Flames new home in '27 needs a contending team
The dream is simple.
It's the fall of 2027 and the Calgary Flames skate out on the ice at the new Scotia Place for the first time with a team that looks like it's on the come-up. A new arena, a new sense of optimism.
So what do the Flames have to do to get back to being a contender by the time they move into the new Events Centre? Here's what we think needs to happen:
GET A CENTRE IN THE 2025 DRAFT
The Flames have replenished their prospect pool in a serious way since Craig Conroy took over as general manager, but they don't have a player in their system who looks like a true
No. 1 centre.
Fortunately, there are a couple guys who fit the bill in the 2025 NHL draft and it's not unreasonable to assume the Flames will be picking early next summer.
Boston College's James
Hagens, Anton Frondel of Djugardens in Sweden, and Michael Misa of the Saginaw Spirit are high-end, exciting centres who will be draft eligible next year. The Flames selected Misa's brother Luke in this year's draft.
In terms of veterans in the middle, Nazem Kadri will still be under contract when Scotia Place opens, but Mikael Backlund will be 38. Yegor Sharangovich and Martin Pospisil will still very much be in their primes.
STEADY AS SHE GOES ON THE BLUELINE
It's a genuine area of strength, and 2024 first-round draft pick Zayne Parekh should be coming into his own as an NHLER by then, while Hunter Brzustewicz and Etienne Morin will likely be in the same position.
There's also Henry Mews, Artem Grushnikov and Joni Jurmo, and Kevin Bahl — acquired in the Jacob Markstrom trade — only recently turned 24 and already has 148 games to his name.
Rasmus Andersson, Daniil Miromanov and Jake Bean will become unrestricted free agents a year before the Flames move into their new home, but Mackenzie Weegar will still be under contract for the 2027-28 season.
DUSTIN WOLF DEVELOPS
It's not like Dustin Wolf is the only goalie in the Flames system.
Dan Vladar is going to get a chance to make the starting spot his own this season, while Russians Kirill Zarubin, Yegor Yegorov and Arsenii Sergeev have high upside. The Flames added Finnish shot-stopper Waltteri Ignatjew in April, too.
Wolf, though, has long been considered the franchise's goalie of the future and his development is going to be a big factor in whether they can be playoff contenders by the fall of 2027.
LEVERAGE THEIR DRAFT CAPITAL
Conroy has done a nice job getting draft picks and young players back in return for the long list of veterans he's traded away in the past 13 months.
They've got five first-round picks in the next three years, as well as four second-rounders and a lot more in the later rounds.
It also puts them in a position of strength when it comes to trades.
GET AGGRESSIVE IN FREE AGENCY
Conroy smartly avoided giving out long-term contracts in free agency this year.
With Puckpedia estimating that they have more than $20 million in cap space this season, they have money to play with.
And at some point, spending big on a player who might help someone like Jonathan Huberdeau rediscover his offensive game makes sense.