep up with himself, he’s going to under-perform. He still needs to be a reliable player to put up points and be on the ice in big game scenarios. Another part of that is the leadership side, helping mentor the new faces and developing prospects in his locker room. If he’s unable to assist on and/or off the ice as much, then it would be an unexpected under-performance.

Hunt had a career year in the AHL last season and while that may or may not be the peak in his professional career, there would still need to be a lot that goes wrong for him to not contribute positively to the Flames organization. He is reliable and useful at both levels and should have another interesting season to follow along with.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/dryden-hunt-is-in-for-an-exciting-season-if-its-anything-like-last-year

 

[Calgary Flames]

The Flames haven’t fared well in Battle of Alberta season-openers

The 2025-26 National Hockey League season is starting this week, and the season is kicking off with a Battle of Alberta between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

It’s just the eighth time in 45 seasons that these teams begin their seasons against each other. And the rarity of the match-up may be a blessing for the Flames, because they haven’t had the best results historically when opening their season against Edmonton.

Here’s a (rough) trip down memory lane, gang.

Oct. 5, 1982 (1982-83): Oilers beat the Flames 7-5 in Edmonton

The Oilers got out to a three goal lead 15:10 into the first period off markers from Jaroslav Pouzar, Glenn Anderson and Dave Hunter. But the Flames rallied back in the second to tie things up off goals from Guy Chouinard, Doug Risebrough and Jamie Hislop. Calgary just couldn’t grab a lead, though, and the Oilers pulled away, with Tom Roulston’s early third period goal standing as the winner.

Oct. 4, 1991 (1991-92): Flames beat the Oilers 9-2 in Calgary

The Flames were looking for sweet revenge after the Oilers eliminated them from the playoffs several months prior. They got that revenge, off goals from Theo Fleury (twice), Joel Otto, Robert Reichel, Al MacInnis, Ron Stern, Stephane Matteau, Martin Simard and Jamie Macoun. (Esa Tikkanen and Scott Mellanby replied for the visitors.)

Oct. 3, 2001 (2001-02): Flames beat the Oilers 1-0 in Calgary

A decade after their last season-opening meeting, these clubs met once more at the Saddledome. This time, Marc Savard had the only goal and Roman Turek pitched a shutout.

Oct. 5, 2006 (2006-07): Oilers beat the Flames 3-1 in Edmonton

Coming off a Stanley Cup Final loss in June, the Oilers got back in the rhythm of the season with a 3-1 win over the Flames. Petr Sykora had two goals and an assist, setting up a Daniel Tjarnqvist goal. Jarome Iginla scored for the Flames.

Oct. 7, 2010 (2010-11): Oilers beat the Flames 4-0 in Edmonton

The Flames were blanked, with Nikolai Khabibulin making 37 saves. Gilbert Brule, Jordan Eberle, Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff scored for the blue team.

Oct. 12, 2016 (2016-17): Oilers beat the Flames 7-4 in Edmonton

In the first regular season game at Rogers Place, the Flames scored four goals but gave up seven and never had a lead. Connor McDavid (twice), Pat Maroon, Tyler Pitlick, Zack Kassian, Jesse Puljujari and Jordan Eberle all scored for the Oil, while Alex Chiasson, Troy Brouwer, Michael Frolik and Dennis Wideman scored for the Flames.

Oct. 4, 2017 (2017-18): Oilers beat the Flames 3-0 in Edmonton

The Flames got a re-do a year later, with another season-opener at Rogers Place. They got shut out, with Connor McDavid scoring a hat trick and Cam Talbot making 27 saves.

The Oilers beat the Flames in Calgary’s season-opener in 2021-22, but Edmonton had already opened their season against Vancouver three days earlier, so that game does not count. (But if it did, it would string the Flames’ losing streak against Edmonton in season-openers to five games.)

We’ll see if a road team can finally win a game in the season-opener series between these two traditional rivals.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-flames-havent-fared-well-in-battle-of-alberta-season-openers

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames battle back to beat Oilers in the shootout

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

The Calgary Flames visited the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night to begin their 2025-26 regular season. And the first half of the game was not pretty for the Flames. But they seemed to flip the switch, and battled back to surmount a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 Edmonton lead.

In a game that required overtime and a shootout, the Flames won by a 4-3 score.

The rundown​

The Flames got off to a pretty solid start, skating well early on and putting pucks on net. In fact, they led in shots during the first period at various points by 3-1 and 4-3 margins.

But the game got away from them a bit later in the period. Morgan Frost inadvertently fired a puck over the glass from within the Flames zone. On the resulting power play, the Oilers cashed in. A really nice passing sequence down-low in the Flames zone ended up on the stick of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and his shot bounced its way through Dustin Wolf to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead.

