We are now just one year away from the opening of Scotia Place. As we enter the final season of hockey at the Saddledome, the Flames’ roster outlook is becoming clearer for the 2027-28 season.
This projected lineup should, of course, come with a grain of salt. It’s impossible to fully predict how an NHL team’s lineup will look in a year. However, the Flames have mostly traded their major trade chips over the past year, so the selling will likely slow down considerably now.
Let’s have some fun and predict how the Flames will line up in a year to open up their state-of-the-art building.
Flames under contract in 2027–28
First, let’s take a look at who the Flames currently have under contract in 2027–28 when Scotia Place opens up. The list is very long already after re-signing core players, signing draft picks, and bringing in veterans in trades.
| Player | Age in October 2027 |
|---|---|
| Mikael Backlund | 38 |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | 34 |
| Jacob Middleton | 31 |
| Zach Whitecloud | 30 |
| Devin Cooley | 30 |
| Yegor Sharangovich | 29 |
| Kevin Bahl | 27 |
| Joel Farabee | 27 |
| Martin Pospisil | 27 |
| Dustin Wolf | 26 |
| Conner Zary | 26 |
| Matt Coronato | 24 |
| Simon Nemec | 23 |
| Samuel Honzek | 22 |
| Jonathan Castagna | 22 |
| Axel Hurtig | 22 |
| Matvei Gridin | 21 |
| Zayne Parekh | 21 |
| Andrew Basha | 21 |
| Theo Stockselius | 20 |
As it stands, the Flames already have 20 players under contract for the 2027-28 season. That list includes 12 forwards, six defenders, and two goalies.
In the past year, Craig Conroy has locked up Matt Coronato, Dustin Wolf, Kevin Bahl, and Simon Nemec to long-term deals. He’s also handed out ELC contracts to Jonathan Castagna, Theo Stockselius, and Andrew Basha.
Of the group, 15 of the 20 will be below the age of 30 in October of 2027. In fact, nine will be below 25.
The 2027–28 opening night lineup
For this lineup, I’ve considered the Flames’ current organizational depth charts, potential free agent signings, and the 2027 NHL Draft. I won’t be considering hypothetical trades.
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Matvei Gridin | Ryan Strome | Matt Coronato |
| Jonathan Huberdeau (A) | Cole Reschny | Joel Farabee |
| Sam Honzek | Milan Sundström* | Yegor Sharangovich |
| Martin Pospisil | Mikael Backlund (C) | Aydar Suniev |
| Jonathan Castagna |
A changing of the guard at forward
I’m predicting that Morgan Frost, Connor Zary, and Adam Klapka will all be gone before October 2027. I just don’t see any of the three mentioned names having long-term futures in Calgary, at least at the NHL level.
Veterans staying in Calgary
Both Huberdeau and Sharangovich are on immovable contracts and won’t be going anywhere. Backlund, meanwhile, is fully committed to staying in Calgary and remaining captain to end his career. Farabee seems to have earned a lot of respect around the organization, even wearing an A last season, so I have him sticking around.
While he’s certainly not a veteran, Matt Coronato is quickly becoming one of the more experienced forwards on the Flames’ young roster and won’t be going anywhere.
Ryan Strome may seem like a surprise addition here given he’s a pending UFA, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Conroy keep him around on a short-term deal. The Flames are devoid of veteran bodies down the middle, and he could provide a perfect stop gap while the teams younger centre’s adapt to the NHL.
Young guns taking over
Among prospects making the leap in 2027-28, I have Cole Reschny, Aydar Suniev and Jonathan Castagna playing NHL minutes in 2027-28. I also have Matvei Gridin (obviously) and Sam Honzek as regular NHLers in 2027-28.
I debated putting Ethan Wyttenbach here, but I believe the organization will want him playing at least one year of AHL hockey after leaving college before making the jump to the NHL.
Draft dreaming
The 2027 draft is arguably the most important in Flames history. The Flames desperately need a high-end centre prospect, and the top of the 2027 draft class is full of them. I’ll predict they fail to land a top three pick once again, but land Swedish centre Milan Sundström in the 4-6 range.
Defencemen
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Kevin Bahl | Simon Nemec |
| Zayne Parekh | Zach Whitecloud |
| Jacob Middleton | Hunter Brzustewicz |
| Yan Kuznetsov |
Key veterans sticking around
Kevin Bahl is a key pillar of the Flames’ defensive future. The 26-year-old is locked up for another five years and won’t be going anywhere. Although Zach Whitecloud has been in numerous trade rumours, I think the organization values his leadership too much to move him until they absolutely have to.
Jacob Middleton was just acquired in the Blake Coleman deal and seems like an obvious vibes veteran presence to keep around for the bottom of the lineup.
Youngsters taking over
The Flames just paid a massive price for Simon Nemec and then made him the third-highest-paid player on the team. He’ll be on the top pairing for a while. Zayne Parekh, meanwhile, should be inching closer to stardom by 2027-28 with another year under his belt. Lastly, Hunter Brzustewicz proved last year he’s a solid NHL defenceman and deserves the final spot on the blueline.
I have Yan Kuznetsov pencilled in as the extra. His underlying results were horrific last year, but he seems to have earned the trust of Ryan Huska, and there aren’t any other young defencemen ready for NHL minutes.
Goaltenders
| G |
|---|
| Dustin Wolf |
| Devin Cooley |
There’s not much to explain here. Dustin Wolf is the present and future of the Flames’ crease, and will still be just 26 years old when the 2027-28 season starts. Devin Cooley, meanwhile, was superb last season and earned an extension. I’d be shocked if he isn’t the backup for game one at Scotia Place.
Things are looking up
For the first time in years, things are starting to look up for the Calgary Flames. The Flames could have one of their most exciting young lineups in decades for game one at Scotia Place.
