The Calgary Flames are not very good this season. They’ve sat at the bottom of the standings pretty much since the start of the year. That’s not to say 2025–26 has been completely negative for them so far. A few positives have trickled their way into this dreadful year. One of these positives is defenceman Yan Kuznetsov.
On November 4, with an open roster spot, the Flames decided to reward the defensive defenceman with a call-up to the NHL. The hope for him was to provide some depth on the back end, but I think it’s fair to say he’s smashed those expectations so far.
Earning the trust of the organization
Kuznetsov joined the Flames organization back in 2020, being drafted 50th overall in the second round. He would play in the NCAA for the University of Connecticut for two seasons before splitting a year between the AHL and QMJHL with the Saint John Sea Dogs. By 2022–23, Kuznetsov became a full-time member of the Calgary Wranglers.
The Wranglers would be home for Kuznetsov for the following years. He’d debut in the NHL in early January of 2023, but his main role would be a stable spot in the Wranglers’ top-four. Jumping to this season, Kuznetsov is still doing what he does. With an extra roster spot open, the Flames decided to reward the 23-year-old’s consistency on November 4. Kuznetsov would join the Flames as the eighth defenceman on the roster, adding some extra depth.
The day after his call-up on November 5, Kuznetsov made his season debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the limited 13 minutes, Kuznetsov impressed with his first NHL point and plus-two rating on the evening. The performance was strong enough that he would see his minutes double in the following game to over 22 minutes of ice time. It appeared that Kuznetsov was going to get a typical Flames treatment of youth, as his minutes would be halved in the next game. However, since then, Kuznetsov hasn’t dipped below 18 minutes in a night.
Just under a month after his call-up, Kuznetsov has earned tons of trust within the organization. He is currently paired with top defenceman MacKenzie Weegar on the second pair. In terms of time-on-ice, Kuznetsov sits comfortably as the fourth defenceman on the team, averaging roughly 20 minutes a night.
Strong performance in big minutes
Obviously, receiving minutes doesn’t always translate to a good performance. There are lots of minute-munching defencemen who get ice-time, but don’t always put up the results. So far, that hasn’t been the case for Kuznetsov. In this current moment, Kuznetsov absolutely deserves the number four role he’s been given, as he is crushing it.
Looking at some underlying numbers via NaturalStatTrick at 5v5, Kuznetsov has been putting up great numbers for a 23-year-old defenceman. Starting with his expected goals percentage, it currently sits at 53.05% which is very solid. In terms of how it ranks amongst Flames defencemen with 200 minutes, Kuznetsov stands at fourth, which matches perfectly. He actually ranks above the other three defencemen who play in the top four.
It’s not all super-pretty, as he does sit second last on the team in expected goals per 60. However, the number itself at 2.63 xGA/60 is alright compared to the rest of the league. It’s more a testament to how good the Flames have been defensively than to Kuznetsov struggling. Back on a more positive note, Kuznetsov is third team-wise for high-danger chances against per 60 at 10.13.
A bright spot in a dark season
Yan Kuznetsov has been a pleasant surprise for the Flames this season. When talking about the team’s prospect pool, he’s not a name that would get mentioned much. It’s hard to tell how well a defensive defenceman is doing without watching, which is why. However, Kuznetsov has now made it known just how stable a shutdown defenceman he is.
With an unexpected recall on November 4, Kuznetsov has stepped into a top-four role and run with it. He has been given the fourth most minutes of any defenceman for a handful of games now, almost eclipsing 23 minutes in a night multiple times. And it’s not a case of just being handed minutes; Kuznetsov is actually performing as well. He has produced good defensive, underlying numbers that rank among the best in the top four.
Under a month since being called up, Kuznetsov has gone from a depth role to showing promise in big minutes. It’s not something that I think many fans can say they saw coming. Nonetheless, a 23-year-old defenceman performing well on a team heading in a youth direction is always a welcome gift.
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