1-0 Oilers. RNH scores on the power play. pic.twitter.com/DAG1yywTDg

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 9, 2025

A few minutes later the Flames got a power play off a David Tomasek minor, but while they generated some solid looks – 4 scoring chances, 2 high-dangers but only one shot – they couldn’t bury anything.

Shortly after that Flames power play, the Oilers cashed in again. Andrew Mangiapane stretched to stay on-side after losing a puck battle with Jake Bean just inside the Flames blueline. Connor McDavid collected the puck, skated into the zone and set up Mangiapane, who had a clean shooting lane and beat Wolf glove-side just inside the far post to give Edmonton a 2-0 advantage.

Andrew Mangiapane scores his first goal as an Edmonton Oiler pic.twitter.com/I7xr9OanB9

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 9, 2025

First period shots were 9-4 Oilers. Via Natural Stat Trick, 5v5 scoring chances were 6-2 Oilers (high-danger chances were 1-1 Oilers). The Flames didn’t register a shot in the final 8:37 of the first period.

The Flames were chasing for a good chunk of the second period. Eventually, it caught up to them. After a few Flames were caught out on a long shift and finally got a line change, Adam Klapka took a hooking minor on McDavid as the Oilers captain whizzed through the neutral zone. On the resulting power play, Tomasek made a nice back-hand pass to Leon Draisaitl at the far post for the back-door tap-in to give the Oilers a 3-0 lead. (It was Tomasek’s first NHL point.)

3-0 Oilers. pic.twitter.com/IDiNFOYWkM

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 9, 2025

A little later, though, the Flames got on the board. Matvei Gridin took a pass from Nazem Kadri and drove into the Edmonton zone. He threw a puck to the slot area, looking to make a pass to Matt Coronato… but the puck bonked off Noah Philp’s skate and into the Oilers net past Stuart Skinner. That cut the Oilers lead to 3-1, and was the first-ever NHL goal for Gridin.

FLAMES GOAL

Matvei Gridin scores his first NHL goal! pic.twitter.com/klAFr5MDf1

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 9, 2025

A little later, the Flames received their second power play of the game off a Tomasek minor, and they made this one count. On a scrambly play in the front of the Oilers net, the puck blooped into the air and Connor Zary swatted it out of mid-air and into the Edmonton net to cut the Oilers advantage to 3-2. (The play was reviewed, but the Situation Room determined it to be a legal goal not whacked in with a high stick.)

FLAMES GOAL

Connor Zary knocks the puck into the net! It's a 3-2 game!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/cmLAaWrTn7

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 9, 2025

Second period shots were 11-7 Oilers. 5v5 scoring chances were 7-7 and high-danger chances were 4-2 Oilers.

40 seconds into the third period, the Flames tied the game off another weird one. Zary threw the puck on net from the neutral zone as he went for a change. Skinner made the stop on Zary’s dump-in, but he seemed to be unable to decide what to do next. Blake Coleman, forechecking, skated to the net and poked the loose puck into the Oilers net to tie the game at 3-3.

FLAMES GOAL

Blake Coleman takes advantage of a Stuart Skinner turnover and ties this game!!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/8a9bFs3wbR

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 9, 2025

The Flames and Oilers exchanged power plays for much of the remainder of the third period, but regulation solved nothing and this game went to overtime.

Third period shots were 9-8 Oilers. 5v5 scoring chances were 5-1 Oilers and high-dangers were 2-1 Oilers.

Overtime went back and forth for a bit. MacKenzie Weegar was called for holding on Connor McDavid with 1:29 left in overtime, but the Flames managed to kill it off.

In the shootout, Frost and Nazem Kadri scored in a lengthy shootout, while Draisaitl scored for Edmonton. The Flames won 4-3.

Why the Flames won​

This was a weird game.

The Flames went down 3-0 because they took some undisciplined penalties and when they weren’t killing penalties, they just couldn’t generate a ton as Edmonton did a nice job keeping them to the outside.

But give the red team credit: rather than fold up shop after the third Oilers goal, they did a pretty nice job battling and being perfectly content in scoring ugly goals. It was a gutsy two points when it seemed midway through that things could’ve gotten out of hand for them.

Red Warrior​

We’ll give this one to Gridin, who was consistently noticeable and scored his first goal. But let’s give an honourable mention to MacKenzie Weegar, who played a ton and was quite good as well (aside from the penalty in overtime), and Wolf, who was really sharp in the back half of this game as his team mounted their comeback.

Turning point​

It sounds trite, but man, Gridin’s goal was huge for the Flames. They couldn’t generate a whole lot offensively prior to that point, and scoring one ugly goal seemed to give the group the gumption to try to score a bunch of ugly goals.

This and that​

This was the first career NHL game for Flames forward Matvei Gridin. (He scored a goal!)

