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Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

Flames News & Rumours: Parekh, Brzustewicz, Conroy & More

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Dec 9, 2025 12:05 PM ET

In this week’s edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumours, Zayne Parekh, as well as prospect Cole Reschny, have both been invited to Canada’s World Junior camp. Meanwhile, defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz was called up from the Calgary Wranglers on Monday. Last, but certainly not least, there are reports refuting the Flames’ claim that extensions to general manager (GM) Craig Conroy and the rest of the management group were signed ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Parekh & Reschny Invited to Canada Camp

The World Juniors are less than three weeks away, and Team Canada is beginning to put together what will be their final roster. Before they do so, they will have a small camp to help make their decisions easier, and two members of the Flames organization will be a part of that camp.

Zayne Parekh, who is currently out of the Flames lineup with an upper-body injury, will be loaned to Canada for the prestigious tournament. He’s been skating in a noncontact jersey in recent days, and is expected to be ready to go once the tournament gets underway. In 11 games prior to his injury, he had one assist.

Also attending the camp is Cole Reschny, who the Flames drafted 18th overall in 2025. The 18-year-old centre is in his freshman season with the University of North Dakota, where he has two goals and a team-leading 18 points through 16 games. While he isn’t a lock like Parekh, most are projecting he will crack the roster.

Flames Recall Brzustewicz

On Monday morning, the Flames announced that they had recalled Hunter Brzustewicz from the American Hockey League. The 21-year-old blueliner, who is one of the better prospects the Flames have in their system, has recorded four goals and 12 points in 23 games.

While Parekh joining Team Canada may have played a small part in this decision, the Flames also confirmed that Jake Bean is undergoing evaluation for an undisclosed injury. It’s not believed to be serious, but it was enough to hold him out of the lineup on Monday night versus the Buffalo Sabres. The 27-year-old has two points through 16 games this season.

Insiders Question Flames’ Extension Timeline

In recent weeks, the conversation had really picked up as to why GM Craig Conroy didn’t have an extension in place. Not long after those conversations started growing, the Flames announced that Conroy, as well as Dave Nonis, Brad Pascall, and Don Maloney had all signed two-year extensions.

Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

What made the extensions so interesting was that the Flames went out of their way to say that the deals had been agreed upon before the 2025-26 season began. That was confusing to many, as it was unclear as to why they wouldn’t have been announced at the time ink hit the paper. Since the Flames announcement, however, there are insiders who believe the deal was not in place before the season began.

“I didn’t like the way any of it went down, I didn’t like the way they announced it, and I think it’s rather dubious to suggest that these deals were all signed two months ago or they just plum forgot to announce it,” Sportsnet’s Eric Francis said on the Big Show with Rusic & Rose.

Francis wasn’t the only one to dispute the Flames’ claim, either. NHL insider Frank Seravalli made it clear that he is very confident that the organization is lying when it comes to the timeline they presented.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that this was not done two months ago and that these extensions only got completed last week,” Seravalli said in a separate conversation on the Big Show with Rusic & Rose.

The Flames as an organization have not spoken about these recent claims, which is making matters all the more confusing. At the end of the day, it’s not the biggest deal given that the extensions are now complete, but it’s rather puzzling as to why the Flames lied about the timeline, should these reports from Francis and Seravalli indeed be correct.

Looking Ahead for the Flames

The Flames will complete their three-game homestand on Wednesday in a battle against the Detroit Red Wings. They will then head back out on the road to take on the LA Kings in their final game of the week. The following week will see them take on the San Jose Sharks on the road, before returning home for games against the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights.