With the news official and the Calgary Flames set to start play in a brand new, state-of-the-art arena in (hopefully) 2027–28, it’s time to have some fun predicting how the roster will look on what should be a historic opening night at Scotia Place.
The projections should of course come with a grain of salt. It’s impossible to predict how an NHL team’s lineup will look three years in the future, and no fanbase knows that better than Flames fans. Case in point, take a look at the Flames opening night lineup in 2021–22. Just four players from that lineup remain on the Flames roster three years later.
Regardless, let’s have some fun and predict how the Flames will line up in what should be one of the team’s first competitive seasons in years.
Flames players under contract in 2027–28
First off, let’s take a look at who the Flames currently even have under contract in 2027–28.
| Player | Age in October 2027 |
|---|---|
| Jonathan Huberdeau | 34 |
| Nazem Kadri | 37 |
| MacKenzie Weegar | 33 |
| Yegor Sharangovich | 29 |
As it stands right now, the Flames have just four players under contract for the 2027–28 season. Now that list will obviously change over the coming years, but it’s certainly a good indication of just how different the Flames roster will likely look in three years.
On top of that, of the four players still under contract, just one in Yegor Sharangovich will be under the age of 32. The Flames’ 2022 summer trio of Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, and MacKenzie Weegar will all be entering or already in their mid-30s. There’s a good chance that two or maybe even three of the above four players are no longer in Calgary in three years given the stage of their careers they’ll be in.
The only other player on the roster who could realistically find himself under contract for the 2027–28 season within the next year is Dustin Wolf who is a pending restricted free agent. With that said, it’s unlikely he will earn a four-year deal this summer. Next summer in 2025 Kevin Bahl, Connor Zary, and Matthew Coronato could all find themselves signing contracts through the 2027–28 season.
The 2027–28 opening night lineup
First off, I won’t be predicting or creating any hypothetical trades for this lineup. I’ll only consider players who are currently in the Flames organization, potential 2025, 2026 and 2027 draft picks, and any current NHLers set to become free agents over the next three years. Let’s get into it.
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Connor Zary | Gavin McKenna* | Yegor Sharangovich |
| Jonathan Huberdeau (A) | Ivan Ryabkin* | Matt Coronato |
| Lawson Crouse* | Nazem Kadri | Andrew Basha |
| Martin Pospisil | Mikael Backlund (C) | Samuel Honzek |
| William Stromgren |
For the forward group, I tried to realistically predict which current forwards would still be around, which prospects could make the jump to the NHL by 2027, while also adding in some possible draft picks and free-agent signings.
Jonathan Huberdeau’s contract is probably the most unmoveable contract in the entire NHL and there’s a very low chance he’s gone by 2027. In Kadri’s case, everything that’s been reported is he wants to stick around and play a leadership role for the team, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see him continue to mentor the Flames young players over the next few years of his career as they get back to contention.
Yegor Sharangovich recently signed a five-year extension that doesn’t even kick in until 2025, so of any forward on the current roster he’s the most likely to stick around considering he’s still just 26 years old. I also have youngsters Matt Coronato, Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary still on the team. In terms of prospects, I’ve projected that Sam Honzek, Andrew Basha, and William Stromgren will be NHL regulars by 2027. Some other names I considered were Aydar Suniev and Matvei Gridin.
By 2027, Mikael Backlund will be 38 years old, but he currently sits just 220 games shy of breaking the franchise record for games played so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him re-up in 2026 in order to stick around and break the record.
The Flames desperately need centres for the future and there’s no better way to get them than through high draft picks. I’ve predicted the Flames get some incredible lottery luck over the next two drafts, because, well, why not? I have the team finishing in the bottom five in 2025 and selecting Russian centre Ivan Ryabkin, and then, of course, I had to have the Flames winning the Gavin McKenna lottery in 2026 to finally give the organization a first-overall draft pick and generational talent to build around.
Lastly, I threw in one free agent signing in Lawson Crouse. The three-time 20-goal scorer will be 30 years old and a free agent in 2027 and would be a great fit in a veteran bottom-six role given his size and scoring.
Defencemen
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| MacKenzie Weegar (A) | Cale Makar* |
| Kevin Bahl | Zayne Parekh |
| Simon Benoit* | Hunter Brzustewicz |
| Jeremie Poirier |
Unlike at forward where there are quite a few players on the 2024 roster still in the lineup in 2027, I think the group on defence will be much different. The Flames recently shipped out three regular members of their blueline and are currently in the early stages of building a new defence corps for the future. They possess one of the deepest prospect groups on defence in the entire NHL and I think by 2027 they will start to reap the rewards of that.
The only two current defenders I have on the 2027 roster are Weegar and Kevin Bahl. Like Kadri, Weegar has made it clear thus far that he wants to stick around and help guide a young Flames roster into a new era. He’s the picture-perfect candidate to lead the blueline over the next few years and by 2027 he’ll still be just 33 and should remain the team’s leader on defence. Bahl meanwhile was recently acquired and at just 24 years old the organization clearly sees a long-term future for him in Calgary. I think there’s a good chance he will become a staple in the team’s top-four by 2027.
In terms of new additions, I have two free-agent signings. The Flames are stacked with young offensive defencemen, but they lack gritty shutdown specialists. As a free agent in 2027 at the age of 29, I think Simon Benoit fits exactly what the team needs on their blueline. Next I of course have the local kid Cale Makar coming home in 2029. Everything just seems to be aligning perfectly for a homecoming for the Calder, Norris, and Smythe winner. As a free agent in 2027 at the age of 28 and with the Flames getting a new arena and entering a new era that same summer, it’s written in the stars that Makar will come home.
Lastly, I have three Flames prospects cracking the roster. The first of course is Zayne Parekh who by 2027 will be 21 years old and should be one of the team’s best young players. With Makar in the mix, Parekh can take on a sheltered second-pairing role to start out his career alongside a defence-first player like Bahl.
I also have Hunter Brzustewicz and Jeremie Poirier on the roster. Both are very similar players with similar ceilings and are really interchangeable in a third pairing and power play role. I also considered Henry Mews and Ettiene Morin here who are similar players.
Goaltenders
| G |
|---|
| Dustin Wolf |
| A guy |
There’s not much to elaborate on here. Dustin Wolf is one of the best goaltending prospects in the world and by far the only one in the Flames organization with starter potential. By 2027 he’ll be 26 years old and entering what should be the prime of his career. If he doesn’t work out, expect a free agent signing to be the Flames’ starter in 2027.
Looking to the future
With the Flames taking the rebuild more seriously and already making some hits with their 2024 draft haul, the future is certainly more exciting. Add in the fact that the arena will become a reality in a few short years and there’s plenty to look forward to. The roster they ice in the inaugural season for Scotia Place should be a part of that.
