There’s a real disconnect hanging over the Calgary Flames this season, and it starts with the kind of team they say they want to be.
Ryan Huska’s approach is built on pace, pressure, and a hard forecheck. Calgary’s drafting philosophy has leaned the same way.
On paper, that sounds like a club designed to overwhelm opponents with speed. The problem is that the actual roster doesn’t match the blueprint.
The Flames rank fourth in total skating distance as a team, yet they’re also one of the slowest clubs in the league when it comes to raw skating speed. They’re covering ground, but not necessarily with the kind of burst needed to make that style sing.
That mismatch shows up even more clearly on the blue line. Calgary has talked and drafted as if it wants defensive reliability, but the two names meant to anchor that side of the roster, Zayne Parekh and Simon Nemec, are offensive-minded defencemen who have shown real issues in their own zone. The result is a roster-building contradiction: the organization says it wants defence-first players, but the talent it’s collecting doesn’t quite fit that mold.
The forward group isn’t much cleaner. Outside of Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato, both of whom project as legitimate top-six pieces, the rest of the lineup looks like a collection of bottom-six players being asked to handle bigger roles than they’re built for. Jonathan Huberdeau’s contract is still a problem, and it’s not going anywhere.
For all of that, Calgary does have one major advantage. Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley give the Flames what looks like the best goaltending tandem in the NHL on paper. That’s a serious asset, but even strong goaltending can only cover so much when the team in front of it is this shaky.
So the issue in Calgary isn’t just talent. It’s fit.
The Flames are trying to build and coach one kind of team while stacking the roster with another. Until that lines up, this rebuild is going to keep feeling longer than it should.
In Other News...
Former Flames Goalie Finally Lands Amid NHL's Late Goalie Scramble
The late-summer goalie market has finally given Cam Talbot a landing spot, and it comes with a familiar job description for a veteran who has spent plenty of time around the crease. Talbot, 39, is expected to join the Columbus Blue Jackets after recent time with the Detroit Red Wings, adding another stop to a career that also includes earlier runs with the Oilers and the Flames.
For Calgary fans, it is another reminder of how long Talbot has been around the NHL and how often he has been asked to steady a situation on short notice. Columbus needed help after Elvis Merzlikins shoulder surgery created a hole behind the starter, and Talbot now appears poised to fill it as the Blue Jackets sort out the early part of their goalie plan. [Read more 🡒]
Aydar Suniev Is Giving Flames Fans A Real Camp Decision To Watch
Aydar Suniev came into Flames training camp with a different kind of summer behind him, one spent back in Moscow with family before turning his attention to hockey again. The 2025 spring was a busy one for the young forward, who signed a three-year contract with Calgary in April and made his NHL debut shortly after, giving the organization a first real look at where he fits in the years ahead.
Now the focus is much simpler: earn a roster spot and keep pushing his game forward. Suniev used the offseason to work on his skating and round out his overall play, and camp is giving Flames fans a legitimate decision to follow as the roster starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Zayne Parekh Suddenly Carries Real Breakout Buzz For The Flames
Zayne Parekhs rookie season did not unfold like a smooth arrival, but the Calgary Flames still came away encouraged by where it finished. GM Craig Conroy pointed to the ups and downs Parekh faced during his first NHL exposure, while also stressing that the young defenseman found a better rhythm as the year went on and started to look more like the player the organization believes he can become.
There is real curiosity now about what the next step looks like offensively, especially after Parekh showed improved play late in the previous campaign. A strong finish often matters as much as the growing pains that come before it, and Calgary has reason to wonder whether that late-season confidence can carry over into a true breakout push next year. [Read more 🡒]