The 2026–27 season is a rebuild year for the Calgary Flames, which means it’s time to try things out and let the kids play. One player who deserves that opportunity is 21-year-old Aydar Suniev. The winger is coming off his first full season at the pro level and has shown he can compete at the higher level.
Stellar preseason
The main point to this is that Suniev played extremely well during the preseason. Through two games, he notched three goals, which tied him for first on the team with Matvei Gridin and Joel Farabee, with Farabee having also played two games and Gridin playing in three. Each time he was out on the ice, he was noticeable. He was arguably the Flames’ best player during the preseason and was tied for second in goals in the entire NHL during that time.
It goes beyond the surface, too, however. According to Natural Stat Trick, in his first preseason game against the Seattle Kraken, Suniev was second on the Flames in Individual Chances For, with five. The only player who was ahead of him? Zayne Parekh. His two High Danger Chances For were tied with Rory Kerins for the team lead as well. Additionally, all of that was only in 10:13 of ice time.
His second game was much of the same, creating two Individual Scoring Chances For. Off the puck, he was much more active as well, landing three hits and two blocked shots. He saw more ice time as Head Coach Ryan Huska rewarded him for his play.
He outplayed those who currently have a spot in the lineup over him.
Space in lineup
As for where he would play, as mentioned above, there are some players on the roster who Suniev outplayed in the preseason. On the fourth line, the two wingers are Adam Klapka and Maxim Tsyplakov. Suniev and Brennan Othmann—who has been a healthy scratch until last night—would be more compelling in those roles. Klapka and Tsyplakov are 26 and 28, respectively. In contrast, Suniev is only 21, and Othmann is only 23. For a rebuilding team, playing those latter two makes the most sense. Getting them not only acclimated to the game, but also letting them develop and grow their games.
The two of them fit the Flames’ timeline much more than Klapka and Tsyplakov, and as a rebuilding team, you want to inject as much youth and speed as possible. That’s something Suniev brings.
