Ilya Solovyov is no longer a part of the picture for the Calgary Flames.
Claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, the 25-year-old’s departure gives the Wranglers one fewer option on the blue line. Fortunately, there’s depth there, and with centre Rory Kerins and goaltender Ivan Prosvetov both clearing waivers, the Wranglers will be getting a nice injection of talent.
The question now is whether the Flames will be sending their AHL affiliate another defenceman over the weekend.
The Flames currently have 24 players at training camp. They need to cut that to 23 by Monday.
They’ve got two goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards in the mix.
Is it possible that all eight blueliners will stick around for opening night?
We know Zayne Parekh is going to be with the Flames this year. He’s too young for the AHL and isn’t going back to junior.
Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, MacKenzie Weegar and Joel Hanley are all guarantees, too, while Jake Bean and Brayden Pachal both played a lot of games last year and are part of the plan going forward in 2025-26.
That leaves Daniil Miromanov, who has played only twice this pre-season and wasn’t included in the lineup for Friday night’s matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.
Miromanov was a night-in, night-out player for the Flames at the start of last season but struggled for playing time down the stretch. The 28-year-old played in only 11 games from the beginning of February until the end of the season and finished with two goals and seven assists in 44 games.
At 28 years old, he should be right in his prime, but is down on the depth chart and even if there is an undisclosed injury hampering him during training camp, it’s not obvious where and when he’ll get playing time for the Flames this year.
With that said, it’s worth remembering that when the Flames signed Tyson Barrie at the end of training camp last year they spent months with eight defencemen on their NHL roster. It’s clearly not something they’re opposed to.
Sending Miromanov to the Wranglers would require that he clear waivers. The same would not apply to a young forward prospect like Matvei Gridin, who has impressed during training camp but wouldn’t suffer if he spent a little time in the AHL. After losing Solovyov on the waiver wire, the Flames may not be eager to risk losing a second defenceman for nothing.
Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh battles Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.
There’s an argument to be made, too, that it’s best for the Flames to be careful with how they manage Parekh’s minutes. He’s only 19 years old, after all, so giving him a night off here and there may be beneficial. Keeping eight defencemen on the roster would make that easier and could potentially be helpful if and when Andersson gets traded, too.
Of course, keeping Gridin around would provide the Flames with a blast of excitement. He’s scored twice in the pre-season and turned a lot of heads with his play. Fans on social media were not pleased with the Flames losing Solovyov. Seeing Gridin demoted might just generate an even more livid reaction.
This isn’t a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. If the Flames keep eight blueliners, it doesn’t signal that they’re giving up on the youth movement. If anything, it just suggests that they still see Miromanov having a role to play.
PAREKH’S PROGRESS CONTINUES
The Flames have been pleased with how Parekh has progressed throughout his second training camp.
Their first-round pick, ninth-overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft had played in four games heading into Friday’s matchup with the Jets and while it’s best to manage expectations at this point, he does seem on-track to be in the lineup on opening night.
“I think Zayne’s improved every day,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “The confidence level is getting higher and higher with him, I feel like the play with the puck has gotten better, it’s not quite as ‘I have to make a play every time I’m touching it on my stick.’ I just see the composure starting to come with his game and he’s starting to feel more and more comfortable.”