Matvei Gridin has sights set on leading Calgary Flames in scoring next season

Calgary Flames forward Matvei Gridin certainly isn’t lacking confidence.

The 28th selection from the 2024 draft appeared in 37 games with the Flames this season, scoring six goals and 20 points. His skill was evident on a nightly basis, and he has many in Calgary believing he is a star on the horizon.

It seems that Gridin sees that for himself, as well.

Despite only playing roughly half of the season with the Flames, he clearly believes he’s ready to make a massive impact in 2026-27. In an interview on the Big Show with Rusic and Rose on Thursday morning, head coach Ryan Huska revealed that Gridin told him he expects to lead the team in scoring.

“In exit meetings, and this is an example of Grids and why coaches love him and why we love him, and we think he’s going to be a really good player,” Huska explained. “We talked about his season and going back and forth, what he liked, what he didn’t like, what I thought of his year, all the things.

“At one point, he looked at me and said he was going to lead our team in scoring next year, straight face. If you and I are looking at each other, it was kind of a five-second stare-off. Nobody’s smirking or smiling, then I kind of smiled and gave a little chuckle, and he again, straight-faced, said, ‘What?'”

Though it is always important to make sure players, especially young ones, don’t cross the line when it comes to confidence, it’s clear that the Flames’ bench boss doesn’t believe it’s an issue with Gridin.

“Grids is a different level of confident. He’s got swagger,” said a chuckling Huska.

Seeing Gridin take an even bigger step offensively in 2026-27 would be huge for the Flames, who became the first team in over a decade to not have a 50-point scorer over the course of a full 82-game schedule this past season.

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