Hanley and Pachal have been very good Flames. Could you see either of them moved (or even waived) to make sure Hunter B. isn't blocked for NHL minutes and experience? Whitecloud, Middleton, Bahl, Nemec, Parekh, Brzu..., Kuznetsov is already 7.
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FlamesNation Mailbag: Juggling defensive spots, media changes, and what’s left this off-season?
Photo credit: Mike Gould
Pals, we’re nearing the middle of August and we’ve got about a month left until the hockey season starts to get going again with training camp. With the 2026 edition of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup behind us – hooray for Canada winning gold – you could argue that the hockey season may have already begun.
With the sands of the summer still working through the hourglass, let’s dive into the mailbag!
It feels like at least one on Whitecloud/Middleton/Pachal/Hanley shouldn't be on the Flames roster at the start of the season, unless there are injuries.
Here’s my issue right now: how do the Flames give all their young defenders quality reps right now? There is zero point in having Hunter Brzustewicz on the NHL roster unless he’s playing virtually every game. But on the right side, even if you expect Brayden Pachal to be an AHLer or a paid NHL spectator, is it in the best developmental interests for Brzustewicz to be playing third pairing minutes? Because Zayne Parekh and Simon Nemec are going to be prioritized, and while you can flex Parekh to the left to play with Zach Whitecloud if you want, that scenario still has Brzustewicz on the third pairing with Yan Kuznetsov (or Jacob Middleton).
Right now, the path of least resistance is sending the waiver exempt Brzustewicz to be The Guy on the AHL blueline until an NHL everyday defender gets traded or injured. My everyday NHLers right now are Kevin Bahl, Simon Nemec, Jacob Middleton, Zayne Parekh, Yan Kuznetsov and Zach Whitecloud, with Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal as extras.
What’s the plan for radio broadcasts? The flames have been very silent on demise of fan 960. For a “small market” team they should be more upfront on their plans.
Why would flames ownership not step up and start a 24 hr sports talk radio in Calgary, should be profitable
Honestly, my suspicion is that the Flames are figuring out their audio broadcast plans for 2026-27, but it doesn’t do anybody any good for them to ponder their options in public – we never see press releases that say “we’re figuring it out,” nor should we. I would be shocked if they don’t have something in place by early September, the time where we usually get broadcast information for the coming season announced.
As for 24-hour talk radio… it’s tough to make it economically viable for a traditional talk radio station to work because operations and logistics can be pricey. But if you look at what we’ve seen tried out in places like Vancouver, Winnipeg and Edmonton, some sort of hybrid model can work. If you’re expecting anyone to clone FAN 960 and just throw it on another AM station, I’m not sure if that’s the right play. But I do hope we see some creativity that creates some additional coverage and ideally some jobs for the many talented lads and ladies that are out of work right now.
What’s your take on all these reductions of Flames media. It’s weird to me with a 2 million ish people population, new arena, young exciting team to watch in a couple years that it’s getting harder to watch and or listen to hockey if you’re a flames fan.
More people covering the beat is always better. I think I’m reasonably smart, but if the only perspective fans got on the team was mine, I think that would be kind of boring. Heck, being surrounded by really smart, talented, curious colleagues has made me better, and I would rather be surrounded by more of those types of people than fewer, because they can teach me things and make me better – and that makes everyone’s work better, and life better for the fans.
So in short: a reduction of people covering this team, or any team, is not great. I hope the trend reverses.
What might Flames management be doing at this juncture of the offseason? Might we see any deals from now to the start of training camp?
It’s been quiet for awhile now, what’s the next big bit of Flames news we get?
The Flames’ to-do list right now is basically just figuring out the new deal for restricted free agent Brennan Othmann. Aside from that, they’ve gotten their big pieces of business done and now it’s just getting their ducks in a row for the coming season.
Ryan, any games that you have circled on this upcoming schedule and the reason why that Flames fans might be overlooking? Thanks!
I think the four meetings between the Flames and the San Jose Sharks could be a lot of fun, especially with how fast the Sharks are and how many fun young players are in their system.
Which if any of the Flames 19 year old CHL prospects will be playing in the AHL this year?
I’m bugging people in the know to give me a bit of clarity on what 19-year-olds would be eligible to play in the AHL this season – the last time I saw something somewhat definitive, it was that only first-rounders would be eligible. I’ll let you know what I find out.
Right now, the Flames’ 19-year-olds – players born in 2007 – from the CHL are D Jakob Leander (joining the Hitmen), D Mace’o Phillips (joining Medicine Hat), F Chase Harrington (headed back to Spokane) and D Bode Laylin (joining Everett). Harrington would be the best candidate of the four listed, but if it’s limited to first-rounders he still wouldn’t be eligible.
The short answer is I don’t think the Flames send any CHLers to the AHL as 19-year-olds this season.
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Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
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