The rebuild blueprint: Evaluating the 2025-26 Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames 2025–26 season has come to an end. Though it was not necessarily a winning season, there were still bright spots. Rebuilds can be hard, long, and miserable, but it’s always better to look on the bright side. The glass was still half full despite Dustin Wolf’s shaky year and the fully unexpected Mackenzie Weegar trade to the Utah Mammoth. 

The youth movement is upon us

It was a down year for the Calgary Flames’ offence. Not a single player hit the 50-point mark, and the leading goal scorer was Morgan Frost with 22 goals. Matvei Gridin’s unexpected emergence brought some excitement back to the lineup. Gridin scored six goals and 14 points in 36 appearances. His elite wrist shot is part of the recipe for the Flames’ future success. General Manager Craig Conroy has to emphasize integrating the youth appropriately to head coach Ryan Huska. Allow the kids to play.

Gridin told Flames staff that he would lead the team in scoring. It doesn’t appear to be out of the realm of possibility. Gridin’s determination and the Flames’ shifting into a rebuild mean it’s time to crank up the youth movement. 

Gridin shared the spotlight with defenceman Zayne Parekh. Parekh’s situation was a bit tricky to navigate due to AHL ineligibility. There was no sense in sending him back to the OHL. He shattered every record and was playing at a much higher level. 

Parekh was in that tricky in-between stage. Realistically, a season in the AHL would’ve been the perfect solution. Parekh was thrown into the deep end with no life preservers. 

The instability on the backend was a problem in itself, but Parekh did show great strides in improvement. Playing against NHL talent night after night only strengthened and pushed his development.  

General Manager Craig Conroy has to emphasize appropriately integrating the youth under head coach Ryan Huska. Allow the kids to make mistakes and learn from them. Lead with a longer leash. Development doesn’t happen overnight or at the same pace. 

Devin Cooley being… Devin Cooley

It wasn’t just Devin Cooley’s performance turning heads. The goaltender kept the Flames afloat while Dustin Wolf and the offence squandered. Cooley earned his first win as a Flame with a 6–2 defeat over the Buffalo Sabres.

It was after that game that Cooley shared the method to his madness with the world.

‘Nothing matters. Nobody cares. We’re all gonna die.’ I just say that over and over and over again so that way, I don’t get too excited.’

It was this mentality that kept him levelheaded all season. According to MoneyPuck, Cooley finished as one of the top goalies- second in goals saved above expected and a .909 SV%.