Flames News & Rumours: Huberdeau, Parekh, Gridin & More

In this week’s edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumours, Jonathan Huberdeau was noticeably absent during player intros in the home opener this past week, fueling some speculation that he may be out of the lineup for some time. Meanwhile, after sitting out as a healthy scratch in the opening two games of the season, Zayne Parekh made his 2025-26 debut over the weekend. In other news, Matvei Gridin was able to score his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. Last, but not least, the Flames are reportedly poking around to try and find a better backup option for Dustin Wolf.

Huberdeau May Miss More Time

Late in the preseason, Jonathan Huberdeau was forced to exit a game early after being driven hard into the post. The narrative shortly afterward was that he wouldn’t be forced to miss much time, though he did begin the regular season on the injured reserve, and not much else has been heard regarding his status since.

What was interesting was that during the Flames players’ introductions prior to their home opener, Huberdeau was not on the bench to get recognized by the fan base. Another injured player in Martin Pospisil was, prompting speculation from Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that the Flames may be without their veteran playmaking winger for longer than originally expected.

Parekh Not Stressed Over Healthy Scratches

After sitting out each of the Flames’ first two games of the season as a healthy scratch, Parekh was able to draw into the lineup on Saturday versus the Vegas Golden Knights. There had been some frustration over the 19-year-old being a scratch early in the season, though fans need not worry, as the young, right-shot defenceman had no issues with it himself.

“I understand it. I didn’t have a good end to preseason,” Parekh said. “I understood it. I thought I kind of deserved to be out, if I’m being honest. It’s nice to watch the game from up there, we’ve got a bunch of good leaders that are always keeping me positive. It was really good to watch that [Vancouver] game to see what [Quinn] Hughes does and how it looks from up top.”

Parekh wound up playing more than 17 minutes in Saturday’s tilt, several of which came on the power play. He’s going to continue to be eased into the lineup, but could become a very big part of the Flames’ power play as the 2025-26 season progresses.

Gridin Gets His First

Perhaps the biggest story coming out of training camp was that 19-year-old Matvei Gridin was able to earn a spot on the opening night roster. The 2024 first-round pick made that look like a great decision early on, as he was able to score in his NHL debut versus the Edmonton Oilers.

“I tried to pass it back door to Matt [Coronato]. It bounced off a guy’s skate and went into the back of the net,” Gridin said with a grin. “I’ll take it.”