The Calgary Flames’ rebuild is already looking messy in the way rebuilds usually do, and that’s exactly the point.
One week they were taking beatings night after night. Then, almost out of nowhere, they strung together four straight wins before Wednesday’s 4-0 loss in Edmonton.
Over the last seven games, they’ve still won five. That kind of swing is part of the deal now, not a problem to be smoothed over.
General manager Craig Conroy’s direction for this season is straightforward: get young players into NHL games, put them in meaningful spots, and live with the mistakes that come with it. Calgary is treating those growing pains as part of the job because the bigger goal is finding future core players, not chasing the standings in the short term.
That means the results matter less than the development. Wins and losses are secondary. The larger picture is the one driving everything.
And the players pushing this recent run are the ones the Flames want to keep seeing.
Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin, both 2024 first-round picks, have been at the center of the offense. Parekh’s fast rise has been a major reason Calgary’s power play sits among the league’s best. Gridin has four goals and seven points in his last six games.
On the blue line, Simon Nemec has taken on a heavy workload after arriving from New Jersey in a significant summer trade. He’s averaging 21:32 per game, which ranks second on the team and is nearly two minutes more than he played on average with the Devils last season.
Matt Coronato. Jonathan Castagna.
Aydar Suniev. There are more names coming, too.
That’s the shape of this season for the Flames: not a straight line, but a stretch of ups, downs, twists and turns, with the right group of players in the middle of it all.
In Other News...
Flames Suddenly Have A Crease Problem Dustin Wolf Must Solve
Devin Cooleys sudden absence leaves Calgary with a much different look in goal, and the timing is hardly ideal. The Flames placed the goaltender on injured reserve after he was injured in a game, and Dustin Wolf now steps into the starters role as the club tries to steady itself through an unexpected shakeup in the crease.
To help cover the roster, Calgary also recalled Arseni Sergeev and William Stromgren from the Wranglers, with Stromgren coming up to fill the spot left by injured forward Brennan Othmann, who is day-to-day. The moves give the Flames some short-term depth, but the bigger question is how long they can manage without Cooley and how Wolf handles the added load in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Babcock Just Created An Oilers Decision Flames Fans Will Notice
Mike Babcocks return to the spotlight has already produced a familiar kind of debate around how he handles players, with former NHLer Corrado pointing to the contrast between Babcocks deep systems knowledge and Craig St. Louis more individualized approach. For teams around the league, and especially for rival fans watching Edmonton closely, it is the kind of coaching choice that can say as much about the room as it does about the lineup card.
Jake Walmans situation only sharpened that conversation. The defenseman was scratched in a recent game despite the size of his commitment and the fact that he has already dealt with an upper-body injury this season, a move that underscores how quickly Babcock is willing to make hard calls. For Calgary fans, it is another reminder that Edmontons internal decisions can ripple beyond one night on the schedule, especially when a coach with Babcocks reputation starts drawing a line between trust, usage and accountability. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Suddenly Face A Crease And Lineup Problem Before Back To Back
The Flames had to adjust on the fly after a bruising night against Edmonton left their roster thinner at two important spots, and the timing is far from ideal with back-to-back games against Western Conference opponents coming up. Calgary turned to the Wranglers for help, bringing up forward William Strmgren and goaltender Arsenii Sergeev as it tries to stabilize both the lineup and the crease.
For now, the goaltending picture points toward Dustin Wolf carrying the load with Sergeev behind him, while the forward group will have to manage without Brennan Othmann. It is the kind of short-term disruption that can ripple through a schedule quickly, especially when the games keep coming and the Flames do not have much time to sort out the next move. [Read more 🡒]