This has been an inauspicious start to the 2025–26 season for the Calgary Flames. Now 1–6–0 to start the year, and with just 12 goals scored all season, this is a team that is in a very deep rut very early on without many signs of life.

Even this early on, the team has caught national media attention for their start, with much of the attention culminating in Kevin Bieksa ripping into the team, and particularly Yegor Sharangovich’s play on Hockey Night in Canada last weekend.

NHL insider Eliotte Friedman has been very candid with his thoughts as well, but spent a lot of time discussing this on an episode of Morning Cuppa Hockey this week. Here’s what he said.

Yegor Sharangovich’s rough start

While Sharangovich’s struggles have been clearly articulated, Friedman noted that what was more interesting was the reaction to Bieksa’s comments, with some feeling it was over the top. However, Friedman noted that if there’s anyone who has earned the right to say what he wants about the game, it’s Bieksa, who has played as much as he has.

What was interesting to Friedman was that a number of his teammates came to his defence publicly after the comments, but that the team elected to healthy scratch him the following night. When a team struggles, there is always one player who becomes “a lightning rod” for criticism and on the Flames right now, that is Sharangovich. Whether that is fair or not is a different matter, but he is the player in the spotlight.

The Calgary Flames’ long-term plans

It’s hard to gauge what the Flames are going to do going forward. Friedman noted that the goal overall for the franchise is to have a competitive team when the new arena opens in two seasons. However, this organization has not forgotten the impact of the last rebuild on the fanbase and on ticket sales. They don’t want to go through that again. Friedman was very candid here and said, “I know it’s going to be hard to hear, but… Do not make a short-term move… This is a great draft, go for the top of the draft.”

If the Flames feel that their scoring struggles are going to continue to plague them, they should lean into that and really bottom out to get a top draft pick this season. A short-term solution is not going to help this team in the long run, and it’s time to properly rebuild this season.

The impact of a tough season on their veteran core

The Flames have several young players on their roster, but they also have an older veteran core of players who have been with the team for a number of years. The team is reportedly concerned about the impact of a retool or rebuild on those players. Friedman talked about how hard the 2023–24 season was on the team, and that a number of players came to him saying that if the Flames were going to rebuild, they wanted out. Conroy reportedly said no, he wasn’t going to trade them, and that they would assess the following year.

The 2024–25 season was a good year for the team, and that changed the way the team felt about themselves and their future. This start has been weak, and Friedman said that the big question is how the veteran players will take this start. He specifically called out Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, and Rasmus Andersson as to players to keep an eye on.

Is it possible that the Flames look to move Kadri to the Tampa Bay Lightning? It’s too early to look at destinations, but if the Flames do try to trade him, they will be looking for a haul for him. Tampa may not have the pieces to make a move, with just former Edmonton Oiler Sam O’Reilly available to move.

What to watch for with the Calgary Flames going forward

The next few games are going to be pivotal for the Flames. If they start to get hot and can stay hot, it’s hard to imagine the team starting to tear it down, but if they continue to struggle, Craig Conroy could start to make moves quicker than expected. Friedman noted that Conroy is a “deep-thinking guy” and will watch this closely.

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