Rasmus Andersson and Blake Coleman wore the alternate captain’s As for this road game.

Kadri was the Flames’ eighth shooter of the shootout, going out after – deep breath – Kirkland, Frost (who scored), Andersson, Coronato, Gridin, Sharangovich and Zary.

After Burner​

Join Cami Kepke and Mike Gould right after the game for After Burner!

Up next​

The Flames are hopping on a plane and heading west. They face the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday night.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-battle-back-to-beat-oilers-in-the-shootout

 

[Calgary Flames]

Rory Kerins looks to carve out a role with the Flames this season

Rory Kerins’ career has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride thus far, he’s one of few who have successfully cracked an NHL lineup after spending significant time in the ECHL.

Kerins has seemingly been doubted at every turn, from falling in the 2020 draft despite a stellar junior career to being the odd man out with the Calgary Wranglers and having to prove himself with the Rapid City Rush. Most recently, Kerins was one of the final cuts from the Flames’ preseason roster and was placed on waivers after leading the team in scoring.

Kerins went unclaimed and will begin the season with the Wranglers. Let’s dive into what reasonable expectations look like for the fourth-year pro.

Meets expectations: point per game in AHL and 20+ NHL appearances​

Kerins was the Wranglers’ leading scorer last year, with 33 goals and 61 points in 63 games, so it’s reasonable to expect him to produce at a point-per-game pace this season.

What the 23-year-old really needs now is more NHL experience; he got his first five games under his belt last season and registered four assists. The most likely outcome this season is that the Caledon, Ontario native replicates his stellar AHL production and gets into the Flames’ lineup for around a quarter of the season while serving as their go-to replacement call-up when injuries inevitably become a factor.

To warrant 20+ auditions with the big club, Kerins would have to play well enough with the Flames and stick around for a few extended stints. He’s certainly capable of forcing Calgary’s hand, but he may need to adapt to playing a different style of play, as he’ll likely spend most of his time serving in a fourth-line role.

Below expectations: falls below a point per game pace in AHL, only sees a handful of games with Flames​

As a 23-year-old who’s sort of on the cusp of becoming an NHLer, you’d like to see Kerins really take another step forward this year and push the envelope. Unfortunately, at this point, he needs to do more than just have another strong year with the Wranglers.

He will get his opportunity to play with the Flames; he may even get multiple chances to prove his worth at the NHL level, but if he’s not able to stand out or at least show he’s capable of hanging with the best of ‘em, he’ll fall by the wayside in an organization that has plenty of young players desperate for opportunity.

Ultimately, the way we feel and will talk about Kerins’ season by the end of it will be dictated by what he does in the NHL, and if he doesn’t make Calgary give him a bigger role than last season, it will be considered a disappointment.

Exceeds expectations: plays his way into a full-time NHL role​

There is a world where Kerins carves out a full-time gig with the Flames and ditches the AHL altogether. It may take a trade or a season-ending injury to permanently shake up the roster, but those things happen every year.

The Flames have continually explored ways to score more goals as a club. Goal-scoring was the weakest aspect of their team last season, and it wasn’t particularly close. They could choose to try and address that issue internally with a guy like Kerins, whose calling card is his ability to put the puck in the back of the net.

It seems like Calgary will start the season with the offensively gifted 19-year-old Matvei Gridin on their roster, likely as a potential remedy to their goal-scoring woes. The chances of Gridin sticking around all season are slim, and the Flames will probably go back to the well at some point in search of some juice offensively. If Kerins can provide that juice, then he may not need to play a well-rounded game to become a mainstay.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/rory-kerins-looks-to-carve-out-a-role-with-the-flames-this-season

 

[Calgary Flames]

Wranglers series preview: A season opening series in Colorado

It has been a long five months since the Calgary Wranglers last played, but the time has finally come. They start a new season with a new bench boss and a couple more prospects on their roster while other regulars like Ilya Solovyov, Jonathan Aspirot and Waltteri Ignatjew have moved on.

The Wranglers open up their 2025-26 season on the road for a series against the Colorado Eagles.

Wranglers available roster​

Forwards: Rory Kerins, William Stromgren, Quinn Olson, Dryden Hunt, Carter Wilkie, Lucas Ciona, Clark Bishop, Alex Gallant, Parker Bell, David Silye, Martin Frk, Aydar Suniev, Carter King, Sam Morton, Andrew Basha

Defencemen: Turner Ottenbreit, Artem Grushnikov, Jeremie Poirier, Etienne Morin, Simon Mack, Yan Kuznetsov, Nick Cicek, Hunter Brzustewicz

