The Calgary Flames made room on the roster yesterday, and they wasted no time using it.
After sending forward Connor Zary and defenseman Brayden Pachal through waivers, the Flames turned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers for help, recalling forwards Aydar Suniev and Jonathan Castagna.
Suniev, 21, gives Calgary a familiar name with a fast-rising resume. The Flames took the Kazan, Russia, native 80th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft while he was still with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, where he closed the 2022-23 season with 45 goals and 90 points in 50 games. He moved on to the University of Massachusetts the next year and piled up 32 goals and 63 points in 71 career games, finishing with a +13 rating.
After his sophomore year in Amherst, Suniev signed his entry-level deal with Calgary and appeared in one game for the Flames to finish that season. He spent most of the 2025-26 campaign with the Wranglers, producing 16 goals and 24 points in 57 games, though his -28 rating showed the rough edges that still come with his game.
Castagna is getting his first crack at NHL action. The 21-year-old was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes before landing with the Flames last season in the MacKenzie Weegar trade from the Utah Mammoth.
When that deal went down, he was in the middle of his junior season at Cornell University, where he wrapped up with 15 goals and 34 points in 34 games and a +23 rating. Since turning pro, he has scored two goals in his first two games with the Wranglers.
Calgary’s need is obvious. Through three games in the 2026-27 season, the Flames have scored only three goals, and while they are not projected to contend for the playoffs, adding a shoot-first forward makes sense if they want to be more dangerous offensively.
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 🡒]