The Calgary Flames have reached a decision point with defenceman Zayne Parekh. The former first-round pick has played nine NHL games so far this season. One more, and he burns the first year of his entry-level deal. With the poor start that the team has had to the year, Eric Francis has reported that the team are exploring what to do with him, with the option to send him back to the OHL being on the table. He will not dress tonight versus the Nashville Predators.

Can report, Zayne Parekh will not play here in Nashville today (coach’s decision). Ditto for Zary.
I can also tell you Parekh’s short-term future with the club is up in the air, as the first year of his entry-level contract would be burned if he plays one more game.
Sending him…

— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) November 1, 2025

What does this mean for the Calgary Flames?

While Francis does note that this is unlikely, the fact that this is a question is mind-boggling. Parekh sits third on the team in expected goals for, far ahead of many of their regular defencemen, and while he has played fewer minutes, in the games that he has played more, he has generally looked better.

After breaking multiple OHL records, it’s clear that Parekh is far too good for the OHL and that sending him back would do very little for his development. Without the option to send him to the AHL, the Flames are really left with either keeping him in the NHL or sending him back to Saginaw. They cannot send him to the NCAA as he already has a contract, and moving him to a European club midseason is much tougher on him and likely not going to be beneficial to his development.

The Flames should keep him in the NHL and keep running him in the big club. The team needs to win basically two out of every three games to make the playoffs, which seems like a tall order given their start. It’s better just to let the season play out, let Parekh get good NHL reps in, have him build chemistry with his teammates in the outstanding culture that the team prides itself on, and allow him to grow.

He will make mistakes, as both he and everyone else on the team has done this year. But that is what you want from your young star in the making. Allow him to play in difficult games, play him against better players, and allow him to develop into the star defenceman that he will become. There’s no use in sheltering him forever. He’s never going to grow if you do.

The fact that him going back to the OHL is even a conversation, as is his sitting out again today against the Nashville Predators, is ridiculous. This team is making increasingly bizarre decisions about their young players, and it’s time for someone to right the ship.

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