Goaltenders: Owen Say, Arseni Sergeev, Ivan Prosvetov

Rostered player on Flames call-up: Sam Honzek

Eagles available roster​

Forwards: T.J. Tynan, Jason Polin, Taylor Makar, Jason Megna, Jake Wise, Matthew Stienburg, Chase Bradley, Tye Felhaber, Mark Senden, Maros Jedlicka, Tristen Nielsen, Cooper Gay, Alex Barre-Boulet, Danil Gushchin, Ivan Ivan

Defencemen: Wyatt Aamodt, Jack Ahcan, Saige Weinstein, Hank Kempf, Alex Gagne, Garrett Pyke, Keaton Middleton, Bryan Yoon, Connor Kelley

Goaltenders: Isak Posch, Kyle Keyser

Notes and expectations​

If you missed some of the off-season news, Brett Sutter has now gone from Wranglers captain to Wranglers assistant coach to Wranglers interim head coach to Wranglers head coach. Trent Cull’s permanent promotion to the Flames gave Sutter the opportunity to take the reins of the team he ended his playing career with. These games will be the first looks we see of him in his first full season as Head Coach.

Another larger change the Flames’ AHL affiliate will see this year is between the pipes. Former Wranglers starter Devin Cooley has been promoted to be Dustin Wolf’s backup for the Flames, and Waltteri Ignatjew has gone to play in the SHL. Arsenii Sergeev was with the Wranglers on their playoff roster earlier this year but has yet to play a game for them. The only remaining familiar goalie in the minor leagues is Connor Murphy with the Rapid City Rush.

For the core of the team, much remains the same as last season. A couple of guys in particular, such as Sam Morton, Hunter Brzustewicz and Aydar Suniev, who had a shared NHL debut at the end of the 2024-25 season, are going to be pushing to get another shot with the big club. They each had some time in camp to show their off-season work, but their play in these early games with the Wranglers will further determine how close they are to another opportunity with the Flames.

It’s a clean slate and a fresh start to a new season this weekend. Calgary plays the Colorado Eagles on Friday and Saturday night with a 7:05 p.m. MT puck drop. Games are available to stream on FloHockey for a fee and multiple FlamesNation contributors will have updates on X (formerly Twitter).

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/wranglers-series-preview-a-season-opening-series-in-colorado

 

[Calgary Flames]

What to make of Zayne Parekh’s absence from the Flames’ lineup

The Calgary Flames are two games into the 2025-26 NHL season, and their highest-touted prospect in almost a decade, who made the team out of camp, has yet to make his season debut.

I’m of course talking about defenceman Zayne Parekh, who has watched the Flames’ opening two-game road trip from the press box.

Head coach Ryan Huska wasn’t asked about Parekh before Calgary’s tilt against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, but he did address it prior to their game in Edmonton on Wednesday (via Flames TV):

“I think with Zayne there’s a lot of steps along the way and it’s our job is to to work him into being an everyday player and that sometimes takes time… We want to make sure that whether it’s tomorrow night or the next night, he’s ready for his opening night game. So, this gives him an opportunity to see an environment in a building that’s going to be quite a bit different from what he saw last year with us and what he’s seen in exhibition so far.”

Parekh made his NHL debut in Los Angeles against the Kings in the Flames’ final game of the 2024-25 season. He scored a goal and was a plus-three in 20:31 of ice time.

Huska went on to say this when asked about his development plan for Parekh:

“Well, I think a lot of that always falls on the player. Our plan is to make sure we’re going to put him in positions to succeed, but you also hope that the player, when he goes and plays the game, it’s like he’s never coming out again. So, that’s what you’d like to see from him and then it’s our job to make sure we work with him and continue to build his game and his confidence at this level.”

This has less to do with Parekh and more to do with the Huska and the Flames’ philosophy of sheltering young players from adversity, which is a strategy they’ve employed over and over again, most recently with Matthew Coronato and Dustin Wolf.

There are two ways of looking at it. You could say that this cautious approach is worthwhile, seeing as both Coronato and Wolf thrived last season when they were eventually unleashed. Conversely, it’s possible those players are just really good and would’ve been effective regardless of whether or not they were held out to begin last season, Wolf as the backup to Vladar and Coronato in the AHL.

Parekh’s absence from the lineup has caused quite a stir within the fanbase. Some believe in ripping the band-aid off and getting him out there, while others are inclined to trust the process. Huska and management are opting to hold him out as a way of easing him in, but there is the possibility that dragging out his debut could put even more of a microscope on him when he eventually does get into the lineup.

Looking at it from a different lens, how do you walk the line of prioritizing player development while also trying to field the best possible team on a nightly basis? Though Parekh’s game is still flawed at the age of 19, it’s difficult to make the case that Jake Bean should be in the lineup over him. Also, considering how the power play has faltered through two games, it’s hard to believe it could be any worse with the addition of Parekh.

Emphasizing player development over short-term success is wise for a rebuilding team, but what exactly that looks like obviously varies depending on who you’re talking to.

