Calgary Flames coach Huska explains why he cut Rory Kerins
It’s been a very busy Thursday for the Calgary Flames organization and head coach Ryan Huska.
The day started with the Flames announcing that they had signed Huska to a two-year contract extension, which will carry through the 2027-28 season. While the 50-year-old was excited by the news, he and his coaching staff were forced to make some difficult decisions.
The Flames announced that Rory Kerins, Ilya Solovyov, and Ivan Prosvetsov have been placed on waivers for the purpose of being re-assigned to the Calgary Wranglers.
The #Flames have placed goaltender Ivan Prosvetov, defenceman Ilya Solovyov, and forward Rory Kerins on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to the @AHLWranglers.
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 2, 2025
The biggest surprise of this list is Kerins, who had chipped in with a goal and three helpers through six preseason outings. All 31 other NHL teams will now have a chance to claim the 23-year-old, who led the Wranglers with 33 goals and 61 points in 63 outings last season.
“If there’s one guy that’s come the furthest, it’s probably him with our organization, even if you look back a couple years ago,” Huska said of Kerins, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. “I feel it’s important for Rory that we look at him as a top-nine guy, and that’s where he has to play.
“Right now, down the middle of the ice, we have some older players in there. We want to make sure that when Rory is here, he’s not in and out, in and out. Rory’s going to be able to contribute on a daily basis, so getting him playing was important for us.”
One name that stood out and remains with the roster is Matvei Gridin, who some thought may be on the outside looking in, given that he was waiver-exempt. Huska has raved about the 19-year-old’s play throughout camp, however, and seems to believe he’s ready for NHL action.
“The skill set that he does have, the size, and the pace of the game that he can play at is important for us and our team.”
As for Prosvetov, he had a difficult evening on Wednesday playing the first half of a game versus the Winnipeg Jets. The offseason free-agent signing allowed five goals on just 19 shots in what ended up as an 8-1 loss.
Placing Prosvetov on waivers means that, at least for the time being, Devin Cooley will serve as the backup goaltender to Dustin Wolf.
“That was a very tough one, to be honest with you, especially with the way last night’s game went,” Huska said. “I don’t know if it was a great evaluator for us, based on the way the team played in front of the guys. We’re a little bit more familiar with Devin and what he can bring to the table. There’s certain parts of Provy’s game that we have to work on.”
Huska did mention, however, that there could be changes that come very early into the season, suggesting that we could see Kerins, Prosvetov, and Solovyov in a Flames uniform at some point in 2025-26.
With Thursday’s cuts, the Flames now have 14 forwards, eight defencemen, and two goaltenders who remain in camp. They will need to make a decision on one more player before their season opener, which is scheduled for next Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers.