Predicting the Calgary Flames lineup: Forwards

Matvei Gridin	Morgan Frost	Matthew Coronato
Connor Zary	Mikael Backlund	Joel Farabee
Jonathan Huberdeau	Ryan Strome	Yegor Sharangovich
Maxim Tsyplakov	Martin Pospisil	Adam Klapka

First line

This could be Calgary’s most exciting scoring line.

Matvei Gridin and Matthew Coronato already showed promising chemistry alongside Morgan Frost late last season. Keeping the trio together would give the Flames three young players with plenty of offensive upside. The line was dynamite to end the year. They only got better and better as the year went on. It gave us a possible glimpse of what Gridin and Coronato could provide for this team moving forward.

It is a critical year for Frost. He is entering the final year of his contract, and he will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The Flames will need to make a decision, extend him or trade him. Giving him this assignment and playing him a lot should give the Flames options. With how many centres they have in the pipeline, it may be a good thing to cash in on Frost come the deadline, but only time will tell.

Coronato is entering a crucial season in his development, while Gridin represents one of the organization’s most intriguing young forwards. Frost provides the line with a more experienced centre capable of distributing the puck and creating opportunities. It will be the Flames’ best line, and it is definitely going to be the most fun to watch.

Second line

Mikael Backlund is back for another year holding down the Flames shutdown line. However, he is going to be doing it without a longtime running mate. After Blake Coleman was traded earlier this summer, the Flames will need to revamp their hard-matchup line. The good thing is, they may have already found that guy late last year.

Joel Farabee had a strong end to the season, where he played a lot of hockey next to Backlund. He is strong defensively, and there could be some more offensive upside after bouncing back last season with a 20-goal year. Farabee fits the way Backlund plays; he is strong in the corners and solid with the cycle game. He is not Coleman and won’t impact the game the way he could, but Farabee isn’t a bad replacement for Coleman.

The big piece of this line will be Connor Zary. It has been a tough last few seasons for him; he has dealt with a few bad injuries that may have cost him a couple of seasons of key development. Last season in particular was a tough go for him. He was scratched on a few occasions, and he never found the consistency or flash in his game that we saw in his rookie season. This will be the make-or-break season for him. We already know the Flames shopped him this summer, and so far, nothing has materialized. If he fails to make an impact this season, this will probably be his last season in Calgary.

Third line

The veteran-heavy third line could actually become one of Calgary’s most interesting combinations.

Jonathan Huberdeau remains the Flames’ biggest offensive playmaker and could benefit from playing alongside two experienced NHL forwards. The question is whether he is fully recovered from hip surgery. If he is, maybe we can see some of the player we saw in the 2024–25 season. We are most likely never going to see the Florida version of Huberdeau return, so all we can ask from him is to be a leader in the room and on the ice for the young guys. If he can produce on top of that, great. If not, we won’t really be disappointed because we saw it coming.

Yegor Sharangovich provides speed and a shooting threat. We haven’t seen him live up to his contract yet, but if the Flames could put him in a spot to get some looks, maybe he can start scoring again. However, it will be a tall task as he has been a fairly inconsistent player going back to his days as a Devil.

Ryan Strome will be in the same boat as Frost. Can he play to a level where the Flames can flip him at the deadline for an asset? Teams are always looking for centre depth for the playoffs, and Strome fit in nicely to end the season last year.

Fourth line

Every guy on this fourth line will be fighting to keep their NHL hopes alive this season.

Martin Pospisil didn’t play a lot last year after sustaining an injury during training camp. When he finally did come back, though, he was not the same player we saw in his first few years. He was not fast, was not throwing his body, and he wasn’t being the pest he once was. He probably fits better as a winger, but with the Flames lack of centre depth, he will be forced into the middle again.

Adam Klapka is not a very effective NHL player. He is big, but he is slow, takes too many penalties and is not very skilled. The Flames do love him, though. And if he can’t prove to be an effective bottom-six player, the prospects coming up will take his spot in no time.

Maxim Tsyplakov was a throw-in when he was traded from the Devils with Simon Nemec. I am still not entirely sure why the Flames needed him in this deal, but he is in the last year of his deal, and if he cannot prove to be an NHL player, he will be back in Russia next season. I can’t see him playing all 84 games, and he will probably split time as the 13th forward.

On the cusp

The Flames have a few guys who will be pushing for spots out of camp, but they will have to outplay someone to take a roster spot.

Sam Honzek

Sam Honzek was a nice surprise last year with the way he fit onto the roster and how he played before getting injured. He looked like an NHL player and was holding his own. The problem is he has not played since November. With the forward group already crowded, unless he steals a spot with a great camp, it would probably be ideal for him to get his legs under him with the Wranglers to start the season. I have no doubt, however, that he will finish the season with the Flames.

Tyson Gross

A dark horse for the spot as the fourth-line centre could be Tyson Gross. A signing out of the NCAA at the tail end of last season, Gross held his own as a Flame in the limited minutes he played. He was solid defensively and was good in the dot. There probably is not a lot of upside with Gross, so utilizing him at the fourth-line centre and it becoming a long-term fix would be a huge win for a free agent college signing.

Aydar Suniev

Aydar Suniev could surprise at camp. A young guy who can absolutely rip the puck; he could be a help to a team that had lots of problems scoring goals last season. Like Honzek, though, he would have to steal a spot from someone. I think at this point in his development, I would rather see him cook as a top-line player with the Wranglers than struggle for minutes on the Flames. We will see how the season goes for him.