There is an expectation that Parekh will get into the lineup sooner rather than later, especially after defenceman Kevin Bahl was injured on Thursday night against the Canucks.

Parekh has now been with the team for their last 7 games, dating back to last season, but has been a healthy scratch for all but one. His next opportunity to crack the lineup will be the Flames’ home opener against the St Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/what-to-make-of-zayne-parekhs-absence-from-the-flames-lineup

 

[Calgary Flames]

Wranglers recap: Special teams and early shots put a season opening victory out of reach

The 2025-26 Calgary Wranglers made their season debut in Loveland, Colorado on Friday night. Ivan Prosvetov got his first look in a Wranglers jersey and was heavily peppered in the first frame. Most of the damage was done in the first and second period and by the third, Calgary could not complete the comeback. A night where special teams especially could use some clean up ended in a 7-4 loss for the Wranglers.

Wranglers lines​

William Stromgren – Rory Kerins – Dryden Hunt

Aydar Suniev – Sam Morton – Martin Frk

Parker Bell – Clark Bishop – Andrew Basha

Lucas Ciona – Carter King – David Silye

Yan Kuznetsov – Hunter Brzustewicz

Nick Cicek – Jeremie Poirier

Artem Grushnikov – Simon Mack

Ivan Prosvetov

Owen Say (backup)

Game at a glance​

Ivan Prosvetov got the season opening start for the Wranglers and Isak Posch was in net for the Colorado Eagles. The Wranglers didn’t get the start they would’ve hoped for as Jeremie Poirier took an interference penalty at 1:23 and by 2:02, the Eagles put up their first goal of the season off a bar down shot.

A few minutes later, Jeremie Poirier was back in the box for high-sticking at 5:54. This penalty unfortunately had the same result, with an Eagles power play goal at 6:32. Tristen Nielsen was wide open in the slop and tapped the puck home to extend Colorado’s lead to 2-0.

Calgary was able to get their first look on the power play at 8:17 when Jason Polin was called for slashing. They finally got their first shot on goal during this man advantage but were unable to cut Colorado’s lead. Instead, the next goal was off the stick of Chase Bradley of the Eagles at 13:13 for the first even strength goal of the night.

The Wranglers were back on the power play at 16:32 when Chase Bradley interfered with Aydar Suniev. This power play proved to be more successful when Hunter Brzustewicz set Martin Frk up for a rocket of a shot at 17:44.

Frk lights the lamp pic.twitter.com/HsOzILfQj5

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) October 11, 2025

Later in the period, offsetting penalties were dealt to Clark Bishop and T.J. Tynan and the Eagles put up six more shots in the last two minutes of the frame. The first ended with the Eagles ahead 3-1 and miles ahead in shots 22-4.

The misfortunes of the first period appeared to roll over into the second when Chase Bradley scored his second of the game just 3:01 into the frame off a wrist shot in front. Calgary was able to answer back soon after with a goal from the top line. Dryden Hunt finished up a play with a backhand shot with Rory Kerins and Jeremie Poirier assisting at 4:46.

Dryden Hunt tucks it home pic.twitter.com/nTPYiLBADv

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) October 11, 2025

The scoring surge took a break for a few minutes, then Lucas Ciona was called for tripping at 7:38. In the second half of this penalty kill, Danil Gushchin scored the third Eagles goal of the game through traffic up the middle of the zone once again. By this point in the game, Colorado was up 5-2 and a perfect three for three on the power play.

Later in the period, Danil Gushchin scored once again off a back door set up at 17:10. 17 seconds later, Dryden Hunt also scored his second of the period set up by William Stromgren and Rory Kerins.

The dynamic duo pic.twitter.com/gv5U5dSeE5

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) October 11, 2025

Calgary had a good push to end the second period but were down 6-3 after 40 complete minutes of play. Shots by the end of the second were 33-12 Eagles. Early in the third period, Yan Kuznetsov scored his first goal of the year off an Eagles turnover at 3:04.

Just like they drew it up pic.twitter.com/CuWjtzplAM

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) October 11, 2025

The Wranglers appeared to get their control back of this game and kept the Eagles at bay. At 17:02, they pulled Prosvetov for the extra attacker and 20 seconds later, a big fight erupted that resulted in a continuing altercation misconduct, cross-checking and roughing call against Alex Gagne, a continuing altercation misconduct and cross-checking call against Dryden Hunt and a continuing altercation misconduct against Martin Frk.

Ivan Prosvetov needed to come back for the face-off following then skated back off at 17:43. At 19:08, Wyatt Aamodt cleared the zone fully and scored on the empty net to make it a 7-4 game. This dimmed any hope of a Wranglers comeback and that score remained for the final decision at the end of 60 minutes. Shots finished 40-18 for Colorado.

