An early look at the 2025–26 Calgary Flames projected lineup

There are too many forwards still on this team. I outlined it recently, but I still believe that the Flames have too many wingers on this team. If they want some of the younger players to have a chance to crack the roster at training camp, they need to move someone out. However, this is what the Flames have to work with.

Coronato rides shotgun with Kadri and Huberdeau

After a breakout campaign last season and a fresh long-term contract to go along with it, Matt Coronato will join the top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri to give those two a pure sniper to play with. This is not to say that Huberdeau and Kadri cannot score; they scored 28 and 35 goals, respectively, last season. However, both of those guys have been pass-first for the majority of their careers.

Coronato is likely to take another step this season, and giving him the team’s two best offensive weapons to work with and taking easier matchups should help him close in on a 30-goal season for the first time in his career.

Zary gets the Backlund and Coleman bump

After a season plagued by injuries and inconsistencies, the best way to get Zary back on track is to pair him up with the Flames’ two most reliable players, Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. Those two have proved time and time again that they can take any player and elevate them. It was done with Andrew Mangiapane last year, with Coronato and Backlund did it with Matthew Tkachuk way back when.

In a perfect world, I think we would want Zary playing down the middle. However, there isn’t a place for him to play centre unless he is banished to the fourth line, which just would not be great from a development standpoint. To start the season, this is the best place for Zary to play. His time down the middle will come eventually.

The rebound line

To say that Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, and Yegor Sharangovich will all need a bounce-back would be an understatement. Sharangovich was maybe the Flames’ worst skater all season. Farabee was a mess who couldn’t get his legs under him after the trade that sent him to Calgary. Frost was fine, but I think everyone wanted a little more from him.

Pairing the three of them together could work. Frost and Farabee have built-in chemistry from their days with the Philadelphia Flyers, and Sharangovich just needs a couple of players who can get him the puck. All three of them will be motivated to have better seasons, so I wonder if them working together can do just that.

The crash and bang fourth line

This line will have one job: drive the opponents insane. Martin Pospisil gets to play down the middle again, given how crowded the wings are. After showing he can play at the NHL level at the end of last year, Adam Klapka will be trusted again this upcoming season to continue to develop and bring in some depth scoring. Ryan Lomberg is the glue guy of the team. He won’t produce much and is mostly a liability when he’s out there, but he fights when he needs to and brings energy to every game.

On the cusp

Justin Kirkland was a nice story a season ago, but he has been an AHL player his entire career, and his underlying numbers and on-ice impacts were poor in his short NHL stint. He will get a chance to make the team, but nothing will be handed to him.

Ryan Huska loves Dryden Hunt, and he always seems to be the team’s first call when someone goes down with an injury. Don’t be shocked if he makes the team as one of the extra forwards.

Aydar Suniev has tons of skill and a wicked release. He will probably need a year of seasoning in the AHL before making the jump to the NHL full time, but if he impresses in camp like Sam Honzek did a year ago, he could possibly make the team, even if it is for a short stint.

A new and exciting face to the defence

The defensive core coming into this year will have the same faces that ended last season. At this point in time, Andersson is still a Flame, and it looks like it will stay that way until training camp opens up. Everyone is still under contract, but one player will look to make his mark on the team, and that is super prospect Zayne Parekh.

Whether Andersson is moved or not, Parekh is going to come into camp with one goal in mind: to be a Calgary Flame this season. I, for one, believe he will be on the roster this season.

The top pair remains intact

To begin the year, at least, Joel Hanley and MacKenzie Weegar will remain a pair. When they were playing together last season, they were rock solid. Hanley didn’t do more than he was asked to do. He just defended, and he did it as well as anyone on the team.

Weegar did all of the heavy lifting on the pairing, but he was simply fantastic last season, and I expect the same for him next year. Hanley isn’t the ideal long-term partner for Weegar. However, in the short term, until Parekh is ready to take on top pairing minutes, it will do.

Long-term and short-term partners

Kevin Bahl and Andersson played the entire year together last season, so as long as Andersson is still a Flame, they will play together once again. Bahl was just extended during the draft, and Andersson’s future with the team is very much in the air. Bahl will be here long-term, and Andersson probably won’t be.

They were a solid pairing a season ago, but they were not all that great to end the season. Andersson was playing hurt, and that certainly affected the play of Bahl. I expect both to be better next season, assuming Andersson is a Flame of course.

The rookie makes his mark

This is where it gets fun. Parekh will slide into the lineup in a sheltered role next to Brayden Pachal, who is a rock-solid defensive defencemen. There is no way Parekh is going back to the OHL next season. He torched that league, breaking record after record. There is no more for him to prove there, and the NHL is the next step in his development.

If Andersson is moved before the start of the season, he will probably pair up with Bahl, with whom he was paired in his one NHL game last season, where he looked very comfortable. Pachal will be a nice safety net for Parekh, as he is defensive-minded and will let Parekh play his offensive game. I imagine Parekh will make his way up the lineup throughout next year, but starting on a sheltered pair should only help him gain his footing in the NHL.

On the cusp

Jake Bean and Daniil Miromanov both played lots of games for the Flames last year; however, neither was particularly good. Miromanov ended up losing his spot to Hanley, and Bean was brutal defensively and offered nothing offensively. I expect Miromanov to be on waivers before the season starts, and Bean could very well join him.

Ilya Solovyov might have one more kick at the can in Calgary to make the roster. He has done well in the AHL and has been alright in his chances with the Flames. However, with him being waiver-eligible and the log jam on the backend, he will probably end up with the Wranglers once again.

Lastly, Hunter Brzustewicz was very good in his first season pro with the Wranglers last year, and he left a strong impression in his NHL debut at the end of last season. He could very well make a push to make the team, especially if Andersson does get traded, but if that doesn’t happen, he will end up back with the Wranglers for some more seasoning. Make no mistake, though, Brzustewicz will be in the NHL sooner rather than later.

The goaltenders

The easiest part of the roster to figure out, and there will be a battle for the backup position.

Dustin Wolf will carry the load in the cage. He proved his time in the AHL was no joke and is now here to stay in the NHL as one of the best goaltenders in the league. I do wonder if he can continue to carry the team like he did a season ago, but make no mistake, he will do all of the heavy lifting between the pipes.

Devin Cooley and newcomer Ivan Prosvetov will battle in training camp for the backup job. Cooley had a terrific start last year in the AHL but cooled off significantly towards the end of the year, while Prosvetov spent last year in Russia after a run in the NHL. I am pretty sure that Prosvetov will land the job out of camp, as Cooley has never been great at the NHL level, but I do expect a battle between the two for that NHL job.