Calgary Flames News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Mikael Backlund, Calgary Flames (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

4 Calgary Flames Who Have Impressed This Season

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 2:15 PM ET

Overall, the 2025-26 season hasn’t been anything to write home about for the Calgary Flames. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as many expected this team to struggle as they remain in the early stages of their retooling efforts. Their 20-23-4 record (30th in NHL standings) is right about on que of where most thought they would be.

Part of their struggles comes from the fact that they simply don’t have elite-level talent on their roster. Their leading scorer in Nazem Kadri has just 32 points through 47 games. Others, such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Morgan Frost, Connor Zary, and Yegor Sharangovich have struggled all season long.

Despite many struggling, however, there have been a few players on this Flames roster that have not only lived up to expectations, but exceeded them. With that said, here are four this season who have really impressed thus far.

Rasmus Andersson

The Flames were in need of a bounce-back season from Rasmus Andersson for a number of different reasons, and they’ve gotten just yet. The 29-year-old has already found the back of the net 10 times this season, putting him just one back of his career high through only 47 games.

Andersson, who is expected to be traded in the very near future, is getting things done for the Flames at both ends of the ice. He’s quickly proven that his 2024-25 struggles were just a blip in the radar, as it’s evident watching him this season that he still remains a borderline top-pairing defenceman.

Mikael Backlund

Mikael Backlund is turning into somewhat of an ageless wonder in Calgary. After mediocre showings in each of the past two seasons, the 36-year-old has turned back the clock in what is shaping up to be one of the best seasons of his career. He’s currently on pace for an extremely impressive 54 points.

What’s made Backlund’s season so remarkable is that he’s been able to produce offensive despite not cheating the game in any sense. Always regarded as a sound defensive forward, the Flames captain is starting to hear his name brought up in Selke Trophy conversations.

Yan Kuznetsov

It seems crazy to think it was just three months ago that the Flames risked placing Yan Kuznetsov on waivers. At the time, there wasn’t much fuss about it, either, as fans were unaware of just how good the 23-year-old Russian defenceman was.

Now, after being recalled from the Calgary Wranglers early into the 2025-26 season, it’s become quite evident that Kuznetsov won’t be going back to the American Hockey League anytime soon. The rookie defenceman is averaging a staggering 20:32 minutes per game, and looks like he could be a legitimate top-four piece for the Flames for years to come.

Devin Cooley

Many Flames fans felt that Devin Cooley was lucky to crack the roster this season after a poor showing in exhibition play. The coaching staff seemingly had zero confidence in him, electing to start Dustin Wolf in both games of a back-to-back set to kick off the season. Cooley, however, remained patient for his opportunity, and is quickly proving how good he can be.

Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley (Brett Holmes-Imagn Images)

Through 15 games this season, Cooley has compiled an impressive 2.20 goals against average (GAA) along with a .921 save percentage (SV%). The strong play helped him earn a two-year, $2.7 million extension in late December, meaning that he will continue to work as Dustin Wolf’s backup in the seasons to come.

Not Many Other Flames Worthy of Recognition

While the four players mentioned above have been outstanding for the Flames this season, the reason the team is struggling so much is that there are very few others worthy of being on such a list. One player you could make an argument for is Blake Coleman, who has worked very well alongside Backlund this season. Other than that, there are no other names that come to mind, which is indicative of this team’s position in the standings.