Scoring stat summary​

Jeremie Poirier – 1A

Rory Kerins – 2A

William Stromgren – 1A

Dryden Hunt – 2G

Martin Frk – 1G

Yan Kuznetsov – 1G

Hunter Brzustewicz – 1A

Next up ​

This season opening series continues into Saturday with a start time of 7:05 p.m. MT. The Wranglers look to pick up a split against the Eagles before their next road series in Tucson, AZ next weekend.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/wrangl...ots-put-a-season-opening-victory-out-of-reach

 

[Calgary Flames]

‘We just didn’t capitalize on opportunities’: strong start slips away for Flames against St. Louis

The Calgary Flames played some very good hockey on Saturday afternoon when they hosted the St. Louis Blues.

They were skating well. They were defending well. They scored a power play goal. They generated what felt like zillions of good scoring chances in the second period as they poured on the pressure on the Blues.

But, as was the story often during the 2024-25 season, the Flames couldn’t convert oodles of scoring chances into oodles of goals. And ultimately, the difference in the game was pretty simple in a 4-2 loss to St. Louis.

“Two goals,” summarized Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “Again, similar to Vancouver, I liked our first couple periods. I thought there was a lot of good things there. We didn’t finish our chances when we needed to earlier in the game, and I think because of that, they were able to hang around, and then they capitalized on a couple point shots where I thought we were looser in front of our net, allowing guys to tip pucks in front of Wolfie. So that to me is the difference.”

The Flames received a pair of goals from Matt Coronato – a wide shot that bounced in off a Blues defender on the power play and a superb snipe off the rush later in the game – but they couldn’t muster anything more. Blues netminder Joel Hofer made 27 stops for the victory.

“Their goalie was playing really well,” said Andersson. “You know, we just didn’t capitalize on opportunities. I mean, I should have probably had three if you look at it. And then a few other guys should have probably scored a few too. So we just didn’t capitalize today.”

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flames had eight 5v5 high-danger chances in the second period alone (and 14 overall), with five different skaters being credited with two apiece – Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Sam Honzek, Nazem Kadri and Yegor Sharangovich. They combined for zero goals.

Huska noted that the team needs to stick with their entire game to have success.

“It’s eventually, it’ll go in if you stay with it, but you have to stay with the other parts of the game as well,” said Huska. “So if you’re a 2-2, then you make sure you’re rock solid at the other end of the ice, and then everything else takes care of itself. Like I think for a couple nights in a row, the game’s got away from us a little bit in the third period, where you want to see a little bit more dig in, whether that’s a shot block that we needed, whether it was a better box out in front of our net, that game should stay 2-2, and we need to find a way to win that game.”

The other big story was the first game action of the season for 2023 first-round pick Sam Honzek and 2024 first-round pick Zayne Parekh, both healthy scratches for the team’s initial back-to-back road set against Edmonton and Vancouver. The top-ranked prospect this summer by the FlamesNation staff, Parekh’s absence in the first two games was the subject of much hand-wringing from the Flames fanbase. (Parekh noted to the media post-game: “I thought I kind of deserved to be up there if I’m being honest.”)

“I thought Zayne was good,” said Huska. “I thought he was fine. You know, there’s a few plays in his own zone where I think the more that he gets in, you’ll see a little bit more composure there with the puck, but I thought he had a fine game.”

“I was pretty nervous actually,” said Parekh. “I felt way more nervous going into this one than my first one. I thought I just tried to have fun with it. The worst thing that could happen is maybe I end up not playing the next game. There’s bigger things than hockey, so I just try to have fun with it. That’s why I play.”

Parekh played 17:21 overall, skating on the third defensive pairing with Brayden Pachal and on the second power play unit. He was even and credited with two shots.

Meanwhile, Honzek played 13:02 on the third line alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. He was a minus-2, and it was his errant pass in the second period that was intercepted by the Blues in the neutral zone leading to their first goal off the rush by Jake Neighbours.

The Flames are back in action on Tuesday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/we-jus...-start-slips-away-for-flames-against-st-louis

 

[Calgary Flames]

Can the Flames learn anything from the Toronto Blue Jays?

While it’s difficult to compare baseball and hockey directly — two sports that share almost no similarities — when it comes to building a team and the mentality it takes to win, there are still lessons to be learned.

The Calgary Flames have opened their season with plenty of uncertainty when it comes to scoring goals, backup goaltending and more. Still, many believe this team can avoid landing in the “mushy middle” again and instead sneak into a playoff spot.

There’s a recipe for winning — something all top teams follow to a certain extent — and there’s a reason it works. So, why couldn’t the Flames look at winning teams in another sport and try to translate that success to hockey? What could the Flames learn from the Toronto Blue Jays?

