Calgary Flames MVP candidates going into the 2025–26 season

The Calgary Flames’ regular season will get underway in early October against the Edmonton Oilers. Before the season begins, a prediction can be made as to who the best Flame will be. There are a handful of solid choices for the Flames this year, including one in each position. A few of them will be similar to the previous season, although a young emerging talent could take over. Let’s take a look at MVP candidates for the 2025–26 season.

Dustin Wolf

Goaltender Dustin Wolf was the easy choice for last season’s MVP. He nearly dragged the Flames into the playoffs on his own—a few others deserved some credit—but fell just short. It is safe to say that without Wolf, the Flames would have been a bottom-five team in the NHL. He held them in nearly every game he played in and was capable of making crucial saves. Wolf posted a 0.910 save percentage along with a 2.64 goals against average. Not bad for a rookie goalie in a tough division. Hopefully, the 24-year-old can build off last season and lead the Flames to the playoffs.

After finishing as the runner-up in the Calder Trophy race, Wolf has a lot to prove next season. He will have a lot of eyes on him as he is the guaranteed starter in the Flames’ net with Devin Cooley or Ivan Prosvetov backing him up. Wolf has been an underrated star throughout his entire hockey career. He was amazing in the WHL, where he posted over a 0.920 save percentage in every season. The young goalie continued that into the AHL and must now take the next step to become a superstar goalie at the NHL level. Unfortunately for Flames fans, Wolf was not invited to Team USA’s camp for the 2026 Olympics in Italy. This will add some fuel to the fire as he remains an underrated goalie.

Wolf is easily my pick for being the Flames’ MVP in the 2025–26 season. Flames fans saw players like Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary hit the sophomore slump last season—injuries heavily affected Zary. However, I think Wolf has more to prove than they did and will use that to his advantage. Do you think the young netminder is the favourite for the Flames MVP?

Zayne Parekh

Another young player who could make a real impact at the NHL level next season is Zayne Parekh. He is coming off a fantastic season in the OHL and scored his first NHL goal in his first game. Watching the last regular season game gave Flames fans a lot of hope going into this year. Parekh was able to fit right in with the group. I believe that he will make the NHL roster and have a significant impact right away.

Parekh will be 19 years old throughout most of next season. He will be one of the youngest Flames to play in the NHL since players like Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. One of the major concerns going into training camp will be whether Parekh gets an ideal chance to prove himself. Head coach Ryan Huska sat Parekh for the entire playoff push down the stretch last season. He only let him enter the lineup when the Flames were eliminated. Will Huska do the same thing at the start of the season? Or will Parekh have a full-time role with the Flames?

Assuming that he makes the team out of training camp and gets to play, I could see Parekh playing in the top four of the Flames’ defensive core. Unfortunately, Rasmus Andersson is standing in his way, which sucks because Andersson could get traded sometime in the season. Once that happens, Parekh would get a prime opportunity to get top-line minutes. MacKenzie Weegar is also standing in his way, but he holds a little more respect on the Flames’ blueline and is hands down the best defenceman the Flames currently have. The thing that potentially sets Parekh apart from Weegar is his elite offensive abilities.

Do you think Parekh has a chance at winning the Calder Trophy in 2026?

Nazem Kadri

A veteran player who could very well be the Flames’ MVP next season is forward Nazem Kadri. He is the player on the Flames who has gained the most valuable experience throughout his career. In 2022, he won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche and was a key member of the championship team. Since signing with the Flames, he has been an excellent leader to have on the squad. The veteran forward is a great player who can set an example for the young guys. Having played in Toronto and gone on a few deep playoff runs in Colorado, he has these experiences that younger guys can learn from.

Going into next season, Kadri will be centring the top line yet again. He will likely be playing alongside forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Matt Coronato. To predict a point total, I would say that Kadri will fall in the 60s again. Last season, he set a new career high in goals with 35. It is tough to say whether he will hit that mark again, but I would say a 30-goal, 30-assist season can happen.

Kadri recently posted on social media that he was upset about not being invited to Team Canada’s camp for the 2026 Olympics. He argues a fair point, as I believe he deserves a chance over players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Quinton Byfield, and Connor Bedard.

MacKenzie Weegar

Defenceman MacKenzie Weegar has been a beast with the Flames. He has the best contract on the current Flames roster and provides excellent leadership. I think he is a great captain choice once Mikael Backlund has left the Flames. Weegar is coming off a solid season offensively, where he scored nine goals and 47 points in 81 games. He did cause some concern in his defensive game as he led the entire NHL in giveaways with 159. I think the veteran defenceman will have lots to prove this season, especially because he needs to set an example for Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz.

Weegar will get top-four minutes next season, along with playing time on the power play and penalty kill. I think he is a bit of a dark horse to be the Flames’ MVP next season, but he has a lot to play for. He will be fighting for a spot on Team Canada’s Olympic roster and will be hungry to finally make the playoffs as a Flame. The current core is due for a postseason appearance, considering they came so close last year. I think Weegar will hit the 50-point mark next year and will clean up any liabilities in the defensive zone.

Who do you think is the favourite to be the Flames’ MVP next season?