The Calgary Flames had plenty of trouble in 2025-26, but their penalty kill kept giving them something to hang onto.
At even strength, the offense didn’t produce much. Defensive lapses showed up at the worst possible times and put extra strain on the goaltenders.
The power play never really got going, and several players saw their individual numbers dip. In the middle of all that, the PK stood out as a steady strength.
Assistant coach Trent Cull helped steer that unit, with Mikael Backlund, Joel Farabee, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar and Kevin Bahl doing the heavy lifting. The group got off to a modest start, then took off once Yan Kuznetsov was recalled from the Wranglers.
Even with major turnover on the penalty kill - including the loss of workhorses Andersson and Weegar - the Flames still held up well. They finished tied for second in shorthanded goals and just outside the NHL’s top 10 in success rate against opposing power plays.
That matters again heading into a season that many expect to be difficult for a young Flames team. If they’re going to stay in games, the penalty kill may have to do a lot of the work.
There’s reason to think that part of the team can hold its ground. The Flames should have some continuity in the PK group, even after Andersson and Weegar moved on last season and Coleman left in the offseason.
Backlund remains a fixture, and bigger responsibilities are likely coming for Farabee, Kuznetsov and Samuel Honzek. If Calgary brings the same energy and discipline to the penalty kill in 2026-27, it would not be a stretch to expect similar results.
In Other News...
Jake Middleton Could Shape More Than Calgarys Blue Line
Jake Middleton is settling into life with the Flames after arriving from Minnesota, and the fit looks to be about more than just a new spot on the blue line. He has handled the move well, embraced the change in surroundings and already appears comfortable with the opportunity to bring a steadier presence to a team that wants its veterans to help guide a younger core.
Being back in Western Canada has also made the transition feel a little more natural for Middleton, who is closer to home than he was in his previous stop. What makes his addition especially interesting for Calgary is the role he can play behind the scenes, working with younger players and adding to the leadership mix as the Flames continue shaping the roster around them. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Prospects Camp Features A Few Names Fans Will Want To Track
The Flames have opened their 2026-27 season with prospects camp, and the roster gives fans a first look at several young players trying to carve out a place in the organization. The group mixes junior, college and international backgrounds, with names like Landon Amrhein, Kent Anderson, Ryder Boulton, Riley Boychuk, Semyon Konopsky, Brett Olson, Owen Say and Kyle Walker all getting a chance to show where they fit in the system.
For Calgary, camps like this are less about immediate headlines than about sorting through opportunity, and this one has a little of everything: try-out forwards looking to turn an invite into something more, and AHL-contract players hoping to prove they can be useful pieces down the road. Say is also back in the mix after injury and surgery ended his season early, which adds another layer of intrigue to a camp already packed with players trying to make a mark. [Read more 🡒]
Craig Conroys Latest Trades Put Calgarys Rebuild Under The Microscope
Calgarys rebuild keeps coming back to the same question: whether Craig Conroy is lining up enough future value without stripping the roster of what still makes it competitive. A recent review of three of his trades lays out the balancing act in plain terms, starting with the Nazem Kadri deal to Colorado and moving through the kind of moves that are supposed to shape the next phase of the franchise. The grades on those transactions reflect both what the Flames got right away and what those assets might become later, which is exactly the tension that hangs over any team trying to retool on the fly.
The latest discussion also puts the spotlight on how much of this process still rests on development rather than certainty. Calgary has added pieces in separate deals that were designed to help now and later, but the real verdict will come only if those returns grow into difference-makers. For a front office trying to thread that needle, the uncertainty is the story as much as the trades themselves, and it is why every move keeps getting measured against the larger rebuild. [Read more 🡒]