Backup backstop​

This is one area where both teams entered their respective seasons in similar positions. Both the Flames and the Blue Jays had a bona fide backstop expected to play the bulk of the games. Both also began camp unsure of who would take the backup spot, but each had internal competition for the role.

For the Blue Jays, it was Tyler Heineman who won the job out of spring training — and he never looked back. What mattered most was his mentality. Heineman knew he wasn’t competing for the No. 1 job, but that never affected his effort or determination to perform. He understood that when called upon, he had to be ready — to earn the trust of his pitchers and the confidence of his teammates.

Even though it’s early, that’s something the Flames don’t have right now. They wouldn’t have started Dustin Wolf on back-to-back nights to open the season if they truly trusted their backup goalie. The internal competition didn’t work for Calgary. The Flames said they chose Devin Cooley based on “familiarity.” But familiarity doesn’t win games.

It’s been clear since the summer that the Flames need a veteran presence behind Wolf — someone who can make 15 to 20 starts and still give the team a chance to win each night.

Looking around the league, there are options. Several NHL teams have three capable goalies on their depth charts. Perhaps Matt Murray in Seattle, James Reimer in Toronto, or even a reunion with David Rittich of the New York Islanders could make sense. Free agency remains an option too, with Ilya Samsonov still unsigned.

If the Flames want any kind of success this season, they need to find their own Tyler Heineman.

The depth​

On a winning team, you always have your unsung heroes — depth players who entered the season with modest expectations but rose above them to become key contributors.

The Blue Jays had no shortage of that this season. Whether it was Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes or Myles Straw, several players made meaningful contributions day in and day out. They didn’t sit back and wait for the stars to carry the load. They went out every day to prove they belonged in the lineup — and that they could be a force.

Through the pre-season and the first few games of the year, the Flames just don’t look dangerous. Aside from a couple of players, it feels like no one on the team is capable of scoring. You simply can’t rely on your top line to win every game.

This is where the likes of Adam Klapka, Justin Kirkland and Joel Farabee need to step up. Farabee has actually looked strong to start the season, but the Flames need much more from their bottom six if they hope to find consistent success.

There are also players with the Calgary Wranglers chomping at the bit for an opportunity to play NHL games. Those on the cusp between the Flames and Wranglers need to take charge — just as the Blue Jays’ depth players did — by doing the little things right and finding ways to contribute. Create some offence, keep the puck out of your net, and who knows where that could take your career.

The leadership​

The biggest difference between a team like the Blue Jays and the Flames is the level of star power. The Flames don’t have players comparable to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette or Kevin Gausman. They don’t have that one player — maybe apart from Wolf — who can single-handedly carry the team and win games on a regular basis.

But winning takes more than just star power. You need strong leaders — in the dugout or on the bench.

A fair comparison might be George Springer and Nazem Kadri. Both are veteran players who can still perform at a high level. While neither wears a “C” on their jersey, both are respected voices in their locker rooms and lead by example.

The Flames need more from their leaders. Mikael Backlund is a great captain, but even he needs to set a stronger example on the ice. Younger players look to veterans like Backlund, Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar to show them what being a professional looks like — and how to win. If the example isn’t there, there’s nothing to follow.

There’s also room for new leaders to emerge. Morgan Frost and Kevin Bahl could become new voices in that room. You don’t need to have a letter on your chest to lead.

You look at the Blue Jays, and they couldn’t embody the word “team” more if they tried. That starts at the top, but everyone plays a part. Everyone feels they belong, everyone feels supported, and everyone knows their teammates have their back — even after mistakes or slumps. A tight-knit team that’s on the same page will always play better. The Flames seem closer to having that kind of environment compared to where they were a couple of years ago, but it feels like there is still work to be done. There is space for new contributions and for the leaders already on the team to take it to another level.

At the end of the day, hockey and baseball are vastly different in how they’re played and built. But when you strip it down to mentality and mindset — both individual and collective — there’s a lot the Flames can take from a team like the Blue Jays.

We’re hopeful the Blue Jays can continue their playoff run and bring a World Series back to Canada. And while it might not feel nearly as likely, perhaps the Flames can start heading in the right direction too — and maybe, just maybe, bring the Stanley Cup back to Calgary. It’s probably a few years away, but you never know.

For more on the Blue Jays as they begin the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners, check out our pals at Blue Jays Nation!

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/can-the-calgary-flames-learn-anything-from-the-toronto-blue-jays

 

[Calgary Flames]

NHL Notebook: Matthew Schaefer scores first career NHL goal

The first overall pick in the 2025 has scored his first National Hockey League goal.

