It’s no secret that the start of the 2026–27 season has been ugly for the Calgary Flames. Even though they won their first game last night, a record of 1–5–0 still has them at the bottom of the standings. One of the main issues so far? Scoring goals. They now sit third last in goals for, and no one has more than four points or two goals.
Despite that, the Flames somehow, someway, have a player scoring at a point-per-game rate. That player? Aydar Suniev.
Suniev is looking fantastic
Will Suniev likely keep up this point-per-game pace? No, probably not. But even this early into the season, it’s quite the feat to be point-per-game on the Flames. The nicest thing about this whole scenario is that this is exactly what Suniev was called on to do.
After the Flames shocked almost everyone by placing Connor Zary on waivers, Suniev was recalled from the Calgary Wranglers to hopefully spark some offence after a strong preseason. Suniev spent his first game on the fourth line, but the past two games, he has been with Matt Coronato and Morgan Frost on the first line. And he’s been proving that he’s worthy of that position. Suniev is working on a two-game goal streak and also collected an assist in last night’s clash with the Anaheim Ducks. That brings his totals to two goals and three points in three games so far. Those two goals are tied for first on the Flames, and the three points are tied for second.
Again, Suniev is probably not going to score 80 points, but it feels fair to say he could go for 35–40 points. And that would be fantastic for a 21-year-old rookie. He appears to have very good chemistry on that top line, and his offensive skill set has some great traits. It’s hard not to mention his shot, as it’s incredibly versatile and lethal. He can rip lasers of wrist shots or wire off powerful one-timers.
Away from the shot, he still has good playmaking abilities and also has a very nice set of hands. The offensive talent has made me a believer in Suniev the moment he was drafted; the only concern is his skating. However, the skating looks much improved since 2023. I’ve always thought Suniev had the potential to be a top-six option for the Flames, and if things continue to trend in this direction, that’s what he’ll end up being.
