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FlamesNation Mailbag: One quarter through the 2025-26 season
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Photo credit: Mike Gould
Ryan Pike
Nov 17, 2025, 12:45 ESTUpdated: Nov 17, 2025, 11:52 EST
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The Calgary Flames have played 20 games out of their 82 scheduled games during the 2025-26 regular season. They are, at present, 32nd in a 32-team league in points and points percentage.
As we ponder the path forward with 62 games left to go, let’s check in with the mailbag!
The Flames were carrying 13 forwards prior to the injury to Sam Honzek, with Yegor Sharangovich serving as the extra forward for the past few games. With Honzek hurt, it would be surprising if Sharangovich didn’t slot in.
I don’t know if Sharangovich’s downturn this season – and a bit last season – is necessarily anybody’s fault. He’s a talented offensive player that had the confidence to go to tough areas and get shots off because he was getting rewarded. He’s gone cold and he’s less likely to go to those tough areas. If he was going to the tough areas, he might get rewarded. But because he hasn’t scored often, he seems to lack the confidence to drive to those areas. It’s almost a chicken-and-egg thing, and I don’t know what they can do about it.
As the saying goes, the only way out is through for Sharangovich.
I think there’s value to be had with Yegor Sharangovich, either as a trade chip or as a hockey player, but the way he’s playing I think it’s super tough to see that. And if we’re being completely honest, when Sharangovich is playing the way he has been recently and the size and length of his contract, you’re only getting somebody else’s problem contract in a trade – think James Neal for Milan Lucic.
Man, I really like Connor Zary as a player on paper.
He’s fast. He’s dynamic. He’s smart. And, on paper, it feels helpful that he can play whatever position you need him to. But I also think that at this point in his career, he needs a steady position and a steady role. And all due respect to Zary, but I do not think him being fourth line centre makes much sense to help move his development along. He needs to be in offensive situations to really develop to his potential.
The problem right now is that the Flames have too many top nine forwards and not enough top nine spots. I look at the three centre spots held by Nazem Kadri, Morgan Frost and Mikael Backlund and I don’t think Zary can take any of them right now. And on the wing, I don’t know if I prefer him on the top nine wing spots over the players who are there right now.
In other words: Zary needs a top nine spot, but he’s in no man’s land right now because of the numbers game on the roster.
Let’s go rapid-fire!
1) I think right now would be a good time to try out William Stromgren. (Postmedia’s Wes Gilberton suggested it recently on social media and I think it makes a ton of sense.)
2) Trevor Hoskin is such a fascinating prospect. He’s a right shot forward that scored really consistently in a bad Atlantic Hockey America conference last season… and has gotten off to a nice start in the tougher ECAC conference this season. I think he probably tops out as a bottom-six winger at the pro level, but it’s quite nice to find a player with his offensive pep in the fourth round.
3) I think the Flames end up with two or three picks in the first round of the upcoming draft. My gut feel is that if they get high picks in the coming drafts for some of their expiring assets, they’re for the 2027 or 2027 draft instead.
The Flames get an F for their record. They’re 5-12-3, dead-last in the NHL. Due respect to them, but I don’t think we can give them a higher letter grade.
The Flames get a B- for their effort. I don’t think effort has been lacking this season. Execution has definitely been lacking at times and that’s why their record is so dreadful, but I can’t fault them for their effort.
Ethan Wyttenbach is another superb draft choice. A fifth-round pick from June’s draft, he’s quietly been one of the NCAA’s top freshman scorers in a freshman class that includes Gavin goddamn McKenna. He’s still super-young and needs to fill out physically, and his play away from the puck is merely just fine, so we imagine he’ll spend at least another season in college. But all things considered, as an 18-year-old, he’s really, really impressing with his consistency.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan.Pike [at] BetterCollective.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)

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