Hi Ryan! Is Zayne Parekeh still eligible for an AHL conditioning stint? If so, how long could he go down for?
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FlamesNation Mailbag: Talking trade possibilities, buyouts and prospects
Photo credit: Mike Gould
We’re midway through the 2025-26 season, gang, and the Calgary Flames are… sorta hanging around just outside of the playoff picture.
As the Flames prepare to close out their current homestand and look ahead to a two week, five game road trip, let’s delve into the mailbag!
My understanding is that Zayne Parekh would still be eligible for a conditioning stint – only one, for a maximum of two weeks – but what I’m not clear on is if he would need to be scratched for five games first to qualify. If he had gone straight from the injury reserve to the active roster, then he would be eligible without being scratched first, but I’m not clear on how the World Junior stint would impact things.
It’s hard to argue that a player requires a conditioning stint if he’s just played seven high-level games and won a medal.
Update from later on Monday: on Flames Talk on Monday afternoon, Steinberg clarified that Parekh would need to sit for five games in a row to qualify for the conditioning stint.
Whaf are the chances Zary gets traded before next year?
I’d put it at 20%. Connor Zary’s a pretty good, versatile player, but he’s had an unclear role with the Flames over the past year and a bit, and he has yet to return to the level of play he showed before his knee injuries. Some team may think they could buy low on him, but I don’t know if the Flames would accept a “buy low” price for him.
1. Why has Battaglia struggled this season? 2. Which player is a good style comparison for Wyttenbach? 3. Do you think Potter and/Reschny should turn pro after this season, or another year of college would benefit both players?
1) Honestly, Jacob Battaglia’s Kingston Frontenacs have a lesser supporting cast than they did a year ago. Combine that with a dip in his shooting percentage – from 16.7% last year to 13.0% this year – and his numbers have taken quite a tumble.
2) That’s a tough one. Right now, I’d point to Matt Coronato as a decent comparable to Ethan Wyttenbach as a fellow right shot forward, except that Coronato had a more dangerous shot.
3) Honestly, unless you have a top six centre spot available with the Wranglers – and a clear path to the NHL if they impress – I think it may be better for Cullen Potter and Cole Reschny to remain in college.
What would a Huberdeau buyout look like? When is anyone going to admit it’s just not gonna work for him here. Let him go somewhere else
Do we need Jarome to walk into the dressing room n smash some sense in Huberdud? Top guy cannot perform like this. Especially with his frame. It's absolutely embarrassing
Man, Jonathan Huberdeau is a perplexing player sometimes. On one hand, we’ve seen him play extremely well in the recent past. He’s built up his two-way game to the point where he’s a rock-solid 200-foot player and he can play with a lot of different players and in different situations. But man, he’s struggled over the past 10-15 games. Yeah, he’s put up some points over the last little while, but his line has been underwater in terms of expected goals and scoring chances for and against.
You don’t buy out or trade away a player based on a weak stretch. But Huberdeau has to get his swagger back before too long if the Flames want to have any chance of making the post-season. And the cap savings for a Huberdeau buyout would be basically nothing over the next four years. (There’s really no tangible cap savings until 2030-31.) So it seems prudent to ride things out and hope Huberdeau bounces back.
Who are you removing from this roster to make room for Gridin and Honzek possibly Kerins next season?
Matvei Gridin and Sam Honzek both looked really good in the NHL this season. I’d say Honzek is probably someone you need to make a full-time spot for, while Gridin might need a little more AHL time… but he’s not far off. Both of them probably need to have top nine spots, so if the Flames get offers on established wingers, that could be a positive side effect of a trade.
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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Breaking News
- Flames prospect roundup: Jacob Battaglia plays his final games for the Frontenacs
- Flames roster news: Zayne Parekh has rejoined the team following World Juniors
- Flames injury news: John Beecher out week-to-week with upper body injury, placed on injury reserve
- Zayne Parekh and Cole Reschny were outstanding at the World Juniors
- Flames weekly notebook: What should the Flames do with Zayne Parekh?