Flames Head Into Final Saddledome Season With a Lot to Prove

The Flames finished 34-39-9, seventh in the Pacific Division, posting the fewest goals in the NHL at 212 (2.54 per game). The additions of Simon Nemec and Jake Middleton address a real need on defence, but the forward group that couldn't score last year is largely the same one suiting up in October.

Last season in review

The numbers were bleak. Calgary's 212 goals ranked last in the league, and its 259 goals against produced a minus-47 differential that explains the 77-point finish. Matt Coronato led the team with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 80 games. Morgan Frost and Mikael Backlund each added 43 points in 82 games. Those are fine numbers for secondary contributors; they are not the production of a team that competes for a playoff spot.

Dustin Wolf went 23-29-3 with a .899 save percentage, a step back from his Calder Trophy finalist campaign the season before. The team missed the second wild card to St. Louis on a regulation-win tiebreaker in 2024-25, and rather than take a step forward, it slid further. Nazem Kadri (50 points) and Rasmus Andersson (47 points) were both traded during the season, removing two of the top three scorers from the roster entirely.

Backup Devin Cooley was a quiet bright spot, going 10-10-6 with a .909 save percentage in 31 games, and earned a two-year extension for his trouble.

Ins and outs

• In: Simon Nemec, D (traded from New Jersey Devils, June 23; signed five-year, $36.25M contract July 6)
• In: Maxim Tsyplakov, F (acquired with Nemec from New Jersey Devils)
• In: Jake Middleton, D (traded from Minnesota Wild, July 2)
• In: Brennan Othmann, F (re-signed to one-year, two-way deal at $975,000, September 18)
• Out: Nazem Kadri, F (traded during 2025-26 season)
• Out: Rasmus Andersson, D (traded to Vegas Golden Knights during 2025-26 season)
• Out: MacKenzie Weegar, D (traded to Utah Mammoth during 2025-26 season)
• Out: Blake Coleman, F (traded to Minnesota Wild, July 2)
• Out: Olli Maatta, D (traded to Minnesota Wild, July 2)
• Out: Ryan Lomberg, F (signed with Columbus Blue Jackets, July 1)

The big question

Can Jonathan Huberdeau contribute anything meaningful this season? He had just 25 points in 50 games before hip resurfacing surgery ended his year in March, and he has not been ready for the start of training camp after a reported skating setback in his recovery. He is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $84 million deal. Whether he returns as a legitimate top-six forward or a passenger on a big contract shapes everything about Calgary's ceiling.

X-factor

Zayne Parekh. The 20-year-old defenceman had a difficult rookie season, but he came to camp this fall noticeably heavier and more confident after a summer working with Gary Roberts. He is up to roughly 191 pounds. With Andersson and Weegar both gone, there is real ice time available, and Parekh quarterbacking the second power-play unit in camp suggests the Flames are ready to lean on him. If his offensive instincts translate to the NHL level this year, the back end looks different.

Bold prediction

Simon Nemec, playing on a blue line that suddenly has room for him, posts 45 or more points and immediately becomes the Flames' most impactful defenceman.

The outlook

Calgary opens the regular season Oct. 1 at home against Seattle, and it does so in the final year at Scotiabank Saddledome before the move to Scotia Place. The farewell patches and throwback jerseys are a nice touch, but the roster still has a significant scoring problem. The defence is better on paper. Goaltending, if Wolf bounces back, gives them a foundation. This is a team building toward something rather than competing for something, and the 2026-27 season looks like another year of development over contention.