6 ways the Calgary Flames could risk ruining the tank next season

Should the Calgary Flames’ 2026-27 season play out as expected, they will finish near the bottom of the NHL standings.

While there are much brighter days ahead in Cowtown, the Flames are still in the relatively early stages of their rebuild. The vast majority of the fan base is completely on board with the direction of the franchise, even if it results in some short-term pain.

Though Flames management will never say it out loud, they certainly wouldn’t be upset with adding another top-tier prospect in the 2027 draft. That would be fine with the fan base as well, as they could use a true game-changing forward prospect to complement the strong blue line they are putting together.

As we know, however, there are no guarantees in pro sports. Though the Flames are expected to struggle this coming season, they could embrace that underdog role and fare better than most expect, which, in the long run, could impact the organization. With that said, here are six ways the Flames’ tank could be ruined in 2026-27…

1. Wolf has Vezina Trophy calibre season

The man who could truly ruin the Flames’ tank this coming season is none other than Dustin Wolf. The 25-year-old is heading into what will be his third NHL season, and will be plenty motivated after a bit of a dip in his performance in 2025-26.

We all know how good Wolf can be. This is a goalie who dominated through three seasons in the AHL, and was exactly as advertised in his rookie campaign with the Flames in 2024-25. There are many who believe he has the talent to be a truly elite netminder for years to come.

As good as Wolf is, however, the blueline in front of him isn’t a strong one, which could result in some difficult nights. How his season plays out remains to be seen, but he could wind up stealing several wins for the Flames.

2. Huberdeau rediscovers old form

Jonathan Huberdeau’s time with the Flames has been extremely disappointing. Once viewed as one of the top producers in the NHL, he has become an extremely average player on a very bad contract.

Also working against Huberdeau is that he was forced to undergo hip resurfacing surgery in the offseason, an operation which many players struggle to recover from. It’s unknown as to whether or not he’ll be ready to go for the start of the 2026-27 season.

While Huberdeau getting back to his old form is unlikely, it’s not as though his talent simply vanished. Should he be fully healthy, there’s a chance he could surprise people, which, in turn, would hurt the Flames’ chances of landing a top-three pick in next year’s draft.

3. Young players take significant strides

The most exciting part of this coming season for Flames fans is seeing the development of some of the organization’s young talent. In particular, there will be a ton of eyeballs on Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin to see if they can make big jumps in 2026-27.

There will also be a ton of attention on Matt Coronato, who, despite scoring just 18 goals in 2025-26, does appear to be a player with 30-goal potential. He could be in a prime breakout position at the age of 23.

Another interesting player to keep an eye on is Connor Zary. This is likely his final opportunity to prove he can be a part of the Flames’ long-term future, and he’ll be plenty motivated following two straight disappointing seasons.

4. Simon Nemec becomes a difference-maker

The Flames paid a high price to land Simon Nemec from the New Jersey Devils earlier this offseason, and have since signed him to a five-year, $36.25-million extension. They clearly believe the second overall pick from the 2022 draft can develop into a top-pairing defenceman.

Nemec will get every opportunity to do so in Calgary, as he’s expected to log big minutes on the back end. He also figures to play on the first-unit power play, which could see him establish new career highs after putting up 26 points in 2025-26.

While there are still some question marks surrounding Nemec, it’s clear the Flames organization is high on him. Should he live up to their expectations, this team may not be as low in the standings as most figure.

5. Penalty kill continues to improve

As bad as the Flames were overall in 2025-26, their penalty kill was actually quite solid. After struggling early in the season, they finished the season with the NHL’s 12th-best penalty kill at 80.4 per cent.

The Flames have several returning players from 2025-26, including many members who were part of last season’s penalty killing group. Should they pick up where they left off, it could help them pick up some points in the standings.

6. Conroy doesn’t sell at trade deadline

All signs point to the Flames being sellers once again at the 2027 trade deadline. The problem is, they don’t have a ton of assets that will bring in massive returns, which could result in GM Craig Conroy choosing to stand pat.

Should that be the case, the Flames roster won’t weaken as we saw in 2025-26 after the likes of Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar, and Rasmus Andersson were all shipped out.

Aside from Morgan Frost, most of the players the Flames could move out would bring in minimal returns. Conroy will need to make a decision on whether it makes more sense to move those individuals or keep them on the roster in order to keep morale high. Should he go with option two, the Flames could be a scrappy bunch that strings together some wins late in the season.

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