Calgary’s hopes for Zayne Parekh hinge on more than talent. They hinge on whether the young defenseman walks into this season with the same swagger he showed at the end of last year.
That confidence wasn’t always there. In his first extended look with the Flames, Parekh had flashes of what makes him such an intriguing prospect, but the overall season was a rough one. He spent time in and out of the lineup because of injuries as Calgary tried to manage him carefully, and the club also allowed him to head to Team Canada for the World Juniors tournament.
General manager Craig Conroy thinks the story is starting to turn.
On the Spittin Chiclets podcast, Conroy said Parekh was fighting through doubt early in the year.
"I thought there was a lot of self doubt in his game when I talked to him at the beginning of the year."
But Conroy also saw a different player as the season wore on, especially by the finish.
"I think as the season went along, especially the way he finished at the end, he's got that cockiness back."
That’s the word Conroy used, and it matters. Parekh is a smaller defenseman who has built his game on skill and creativity, and the adjustment to NHL pace and physicality can take time. For a player used to controlling the game, that transition doesn’t always happen cleanly in year one.
Still, the end of the season gave Calgary a reminder of what he can do when he’s feeling it. On the final day of the Flames’ regular season, Parekh scored one of the most impressive goals in franchise history against the Los Angeles Kings, showing off the offensive skill the organization had been waiting to see.
That kind of play is why there’s so much buzz around what comes next.
Parekh finished last season with 4 goals and 9 points in 37 games, and the question now is whether the renewed confidence Conroy talked about can lead to a real offensive jump in 2026/27. If it does, Calgary may finally get the version of No. 19 it envisioned all along.
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 🡒]
Wranglers Season Opener Could Hint At Calgarys Next Tone-Setter
The Wranglers season-opener history is still short enough to feel meaningful, and there is already a pattern taking shape around it. Since the clubs inaugural season in 2022, the first goal of each year has served as a little snapshot of who is ready to grab the moment, with Jeremie Poirier, Rory Kerins and Martin Frk all taking turns as the tone-setters for Calgarys AHL affiliate.
This years opening-night question is more than a trivia exercise, because the first strike has usually come after the game has settled in rather than right off the hop. The Wranglers have also tended to be playing from behind when that goal arrives, which gives the opener an extra bit of significance as Calgary looks for an early marker of how this roster wants to play. [Read more 🡒]