Four big questions surrounding the Calgary Flames

While some teams come into the 2025–26 season with a clear outlook on where they stand, the Calgary Flames are not one of them. With plenty of major questions surrounding the team and organization, the Flames could swing any which way this year.

Here are the major questions surrounding the Flames as they head into the season.

What will happen with Rasmus Andersson?

The largest question for the Flames off the ice is obviously the status of Rasmus Andersson, the long-time Flame and key member of the defence group. He’s made it known he will not be re-signing in Calgary and is essentially waiting to be traded before next year’s trade deadline. It’s currently a cloud that hangs over the Flames in their locker room as they head into the season.

There’s no doubt it could have major ramifications on the direction this team takes. As long as Andersson remains a Flame without a contract, there will be question marks around his performance, his effort, and the impact on the locker room as a whole.

The longer Andersson remains a Flame without a contract signed, the louder the noise will be. His play on the ice will also have a major determining factor on how the Flames look this year. If Andersson is traded early in the season, that would create an instant, huge gap in the Flames’ top-four defence group. If he is on the team longer into the year, to say February or March, it could keep the Flames’ playoff hopes alive longer

As long as Andersson is part of the team, how this situation unfolds will be arguably the top storyline to watch as the Flames head into the 2025–26 season.

Can Dustin Wolf repeat his rookie season performance?

To me, the biggest question mark facing the Flames this year is whether or not Dustin Wolf can repeat his performance from his rookie season. The rookie was among the best goaltenders in the entire NHL last year and single-handedly kept the Flames in the playoff race for most of the year.

With no changes to the forward and defence group going into the season, the pressure is back on Wolf to carry what amounts to an average at best roster. If Wolf isn’t able to replicate what he did last season, it could have a major ripple effect that sees the Flames finding themselves much lower in the standings than originally anticipated. The burning question is whether or not Dustin Wolf can once again carry an average at best offence? Or will a sophomore slump sink the team?

The Flames’ hopes and dreams of a playoff spot really do live and die with Wolf’s performance. If he’s great again, just like he was last season, the Flames have a really good chance to make the playoffs. If he’s not, and he struggles, the Flames will be in tough to earn a spot in the final 16.

Can the offence bounce back from a 29th-place finish?

There’s no denying the Flames had a poor offence last season. You don’t finish 29th in the NHL in goals by mistake. The bottom line is the offence just wasn’t good, and the team didn’t do anything to improve that in the offseason. The only difference in the forward group is Anthony Mantha’s exit via free agency. Outside of that minor change, this is largely the same group that struggled to score more than a couple of goals on most occasions last season

The offence desperately needs to take a step forward this year if the Flames want to have a chance at being a team that can win a playoff round. Last year, they were lucky to even find themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot thanks to Wolf.

Whether or not young players like Connor Zary and Matthew Coronato can take a step or mid-20s veterans like Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Yegor Sharangovich can bounce back will go a long way in determining how the Flames’ season unfolds. If they’re able to get bounce pack performances from some of those players as well as breakout seasons from some of the younger players, there’s a good chance this offence will take a large leap this year. However, if that doesn’t happen or some struggles continue, the Flames could be in deep trouble again.

How quickly will Zayne Parekh adapt to the NHL game?

Another major question facing the Flames is just how good Zayne Parekh can be in his rookie season. There’s no denying the fact that the Flames have a depleted blue line after losing multiple key members over the past couple of seasons. With Rasmus Andersson’s imminent exit, there could be an even larger hole on defence sooner than later.

MacKenzie Weegar is by far the Flames’ best defenceman, but he can only do so much by himself. Eventually, he’s gonna need some reinforcements. The way the Flames’ current blueline looks, I wouldn’t expect the likes of Jake Bean, Daniil Miromanov, Joel Hanley or Kevin Bahl to help much offensively.

That’s where Parekh comes in. His talent is undeniable, which is why the Flames are ready to put him in the NHL this year. The question remains, can he be an impact NHL player just a year removed from playing junior hockey? He’s making a very tough jump from playing against teenagers to playing against the best players in the world.

If he’s able to adapt well and start to realize his potential already in his rookie season, the Flames will get a massive boost on the back end, given he has game-breaking potential. If he struggles to make an impact in his first year and experiences some growing pains, the blue line could be among the worst in the NHL.

Even though you don’t want to put a lot of pressure on a rookie in his first year, the Flames really need Parekh to look like an NHL player, and a good one, this season. Whether he is able to will be the question.

This should be an interesting year for the Flames. There is a lot of talent on the roster on paper, but how they perform on the ice will be the biggest thing to watch.