What Calgary Flames lines could look like once Zary and Bahl return
It’s an exciting time to be a Calgary Flames fan.
Not only are the Flames in a playoff spot as we inch closer to the end of the 2024-25 season, but they were also able to bolster their roster for the future thanks to the recent trade that brought in Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Frost has spent his first three games as a Flame on a line with Yegor Sharangovich and Martin Pospisil, while Farabee has played top-line minutes alongside Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau.
Those lines may remain the same on Thursday night versus the Colorado Avalanche, but could soon be changed as Connor Zary is nearing a return.
Zary, who was injured in early January versus the Anaheim Ducks, has begun skating with his teammates. An exact timeline for a return has yet to be announced, but he’s making good progress.
Zary isn’t the only Flame getting closer to a return either, as Kevin Bahl — who is out with a suspected head injury — has also been on the ice lately. Here’s how head coach Ryan Huska could deploy his forward lines and defensive pairings when both are ready to return:
Huberdeau – Kadri – Coronato
Coleman – Backlund – Zary
Sharangovich – Frost – Farabee
Lomberg – Rooney – Pospisil
Bahl – Andersson
Hanley – Weegar
Bean – Pachal
These changes would help allow for Matt Coronato — whose lethal shot has been on display plenty this season — to play with the Flames’ best playmaker, Jonathan Huberdeau. It would also help Zary by easing him into the lineup alongside two responsible veterans, Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.
Meanwhile, Frost would get the chance to play next to a familiar face in Farabee. As for Kevin Rooney, there is no denying he’s struggling on the fourth line. Management may look to address that with a depth add before the trade deadline, but until they do, his penalty-killing abilities give him the upper hand over a guy like Adam Klapka.
As for defensive pairings, Bahl has meshed well with Rasmus Andersson, while Joel Hanley proved to be a solid option next to MacKenzie Weegar. Jake Bean and Brayden Pachal haven’t played many minutes together, but are both better options over Tyson Barrie and Daniil Miromanov.
Flames lineup looks quite competitive
Though they still lack a true gamebreaker, the predicted line combinations show that this Flames team has quickly turned into a competitive one. It’s a promising sign given that expectations were quite low for them entering the 2024-25 season.
With several young players on their current roster and many great prospects in the pipeline, this supposed rebuild in Calgary could be finished a lot sooner than many originally predicted.
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