On Saturday evening, Matthew Schaefer scored his first career goal for the New York Islanders, cutting the Washington Capitals’ lead in half. It wasn’t pretty, as he was able to poke a loose puck past the Capitals’ netminder on a scramble, but it was a special moment for the 18-year-old left-shot defender

MATTHEW SCHAEFER HAS HIS FIRST NHL GOAL #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/zwByXMLoP2

— NHL (@NHL) October 12, 2025

Schaefer spent two seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters, scoring three goals and 17 points in 56 games in his rookie campaign in 2023-24. In 2024-25, the Hamilton, Ontario native suited up for just 17 games, scoring seven goals and 22 points.

Representing Team Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship, Schaefer crashed into the boards hard and broke his clavicle, missing the remainder of the season. Despite that, the Islanders selected the high-potential defenceman first overall, and he has a goal and an assist in his two NHL games.

Brent Burns plays game 1,500​

From one of the youngest players in the league to one of the oldest, veteran defenceman Brent Burns played in his 1,500th career game on Saturday as the Colorado Avalanche took on the Dallas Stars.

Selected 20th overall in the 2003 draft by the Minnesota Wild, the 2025-26 season is Burns’ 22nd season in the NHL, and would be his 23rd if not for the lockout in 2004-05. He’s played seven seasons with the Wild, but made his mark with the San Jose Sharks, where he won the Norris Trophy in 2016-17.

After his Sharks tenure ended after the 2021-22 season, the defenceman spent three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes before joining the Avalanche this past off-season.

Andrew Mangiapane reaches 500 games​

Another milestone came just north of Calgary, as former Flame Andrew Mangiapane reached the 500-game mark in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. He celebrated the event with his second goal in as many games after signing a two-year deal this past off-season.

Mangiapane was drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 draft by the Flames, and became a regular with them in 2019-20. In 2021-22, he scored a career-best 35 goals and 55 points in 82 games and was traded at the 2024 draft to the Capitals.

In his one and only season in the United States’ capital, Magianpane scored 14 goals and 28 points in 81 games, picking up a secondary assist on Alexander Ovechkin’s record-tying 894th goal.

Josh Norris to miss significant time​

On Saturday morning, Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff noted that Josh Norris is set to miss a significant amount of time due to an upper-body injury.

Josh Norris will miss “a significant amount of time” with an upper-body injury, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters. pic.twitter.com/huZ1f4soVx

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 11, 2025

Toward the end of Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers, Norris went to take a faceoff and was clearly in some discomfort, leaving the remainder of the game. Acquired in a trade deadline move last season, Norris only played three games with the Sabres after the trade, missing time with injury.

Norris just can’t seem to stay healthy, as his career-high in games played in a season was in 2021-22, where he played 66 games and scored a career-best 35 goals and 55 points. When healthy, the 19th overall pick in the 2017 draft is an efficient scorer, but his biggest hurdle so far in his career is staying in the lineup.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/nhl-notebook-matthew-schaefer-scores-first-career-nhl-goal

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames ‘hopeful’ Jonathan Huberdeau could play on upcoming road trip

The Calgary Flames have played three games over the first seven days of the 2025-26 National Hockey League season, and they’ve gone 1-2-0 without a pair of pretty important pieces of their lineup.

Absent from the first three games were forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Martin Pospisil.

After Monday’s practice, Flames head coach Ryan Huska was asked for updates on the two players.

“Huby skated this morning. He’s looking good and I’m very hopeful that we’ll see him on our trip. Pospisil has not skated yet.”

Both players were injured in last Wednesday’s pre-season game against Vancouver – y’know, the 8-1 loss. Pospisil left the game after being injured in a post-whistle scrum midway through the second period. Huberdeau was injured in an ugly collision when he crashed into Canucks netminder Kevin Lankinen while driving to the net late in the third period. The precise nature of each player’s injuries have not been disclosed by the club.

Neither player played in the pre-season finale last Friday against Winnipeg. Per reports, Pospisil made an appearance at last Monday’s practice, but has otherwise not been seen on the ice with the main group. Huberdeau hasn’t practised with the team at all.

Huberdeau, 32, seemed to recapture his swagger in 2024-25, playing in every game situation for the Flames and posting 28 goals and 62 points. He’s one of the best passers on the team, something that’s made him very useful on the club’s power play. Pospisil, 25, is the team’s primary agitator, and one of the most hated Flames by other fanbases for that reason. He posted 4 goals and 25 points in 2024-25 as he played on virtually every forward line.

With Huberdeau and Pospisil both on the injury reserve list currently, the Flames are at a full compliment of 23 players. So when either player is ready for game action, they’ll need to send someone – probably a waiver-exempt forward like Sam Honzek or Matvei Gridin – to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers to create a roster spot for them.

The Flames host Vegas on Tuesday night at home before hitting the road for games against Utah (on Wednesday) and Vegas (on Saturday).

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-hopeful-jonathan-huberdeau-could-play-on-upcoming-road-trip