The Zayne Parekh era in Calgary has officially begun. The Flames recalled their star defensive prospect from the OHL on Tuesday afternoon. Flames fans are excited for the potential see the 9th overall pick from the 2024 draft in game action over the next nine days.

The question now becomes when will we see Parekh play for the Flames?

Should Ryan Huska put him in the lineup for must win games down the stretch?

Or should Huska wait to play Parekh until the Flames are mathematically eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Let’s take a look at both sides of the argument and come to a conclusion at the end of the article.

Simply put, Zayne Parekh will make the Calgary Flames a better hockey team with him in the lineup.

What do the Flames need help with? Scoring goals. Creating offence. The power play. Parekh has the potential to make a positive difference in all of those aspects of the Flames game. He brings an elite set of offensive skills to the Flames. It’s something that this team does not have.

He’s coming off a couple historic campaigns in the OHL where he became the first defenceman since Bobby Orr to score 30 goals in consecutive years. This season, he led OHL defencemen in points with 107 and plus/minus with a +42

Parekh can be an asset when it comes to moving the puck up the ice to his forwards, and carrying the puck up the ice with possession making plays. Something the third pair has had difficulty with at times recently.

One of Parekh’s most impressive skills is his ability to walk the blueline and get pucks through traffic on net. That is exactly what the second power play unit needs right now. Parekh is would already be an upgrade on Rasmus Andersson on PP2 even as a 19 year old.

The key for the coaching staff would be setting Parekh up for success. Play him in a sheltered role on the third pairing at 5-on-5 along side Jake Bean. Let him quarterback the second power play unit. Don’t play him on the penalty kill. Set low expectations for the player and the fan base.

And it’s not like the Flames are playing upper echelon teams in the NHL over the next few games. You’re playing Parekh against the Ducks, Wild, and Sharks. The Kings and Golden Knights will be likely sit their star players. Parekh isn’t going to be matched up against the leagues best players.

In order to get Parekh in the lineup and play him on his strong side, the Flames would have to sit a guy like Brayden Pachal which wouldn’t be a huge deal as he has been a healthy scratch in six of the last 17 games.

The Calgary Flames are in the middle of a push to the playoffs where every game is a must win. Asking a 19 year old defenceman to play his first NHL game under those circumstances is a lot of pressure to put on his shoulders, even if he does play a limited role.

The jump from the OHL to the NHL is huge, especially at this time of year. Going from playing 17-20 year olds in Saginaw, to playing against grown men will be a major adjustment. And it might be too much too soon.

There is no denying that Parekh has the offensive skillset to play in the NHL. He would instantly become the most talented defender on the Calgary Flames.

But the concern for many fans and Flames observers is the play in his own end. The knock against Parekh throughout his junior career has been that he is a poor defender. We saw that from Parekh during the Penticton rookie camp, Flames training camp, and the preseason. He looked overwhelmed and had a difficult time keeping up with the pace of pro hockey.

The Calgary Flames play in a lot of one goal games. In fact, Calgary leads the NHL in the most time spent playing in close games (tied, leading by 1, trailing by one).

Do you really want a 19 year old who is prone to defensive gaffs in his own end to be playing in tight checking, must win games? There is a risk to having him playing on a third pairing.

On top of all that, Parekh hasn’t even skated with the team yet. Today’s morning skate will be his first time on the ice with his NHL teammates since training camp. Is he going to be able to get up to speed quick enough to be able to be in lockstep with his teammates?

Speaking of his teammates, how would they feel about seeing one of their own be a healthy scratch for a 19 year old straight out of the OHL? This is a group that has got to this point together, why break that up now?

I think having Zayne Parekh in the Flames lineup gives them a better chance to win than with him in the press box. He brings a elite offensive skillset to a Calgary team that desperately needs help generating offence and scoring goals. That has been their achilles heel all season.

If they were a good offensive team and needed help defending, then putting a guy like Parekh in the lineup wouldn’t make sense. But because they struggle to score as much as they do, I don’t think it makes sense leaving the greatest offensive defensemen in modern OHL history in the stands when your team needs to score more goals.

Could he have a couple blunders in his own end? Yes, of course. At the same time there have been a lot of blunders and turnovers from guys like Rasmus Andersson, Jake Bean, and Brayden Pachal this season. Making mistakes is part of the game. Blunders don’t worry me. Not scoring goals is what worries me. And if Parekh can help generate some goals, then it’s worth the risk of playing him.

I don’t see an issue playing Parekh on a third pair at 5-on-5 and get him to run the second power play unit. Give him a limited role and set realistic expectations and I think he’ll be fine. No one is expecting him to come in and be a saviour.