🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥 Matvei Gridin makes an incredible pass to Morgan Frost who scores on the power play! 🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames
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The Flames’ power play struggled to produce in 2025-26

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Pals, it’s not a secret that the 2025-26 edition of the Calgary Flames lacked high-end, elite offensive skill. That’s not meant as a slight or an insult. Heck, it’s something that head coach Ryan Huska alluded to when discussing his team’s lack of a player with more than 45 points.
So in the context of a team that lacked game-breaking skill – at least right now – you would suspect that special teams would be crucial in them trying to claw into the post-season after falling agonizingly short in 2024-25. (They lost out on a playoff spot by the regulation wins tiebreaker, something a key power play goal or timely penalty kill could have prevented.)
Well, the Flames struggled at key times during 2025-26, and their special teams just weren’t enough to make up the difference.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy brought it up during his remarks to the media during exit interviews.
“We’re going to have to have more… power play’s going to have to be better. You know, I did see some promising things the way they were moving the puck around. We need to have a better power play. A penalty kill was good at times. We had some tough stretches, but that happens during the year. But special teams is going to be huge.”
Power play personnel in 2025-26
The Flames’ power play was run by assistant coach Cail MacLean this past season, just as it was in the prior campaign.
The most-used Flames on the power play changed throughout the year due to some departures, but the most prominent and consistent names seen on the man advantage were Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost, Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Rasmus Andersson, Yegor Sharangovich and Connor Zary. After the trade deadline, Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund, Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh became part of the rotation.
The power play in 2025-26
In 2024-25, the power play was 19th in the NHL, converting on 21.0% of man advantages. In 2025-26, its efficacy dropped to just 16.2% – the lowest conversion rate since 2017-18 – and was ranked 31st in the NHL.
The Flames players know they have to perform better on the man advantage going forward.
“Cail [MacLean] gives us the blueprint all the time,” said Frost. “I think he’s one of my favourite coaches I’ve ever had. Very smart, and, you know, we didn’t do it for him. We didn’t produce for him. And, yeah, I think, you know, the second half of the year, it was better. I don’t know what the numbers are, but it felt better. It felt like we were getting better chances. I think we need to get in the zone and set up better. And then, yeah, just more shots with traffic. It’s hard with the way penalty kills are now. They’re so aggressive. And I feel like sometimes we would get stuck around the outside of the zone and trying to pass instead of getting the puck to the net and maybe scoring some dirtier goals. So I’m sure it’s something we’ll talk about, look at. But, yeah, the power play needs to be better, and that’s on the guys that were on it all year for sure.”
Flames head coach Ryan Huska discussed team speed a lot during his chat with the media during exit interviews, and related that concept to the power play.
“Again, when we talk about the speed of the game, that’s something that has to change for our power play and that isn’t the foot speed type part of it, it’s the puck speed where I think we have to be a lot quicker with what we do to move the puck instead of handling it, handling it, making a play. Far too many times we allow penalty kills to get themselves into position and we didn’t make them have to defend under our pressure, is maybe the best way that I would put it. I mean the other thing I would say, Adding, you know, Matvei [Gridin], he created a different dynamic on our power play because he sees the game a little bit differently. You know, you look at the goal last night that Morgan Frost scored. Not a lot of players see that developing the way he does. So he’s going to have an impact on improving and moving forward. Zayne [Parekh]’s development that we saw as this year progressed is going to help our power play moving forward. That’s a little bit about why I’m optimistic, too, that that’s going to change. I think the guys have an understanding that, again, the speed, we have to change how we do some things, but we’re also adding pieces that are more geared towards that type of game.”
Yeah, we’re gonna show off that Frost goal in Game 82 for posterity.
Who do you want to see more of on the Flames’ power play in 2026-27? Are Gridin and Parekh the key to turning it around next season? Let us know in the comments!
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