The Calgary Flames are moving deeper into their rebuild, and the 2026-27 roster projection from Elite Prospects reflects just how young this group is becoming. At an average age of 26.78, the Flames are projected to be the fourth-youngest team in the NHL, a shift driven in large part by GM Craig Conroy moving out veterans MacKenzie Weegar, Nazem Kadri, and Blake Coleman.
That youth movement comes with a catch. Calgary’s expected roster looks mostly settled, but the Flames do not have many players who can be sent down without clearing waivers.
Still, there are a few names expected to be in the opening night mix who would give the team some flexibility if they need more time in the AHL. Here are the four waiver-exempt players most likely to matter.
Zayne Parekh is the headliner. His rookie season had its share of rough patches, even if he settled in better toward the end.
One of the biggest issues was that he could not play in the AHL except for a brief conditioning stint, but that changes now that he is another year older. Parekh, 20, is likely to begin 2026-27 with the Flames, and while the hope is that he takes a step forward at the NHL level, Calgary now has the safety net of sending him to the Wranglers if he needs more time.
Matvei Gridin also looks like a player who has already outgrown the AHL. In 2025-26, the 20-year-old winger played 37 games for Calgary and put up six goals and 20 points.
The Flames would love to see him become a real offensive piece this season, but young players do not always climb in a straight line. If Gridin hits a wall, Calgary can move him to the Wranglers without worrying about losing him.
Sam Honzek is in a slightly different spot. He will need a strong training camp to win a job on opening night, even though he has done that in each of the past two seasons.
Injuries have limited him to just 23 NHL games so far, and it is easy to lose sight of the fact that he is only 21. If the coaching staff decides he is not ready, the Flames do not need to force the issue.
Hunter Brzustewicz looked like a near lock after finishing the 2025-26 season with Calgary, but the picture changed once the Flames added Simon Nemec and Jake Middleton. With Kevin Bahl, Zach Whitecloud, Joel Hanley, Brayden Pachal, and Yan Kuznetsov also under contract, Brzustewicz could be the odd man out. Even so, he is still 21 and could benefit from staying in the AHL and playing big minutes with the Wranglers.
In Other News...
Flames Prospect Respect Is Growing But The Rebuild Debate Isn't Over
The Flames rebuild got a little more respect this week when Corey Pronman of The Athletic slotted Calgarys prospect pipeline eighth leaguewide among players under 23. The biggest reason for that jump is the blue-line talent starting to pile up, with young defensemen such as Carson Carels, Zayne Parekh and Simon Nemec giving the organization a deeper and more intriguing foundation than it had a year ago, when Calgary was sitting much lower in the same exercise.
Pronman went deep enough to rank the top 18 prospects in the system, but the list still left room for debate, which is part of the point for a team trying to prove its rebuild is on the right track. Some familiar names landed lower than many Flames fans would expect, while others were left out entirely, and that is where the conversation gets interesting: the talent is there, but the exact shape of Calgarys future remains open to argument. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Fans Still Remember This Wild Saddledome Playoff Comeback
Some playoff moments linger in Calgary long after the final horn, and the 2008 first-round series against San Jose is one of them. The Flames had the Saddledome buzzing with a comeback win at home in that matchup, the kind of night that reminded everyone how quickly a series can swing when the building gets behind its team.
The Sharks still pushed the series all the way to Game 7 and finished it there to move on to the second round, but the memory of that comeback has stuck with Flames fans ever since. Calgary would reach the postseason again in 2009 and 2015, yet that 2008 run remains a familiar reference point whenever the conversation turns to the drama the Saddledome can still deliver. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Rebuild Looks Better Than These Prospect Rankings Admit
The Flames long slide toward a rebuild has started to show up in the places that matter most, and under general manager Craig Conroy, the organization has quietly put together a draft stretch that looks a lot stronger than it did a few years ago. Corey Pronmans U23 NHL prospect rankings still have Calgary at eighth overall, which is a respectable spot, but the list also leaves the sense that the clubs rising talent is not being fully captured by the individual placements.
Matvei Gridin and Ethan Wyttenbach are the two names that stand out most in that debate. Gridin lands 10th in the Flames pool even though theres a strong case he belongs much higher, while Wyttenbach comes in 17th after a freshman season in college hockey that turned plenty of heads. For a team trying to build real depth rather than just hope on top-end talent, those are the kinds of rankings that can look surprisingly conservative. [Read more 🡒]