The Calgary Flames have turned to youth in search of a spark, recalling forwards Aydar Suniev and Jonathan Castagna from the Wranglers after a string of roster moves earlier in the week.
The additions come after Connor Zary and Brayden Pachal were placed on waivers and both cleared yesterday, opening the door for the Flames to make the corresponding call-ups. With offense hard to find, Calgary is giving two young players a chance to help right away.
Suniev’s return comes quickly. The 2024 third-round pick made a strong impression in pre-season, and there was plenty of reaction when he was cut from the roster and sent to the AHL before the season.
He ended up spending just one week there before getting the call back to the NHL. Last year, he scored 16 goals in the AHL, and now he’ll try to carry that touch into the big league.
Castagna is getting rewarded for a strong start of his own. Acquired in the MacKenzie Weegar blockbuster last year, he opened the AHL season with two goals in two games. With the Flames thin down the middle, he gives them another young option as they look for more offense through the center of the ice.
There’s still one more step before Thursday’s showdown: practice should give a better idea of where both forwards fit into the lineup. Head coach Ryan Huska will have to sort that out as the Flames try to climb out of their league-worst 0-3 start.
In Other News...
Flames Suddenly Have A Young Forward Decision Fans Didn't Expect
The Flames made a notable young-forward shuffle this week, parting with former first-round pick Connor Zary after placing him on waivers. The move sent a ripple through a Calgary roster that has been leaning on internal competition for depth, and it also opened the door for two more prospects to get a look with the NHL club as the schedule tightens.
Aydar Suniev and Jonathan Castagna have both been brought up from the Wranglers, giving Calgary a chance to see what each can add in a forward group that needs energy and production. Suniev has flashed offensive upside in preseason and AHL play, while Castagna has earned his way into the conversation with strong work in the minors, making this one of those early-season decisions that could quietly shape the teams depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Already Face An Early Roster Decision With Scoring At Stake
The Flames are already facing an early test of roster balance, with scoring depth suddenly at the center of the discussion. With the club looking for help up front, the next move is expected to come from the Calgary Wranglers, where a few forwards have put themselves on the radar with recent play and fit the kind of need Calgary is trying to address.
Aydar Suniev, Tyson Gross, Jonathan Castagna, Alex Nylander and Rory Kerins are all being viewed as possible options for an NHL promotion, and the teams decision could say plenty about how it wants to handle its forward group in the short term. Nothing has been made official yet, but the anticipation alone underscores how quickly the Flames may need to sort through their options if they want to keep enough offense in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Scoring Problem Puts One Veteran Option In Focus
Three games into the 2026-27 season, the Flames are already facing an offense that has produced just three goals, and that has naturally pushed help-seeking conversations into the open. On TSNs Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun reported that Calgary has at least discussed the idea of adding veteran winger Patrik Laine, a free agent who is still recovering from injury and would bring instant name value to a lineup that has struggled to find it early.
For now, though, the focus appears to be internal, with the team inclined to see what its young options can provide before making a bigger move. Aydar Suniev, Rory Kerins and Alex Nylander are among the Wranglers players the Flames want to evaluate, which leaves Laine as a potential fix rather than an immediate one. The interest is there, but the urgency to act on it does not seem to be. [Read more 🡒]