Flames’ rebuild puts Parekh, Nemec and Gridin at centre of optimism

The Calgary Flames will drop the puck on a rebuilding season Thursday, but the year ahead is not short on intriguing storylines. With Zayne Parekh taking a full-time role, marquee acquisition Simon Nemec arriving on defence, Matvei Gridin eyeing a scoring breakthrough and the Saddledome entering its final campaign, Flames fans have several reasons to stay engaged in 2026-27.

Parekh rebounds as Nemec steps into top-pair role

One year removed from starting in the press box, Parekh will be in the opening-night lineup. The highly touted first-rounder spent the summer working with renowned trainer Gary Roberts and followed it up with an impressive pre-season, rebuilding his confidence after a rough rookie year that included injury and frequent healthy scratches.

He now shares the spotlight with Nemec, whom the Flames pried from the New Jersey Devils in a major deal. Calgary paid a steep price — two first-round picks and a second-rounder — then immediately locked up the 2022 second-overall pick to a five-year, $36-million contract. Nemec is slated to start on the top defence pair and is viewed as a long-term cornerstone.

On the power play, head coach Ryan Huska and new assistant Dave Lowry are counting on Parekh and Nemec to transform a unit that has struggled near the bottom of the league in recent seasons. Each is expected to quarterback a unit from the blue line, with internal competition determining who runs the top group and the possibility of both sharing the ice on the main unit at times.

Saddledome farewell and Backlund’s pursuit of Iginla

This season also marks the 44th and final year of the Saddledome as the Flames’ home rink, setting up a season-long farewell tour. The organization plans an extended celebration of the building’s history and the stars who played there, while tickets for the final home date against the Vancouver Canucks on April 10 are already commanding premium prices from sentimental fans.

Captain Mikael Backlund is poised to deliver one of the signature moments of that goodbye. He sits 72 games shy of Jarome Iginla’s franchise record of 1,219 regular-season appearances with the Flames. If he stays healthy, Backlund is on pace to surpass the mark on March 17 in Calgary against the Dallas Stars, cementing his status as the club’s longevity leader.

Gridin’s opportunity and NCAA pipeline fuel long view

Up front, Matvei Gridin, the club’s 2024 first-round pick, is another focal point. Given a bigger offensive role late last season, the confident Russian forward produced enough to convince the staff he can be a go-to scorer. He is expected to start on the top line with Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato and on the first power-play unit, after a rookie QMJHL season in which he scored 36 goals in 56 games.

Beyond the NHL roster, four NCAA prospects are central to the longer-term plan: Carson Carels (sixth overall in 2026), Cole Reschny (18th in 2025), Ethan Wyttenbach (last season’s leading collegiate scorer) and Cullen Potter (32nd in 2025). General manager Craig Conroy says each has indicated a desire to turn pro after their college seasons, though final decisions will depend on year-end meetings about what best serves their development — a path the Flames once saw pay off with Johnny Gaudreau.

Unlike recent years, Conroy is not juggling a long list of core players approaching free agency with eyes on leaving. Morgan Frost is the lone significant pending UFA, setting up an important call before the trade deadline. For a club embracing short-term growing pains, the combination of organizational stability, a new blue-line foundation and emerging skill gives this rebuild a distinctly hopeful tone.