The Flames are about to spend a lot less time at home, which makes Wednesday night against the Rangers feel like a final chance to cash in on familiar ice.
Calgary closes out its three-game homestand before a brutal stretch that sends the club into a 19-game run to the Holiday Break. Fourteen of those games are on the road, and 10 come against Eastern Conference teams. For a group that’s feeling good about what it has done at the Scotiabank Saddledome, this is the last home stop before the schedule turns into a grind.
Tuesday’s practice offered a few encouraging signs on the injury front, too. Sam Honzek skated with the main group for the first time since getting hurt in early October, while Jonathan Huberdeau dropped the yellow non-contact sweater and joined drills more fully.
“He’s getting better, closer, for sure,” Huska said of Honzek, who has missed the last 14 games. “When he skates full and in a contact jersey, he is closer. He’s doing the necessary things that he has to do to get back in the lineup.
As for Huberdeau, who underwent hip surgery in February?
“This is his next step, so you'll see him in a bunch of our practices, like full contact now,” explained Huska. “And he’s continuing to ramp his game up, so it’s a real positive sign.
“I think that’s a big reason why we had some good energy on the ice today too. Seeing him out there again and getting into battles in different situations where he’s fully involved again.”
Brennan Othmann could also be back in the lineup Wednesday after sitting out five games with an upper-body injury he suffered in Edmonton two weeks ago. And for the winger, the matchup carries a little extra edge.
“I’m looking forward to playing against those guys for sure,” Othmann said Tuesday. “I think it’s going to be an exciting game for everyone - for myself, too, selfishly - but I think everyone’s looking forward to it.”
Originally drafted by the Rangers 16th-overall in 2021, Othmann came to Calgary at last season’s Trade Deadline in a 1-for-1 deal for prospect Jacob Battaglia. Since landing with the Flames, he’s appeared in eight NHL games and made an opening-night roster for the first time in his young career.
That progress matters to the 23-year-old, who played 42 games for the Blueshirts before the move west last March.
“The goal at the start of the year … was to kind of win the trade, I guess, in a sense, by making the team and proving that I am an NHL player,” he explained. “I think I’ve been doing that and I want to keep doing that. Nothing’s guaranteed, I still gotta build currency with the coaching staff, the organization, the players.
“There’s definitely a little fire going into tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to it.”
In Other News...
Sharangovich Is Becoming A Real Flames Roster Problem
The Flames have spent the early part of the 2026-27 season outperforming expectations, and a big reason is the way a wave of younger and newer contributors has helped drive the club to an 8-10-1 start. Joel Farabee, Matt Coronato, Matvei Gridin, Adam Klapka, Kevin Bahl, Zayne Parekh and Devin Cooley have all given Calgary useful minutes and, in some cases, real lift, which has softened the impact of uneven play from a few established names.
Yegor Sharangovich is the most uncomfortable case in that group. After signing a five-year contract off the back of a strong first season in Calgary, he has struggled badly enough that his spot is no longer secure, especially with Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Honzek working their way back into the lineup. For a team that has found enough unexpected production to stay afloat, the question is no longer whether the Flames can survive his slump, but how long they can justify keeping him in the everyday mix. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Coaching Situation Suddenly Feels Like A Bigger Story
The coaching picture in Anaheim is starting to settle, and that matters around the rest of the Pacific. Pierre LeBrun reported the Ducks and Joel Quenneville have been in contract talks, with an extension expected within the next month or two, which suggests one of the divisions more closely watched benches may not be changing anytime soon.
For the Flames, the ripple effect is more indirect but still worth tracking as they sort through life after Kevin Bahls season-ending injury. Management appears more inclined to open up opportunities for younger defensemen than to chase a major veteran fix, and with the trade deadline drawing closer, the conversation around possible roster moves and trade targets is only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]
Craig Conroy Thinks The Flames Can Change A Brutal Narrative
Craig Conroy knows the pitch is not always simple when the Flames go looking for help. In discussing the obstacles Canadian teams face in recruiting players, the Calgary GM acknowledged that some players and agents still hesitate at the idea of moving north, with Calgary sometimes singled out in that conversation. Even so, he pointed to the trade for defenseman Jacob Middleton as proof that the door is not closed, and that the right fit can still outweigh the old assumptions.
Middleton, for his part, offered a reminder that those assumptions do not tell the whole story. He said his Canadian roots and family mattered in his decision, along with the direction he sees from the organization. For Conroy, that kind of buy-in matters beyond one transaction, because it speaks to the larger challenge of changing a narrative that has long made life harder for Canadian clubs when they try to bring players in. [Read more 🡒]