Story by
5 Flames Players Under the Most Pressure in 2026-27
- Story by
- 5 Flames Players Under the Most Pressure in 2026-27
The Calgary Flames will have an interesting season in 2026-27. First, they will be looking to score more goals and avoid being the lowest-scoring team in the NHL for the second consecutive season. Second, the club will aim to finish higher than the third-worst in the Western Conference and stay in the wild card race for much longer, as they did in 2024-25. And, finally, it is going to be the last season of hockey at the Scotiabank Saddledome, so barring a playoff game, the lights go out on April 12.
As if that wasn't enough pressure on an organization approaching 40 years without a Stanley Cup title , this year's roster is loaded with players who are under a lot of pressure to either be better or stay consistent enough to carry the team when needed. Today, we look at a couple of names who will dominate the Flames news cycles for the upcoming season.
Advertisement
5 Flames Players Under the Most Pressure in 2026-27
1. Jonathan Huberdeau
Instead of saving him for last, we lead off with Jonathan Huberdeau, who will make $10.5 million this year , and his best performance in a Flames sweater came in 2024-25, when he had 62 points. Considering it will be nearly impossible to trade him without retaining a significant portion of his contract, Calgary can only hope that after shutting himself down for surgery, a healthy Huberdeau can help the club take a step forward in its rebuild.
2. Matt Coronato
After a career-high 24 goals in 2024-25, Matt Coronato regressed a bit last year, only tallying 18 goals, fourth best on the team. Of course, it's no secret that the Flames can't score , but he's one of the pillars of this rebuild and Calgary's top winger, meaning that anything less than 20 goals would be considered a disappointment. There's an argument that Coronato's supporting cast is weak, but as a pure natural goal scorer, it shouldn't matter.
Advertisement
Connor Zary
It wasn't long ago that Connor Zary was shaping up to become the Flames' top center, a player the franchise has desperately sought for years. However, once he suffered a knee injury in early 2025, it seems he hasn't been the same. As a late first-round pick, Zary has yet to live up to expectations, never reaching 15 goals or surpassing 35 points in a single season. He is about to enter the second season of a three-year deal signed in 2025, but without breaking through that proverbial glass ceiling and becoming an impact player, he could find himself on the trade block sooner rather than later.
Dustin Wolf
The only reason goalie Dustin Wolf is on the list is that an entire city is pinning its playoff hopes on his shoulders, hoping he can turn into Dominic Hasek, who led the Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup Final in 1998 while winning the Hart Trophy. In 2024-25, Wolf suffered through his first losing season in professional hockey, ultimately because the team in front of him couldn't score enough goals to win games at the other end. As the gem of the Flames rebuild, the organization can only go as far as Wolf carries them, as he's the last line of defense.
Advertisement
Simon Nemec
As one of the newest acquisitions, coming to Calgary via a trade with the New Jersey Devils , defenseman Simon Nemec is under no pressure, or is he? At 22, the former second overall pick just had a career-high of 11 goals and 26 points, but was not the man guy on the Devils' blueline. Now, he's going to be one of the Flames' top defenders for the next half-decade with a $36.2 million contract. As another young promising star in the making, the only pressure Nemec will be under is to ensure he begins his Calgary tenure on the right foot and not leave the fanbase to wonder why he was acquired in the first place.
