It’s go time for the Calgary Flames.

Just-extended captain Mikael Backlund, plus Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar, Dustin Wolf & Co. will hit the ice Thursday at the Saddledome for the first training-camp practices.

It’s a familiar group — almost all of the regulars have returned from last season, determined to once again exceed expectations but this time earn a playoff invite. The Flames made a spirited push for the final wildcard in the Western Conference in 2024-25, only to miss out due to the tiebreaker.

What will Postmedia’s beat reporters be watching during training camp and exhibition action? Danny Austin and Wes Gilbertson weigh in …

On paper, it doesn’t seem like there are many jobs available, but what’s one training-camp battle that you’ll be tracking closely?

GILBERTSON: I’m really curious who will be working as Calgary’s first-line right winger on opening night, a plum assignment alongside Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau. Will it be Matt Coronato, by far the sharpest shooter in this column on the depth chart, or is that too much of an all-eggs-in-one-basket approach? Will it be Adam Klapka, who will be aiming to maintain his momentum from the end of last season? Will it be somebody else? I also wonder if head coach Ryan Huska might consider splitting Kadri and Huberdeau as he tries to create a second unit that can consistently provide some offensive punch. How about reuniting Kadri with Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary and then trying a trio of Morgan Frost between Huberdeau and Coronato? Now’s the time to experiment.

AUSTIN: I’m curious who winds up playing with Weegar, but maybe this answer is more about how the defence shakes out in general. The Flames have eight blue-liners on one-way contracts, plus top prospect Zayne Parekh. Let’s assume that until Rasmus Andersson gets traded, he’ll be paired with Kevin Bahl, like he was all of last season. Weegar spent most of the back half of 2024-25 with Joel Hanley, who earned himself a two-year contract extension. After that, you’ve got Jake Bean, Daniil Miromanov, Brayden Pachal and Ilya Solovyov all on one-way contracts and Parekh will be looking for playing time, too. I really don’t know what it’s going to end up looking like.

Which player are you most intrigued by?

GILBERTSON: For me, this one is easy: It’s Parekh. It seems like a formality that this puck-whiz defenceman will crack the Flames roster. I think this argument tends to be overused, but it’s absolutely true that the 19-year-old Parekh has nothing left to prove in major junior — I mean, he piled up 107 points last winter in Saginaw — and the AHL isn’t an option at his age. All that said, I think his training camp and pre-season performances will be key to determining his role. Is he ready to face Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on opening night in Edmonton? Can he immediately contribute on the power play? Should the Flames consider what the Anaheim Ducks did with forward Leo Carlsson in his rookie season, limiting him to 50-some games so he can continue to bulk up? Time will tell. 

AUSTIN: The biggest surprise for me during prospects camp was right winger Matvei Gridin. I loved what fellow forwards Aydar Suniev and Sam Honzek did in the two games against the Oilers’ young guns, too, but Gridin stood out. He’s fast, great with the puck and has a filthy shot. When the Flames drafted him in the first round, 28th overall, in 2024, he clearly had offensive upside, but a year in the QMJHL seems to have helped him round out the edges to his game. Do I expect him to crack the roster coming out of training camp? No, but I want to see how he looks against NHL veterans. For a team that struggled to score last season, you have to wonder when one or two of these young wingers are going to get a shot.

Which player has the most to prove?

GILBERTSON: Of the roster locks, it’s gotta be Yegor Sharangovich. His contract extension has now kicked in and there is a lot of pressure that comes with a US$5.75-million cap hit. The Flames must generate more offence and a repeat of last season — ‘Sharky’ finished with 17 goals, barely half of his total from 2023-24 — would be a massive disappointment. Of those on the bubble, nobody has more to prove than Solovyov. It’s no secret that the Flames are searching for steadies on the left side of their blue line, but they haven’t shown a ton of faith in Solovyov. Having turned 25 and now on a one-way deal, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to suggest that it’s now-or-never as he tries to show he should be a full-timer at the Saddledome.  

AUSTIN: I’m going to pair Joel Farabee and Frost together here because they both arrived mid-season last January in the trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that sent Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier the other way. If that deal seemed like a steal in the moment, the feeling didn’t necessarily last. Farabee picked up three goals and three assists in 31 games for the Flames. Frost managed three goals and nine assists in 32. The Flames need more, plain and simple. That’s especially true for Frost, whose main asset is his offensive game. Neither guy is on a cheap contract — Farabee is owed $5 million this year while Frost will get paid $4.375 million — so it’s not unfair to expect more of them.

Which youngster will push the hardest for a spot on the opening-night roster?

GILBERTSON: My best guess is that Parekh will be the only rookie remaining after the final round of cuts, but Suniev is a guy who could prove me wrong. It was clear during prospect camp that the 20-year-old Suniev worked really hard to improve his skating over the summer months, and his smarts and savvy allow him to be a good support for talented linemates. But the biggest thing working in his favour is a wicked shot. Remember, the Flames finished 29th in the NHL in goals scored last season. If Suniev, who potted 20 as a sophomore at UMass, can light a few lamps during exhibition play, they will be forced to find a spot for him. His versatility — he’s a left shot who has played a lot of right wing — also will be helpful.    

AUSTIN: Suniev would probably be my answer, as well, but for the sake of variety, I’m going to toss Honzek’s name into the mix. He did it last year, after all, when he came into camp and surprised everybody by playing so well that the Flames had no choice but to keep him around. An injury to Sharangovich late in camp made the decision easier, of course, and there’s no obvious place for any of the young wingers in the Flames’ lineup right now. With that said, Honzek added 15 pounds over the summer and looked dynamic during prospects camp. I wouldn’t put it past him to force his way into the opening-night conversation for a second year in a row.

RelatedWhat’s your big, bold prediction for the coming season?

GILBERTSON: I’m expecting that Andersson will have a really strong start, which would be a best-case scenario for both the player and team. For Andersson, it would help him cash in on his next contract — in whichever city he winds up. For general manager Craig Conroy, it would boost his negotiating power in trade talks. Where does my confidence come from? Andersson is one of those guys best characterized as a ‘gamer,’ and I believe he’ll not only be able to handle, but can even embrace the pressure that comes with a contract year and finding yourself in the middle of a trade sweepstakes. Plus, he presumably has been sour all summer about that minus-38 rating and will want to show he’s much, much better than that stat-line suggests. 

AUSTIN: I think Klapka scores 20 goals this season and I don’t think 25 is completely out of the question. Remember that he notched six goals in 31 outings last year. Average that out over 82 games and he’d have scored 15 or 16, so getting to 20 isn’t that much of a stretch. If the 6-foot-8 winger can find a way to consistently park himself in front of opponents’ net, he’s going to have opportunities to bury the puck, and I do believe he has more skill than he’s given credit for. The Flames need their younger players to start breaking out and I don’t think it’s going too far out on a limb to say this is the season where the 25-year-old Klapka comes into his own.

daustin@postmedia.com and wgilbertson@postmedia.com