The Calgary Flames’ preseason home opener looked a lot like the group they may roll with when the games start to count, and that’s where the real intrigue begins.
Against a Vancouver Canucks lineup heavy on prospects, Calgary came away with a 3-1 win on Tuesday. The forward lines and pairings had a familiar feel:
Gridin - Frost - Coronato
Honzek - Backlund - Farabee
Zary - Strome - Sharangovich
Tsyplakov - Pospisil - Klapka
Bahl - Nemec
Middleton - Parekh
Kuznetsov - Whitecloud
Wolf
Zarubin
With the exception of Kirill Zarubin backing up instead of Devin Cooley, there’s a strong chance this is the exact look the Flames use when they open the regular season on Oct. 1 against the Seattle Kraken.
That brings the spotlight to the opening left behind by Jonathan Huberdeau. The 33-year-old is still recovering from hip resurfacing surgery and won’t be available when the regular season begins, leaving Calgary with a spot to sort out.
A few candidates have already put themselves in the conversation.
Aydar Suniev made the loudest early statement. In the Flames’ first preseason game against Seattle on Sunday, he was their best player and scored twice in a 4-2 loss.
The 21-year-old spent most of his first pro season with the Wranglers, where he put up 16 goals and 24 points in 57 games. He has the kind of skill set that could make him a top-nine NHL forward, and if his camp keeps trending the right way, he may get that shot to start the 2026-27 season.
Brennan Othmann is another name firmly in the mix. Calgary acquired him from the New York Rangers at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for forward prospect Jacob Battaglia, and he followed that by posting two points in two games with the Flames and another seven points in 14 AHL games. The 23-year-old signed a one-year deal this past week, and with his waiver status no longer a factor, his path to the opening-night roster looks very real.
If the Flames decide they’d rather keep a veteran in the lineup and let younger players log bigger minutes in the AHL, Dryden Hunt becomes a logical option. The 30-year-old has spent much of his career as a tweener, but he does bring 238 games of NHL experience. He has played 36 games for Calgary over the last three seasons, and while offense isn’t his calling card, he can handle reliable bottom-six minutes.
Sam Morton also has a case. The 27-year-old has been a steady two-way center for the Wranglers over the past two seasons and has appeared in just four games for the Flames.
His penalty-killing work and faceoff ability help his profile, and that could put him in line for a fourth-line role. Even so, the camp picture suggests Ryan Huska may prefer Martin Pospisil as the fourth-line center to start the season.
Then there’s Tyson Gross, who turns 24 on Wednesday and signed a two-year deal out of college this past spring. He dressed in six games to finish the 2025-26 season and scored his first NHL goal during that stretch. He may still need more time to settle in at the pro level, but he remains a player worth watching as camp continues.
In Other News...
Zayne Parekh Is Giving Flames Fans A Very Intriguing Question
Zayne Parekh gave Flames fans something to think about in an exhibition game against Vancouver, and it was the kind of performance that stands out even in preseason. The young defenceman looked noticeably sharper than he did a season ago, using his skating to move with purpose, finding lanes with better ice vision and showing a real ability to control the offensive zone. Against a Flames lineup expected to be close to its regular-season group, Parekh did enough to draw attention in a game where every shift carried a little more meaning.
Ryan Huska came away pleased with the way Parekh stayed engaged and competed throughout the night, which only adds to the intrigue around what comes next. For a player still trying to carve out his place, those are the kind of details that matter, especially when the work translates against NHL-calibre competition. The bigger question now is how Calgary handles a young defender who is making the decision harder by the game. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Young Standouts Made A Routine Preseason Win Worth Watching
A preseason win over Vancouver usually does not amount to much more than a useful tune-up, but Calgarys 3-1 victory had a little extra to it because the Flames dressed essentially their opening-day lineup and still found a way to separate in the middle frame. Dustin Wolf started in net for Calgary, Kevin Lankinen had the crease for the Canucks, and for a night the result mattered less than the early read on how the roster pieces were fitting together.
The most encouraging part for the Flames was the second period, when they put three pucks behind Vancouver and made the game look far less like an exhibition. The Canucks did get one back late in the third, but by then the bigger takeaway was clear enough for Calgary: the lineup looked sharp, and the young players who stood out made a routine preseason game feel worth the watch. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Camp Cuts Just Started And The Roster Squeeze Is Real
Training camp cuts are starting to come into focus for the Flames, and the first moves have already sent two prospects back to the AHLs Calgary Wranglers. It is the kind of early culling that usually says more about the numbers game than any final judgment on talent, especially this time of year when every practice rep and exhibition shift matters.
Abram Wiebe and Luke Philp are still very much part of the organizations pipeline, but the roster squeeze is already real with 43 players left in camp. Calgary still has more evaluation ahead, including upcoming exhibition games, so the next round of decisions should keep sorting out who can keep hanging around and who is headed back to the minors. [Read more 🡒]