What is the acceptable range of number of season until the flames start getting good again? 2-4? Anything less than 2 feels like we are rushing it and won’t collect enough lottery/star talent Anything more than 3 or 4 starts to feel like were may be wandering the desert
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
FlamesNation Mailbag: Talking the rebuild, bad contracts, golf and more!
Photo credit: Mike Gould
Friends, we’re into the latter part of the off-season. September will soon be upon us, and with it fun things like training camp, rookie camp, and pre-season hockey.
As the summer winds down, onto the mailbag!
There’s no precise answer, but I would argue that you would hope the Flames start seeing a bit of upward mobility in the standings starting in 2027-28. The Flames already have recent draft picks like Sam Honzek, Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh moving into the NHL lineup. That trio are potentially being joined by Carson Carels, Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter and Ethan Wyttenbach as soon as this spring. As the young players take over the balance of the lineup, you’re hoping that they get better, take on key roles, and then help with the uplift.
If the Flames remain muddled in the bottom of the standings, that probably means that uplift from young players in key roles isn’t happening. One more year of asset accumulation is probably what the Flames need, but after that, the aim is probably to start climbing up that ladder again.
Which current and former flame are the best at golf?
I cannot admit to having intimate knowledge of everyone’s golf prowess, so I did some poking around.
Among current Flames, Jonathan Huberdeau is purported to be very good. Among former Flames, Dan Quinn has a reputation as an excellent golfer who won a few prominent pro-am celebrity tournaments in his day.
After watching some of contracts what is the Worst nhl contract of all time? Dipietro? There are quite a few bad ones out there…
For the curious, goaltender Rick DiPietro signed a 15 year, $67.5 million contract in 2006. That’s a $4.5 million cap hit over 15 years. He was hammered by injuries after signing his deal, though, and his deal was bought out with eight seasons left on it, and he’ll be getting paid by the Islanders through the end of the 2028-29 season – it was a compliance buyout after the 2012-13 lockout, so at least it doesn’t carry a cap penalty.
I cannot think of a contract worse than that in terms of being a risky gamble that blew up on them. DiPietro had played two full NHL seasons at the time of the signing. (It wasn’t so much the cap hit that sunk them, but the length of the deal; DiPietro at half the contract length would’ve still been way too long.)
Ryan are you going part flames radio now on qr770 Corus entertainment
Nope.
In your opinion, what’s bothersome about this current Flames roster?
Honestly, for where they are, not a ton. They’re in a position where there’s a huge opportunity for the younger guys to grab hold of bigger spots and grow their games, and no obvious incumbent veterans to block their progression up the lineup. But you still have veterans you can use to insulate them from ugly deployments when you need to. It’s a nice balancing act. Eventually you need to take the water wings off and chuck them into the deep end, but for right now, they’re in good shape.
Excited for Flames talk to be on the radio. When will 770 start coverage?
My expectation is sometime in the first week of September. I suspect we’ll hear more when they announce more details about QR77’s coverage and how they plan on structuring it.
When do the Flames get back on the ice for camp? Are we expecting any prospects scrimmage or straight to main camp?
Per usual, there will be a prospects training camp starting in mid-September, following the start of main camp the following week. Our suspicion is that the Flames will try to organize some sort of prospects game or scrimmage during that camp, but we’ll hopefully hear more on that as we get into September.
What do you think will be the FIRST official event held in the new arena? Will the Flames play their pre-season games in there or just start on the road
My understanding of the current plan: the intention is for pre-season Calgary Flames homes games in 2027-28 to be used as stress tests for the new building as a hockey venue. Depending on when the keys get turned over, though, I wouldn’t be shocked if a concert or two are used in late summer 2027 to make sure all the bells and whistles are working before hockey begins.
Name one current and former flame who would fit in in House of Torture
Ex-Flame David Wolf would’ve made an excellent professional wrestler: physically imposing, surprisingly mobile, and with a tremendous name, too. Of the current crew, let’s go with Adam Klapka. Imagine him grabbing an opponent in a bear hug.
The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda
Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.
Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at www.villagehonda.com.
Breaking News
- FlamesNation Mailbag: Talking the rebuild, bad contracts, golf and more!
- Greatest Saddledome Games: The Flames return to the Cup Final against Tampa Bay (May 29, 2004)
- FN’s 2026 Flames summer prospect rankings – #14: Jonathan Castagna
- Greatest Saddledome Games: Taming the Sharks to return to the Stanley Cup Final (May 19, 2004)
- FN’s 2026 Flames summer prospect rankings – #15: Mace’o Phillips
Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$89,116,666
$70,041,666
Projected Cap Space
$14,883,334
$43,458,334
Current Cap Space
$14,883,334
$43,458,334
Active Players
23/23
16/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
1
2
1
2
3
2
3
1
2