With the Calgary Flames set to deploy a veteran-laden lineup in their preseason clash with the Vancouver Canucks at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday, fans will get the opportunity to take a first look at the team’s three major offseason acquisitions on home ice.

Simon Nemec, Jake Middleton, and Maxim Tsyplakov are all expected to take part in the exhibition matchup, which will also serve as the final preseason game in the four-decade history of the iconic Saddledome.

QR Calgary’s Pat Steinberg shared the Flames’ projected lineup on Tuesday morning. The game group almost perfectly matches what the Flames have been calling “Team Red” during their 2026 training camp.

Nemec was by far the biggest name acquired by Flames GM Craig Conroy over the summer, and the 22-year-old rearguard will skate on the team’s top pairing alongside former New Jersey Devils teammate Kevin Bahl. Meanwhile, Middleton will be paired up with young dynamo Zayne Parekh, while additional Devils acquisition Tsyplakov will join Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka on the fourth line.

The Flames acquired Nemec and Tsyplakov from New Jersey on June 23, sending a pair of future first-round picks, a 2027 second-round pick, and defence prospect Etienne Morin to the Devils in exchange for the two NHLers. Nemec, who will wear No. 71 in Calgary, was drafted second overall in 2022 and racked up 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games with New Jersey in 2025-26; Tsyplakov, who now dons No. 72, managed just four points in 49 games split between the Devils and New York Islanders in 2025-26 after having amassed 10 goals and 35 points as a rookie on Long Island in 2024-25.

Middleton came from the Minnesota Wild in early July as part of a trade which also involved Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta going to the State of Hockey (and three draft picks heading to Calgary). A product of Wainwright, Alta. who will now wear No. 55 in Calgary, Middleton scored two goals and 16 points in 75 games with the Wild in 2025-26 and also appeared in 11 playoff contests with the club.

While Nemec certainly has the most potential of the group, Tsyplakov might be the most unknown quantity. The Russian winger has impressive size (he’s 6’3″, 203) and posted genuinely strong two-way underlying results to go along with his decent production with the Islanders in 2024-25. He’s also 28, and neither the Islanders nor the Devils seemed to have any clue what to do with him last season. According to Steinberg, both Nemec and Tsyplakov will feature on the Flames’ second power-play unit in Tuesday’s game, which is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. Mountain.