The Flames have moved themselves out of the league’s basement thanks to a recent 6-3-1 run, although they remain just a handful of points ahead of the NHL-worst Vancouver Canucks.
The trade of Quinn Hughes probably won’t help Vancouver improve their lot, though.
Of course, this is bad news for those who would prefer Calgary compete for the first-overall pick rather than the last wild-card spot.
By points percentage, Calgary still ranks 31st out of 32 teams. The club will need to go roughly 6-2-2 in every 10-game segment throughout the rest of the season to have a real shot at the playoffs.
TOP PLAYERSMikael Backlund, C (3G-5A-8pts)
Backlund turns 37 this season, but the Flames captain just keeps rolling along.
No player scored more points than Backlund’s three goals and seven points over the past two weeks, even while he and Blake Coleman continue to take on the other team’s best players.
Backlund didn’t just lead the team in scoring, he also led in terms of total shots (24), attempted shots (36) and individual expected goals (2.89) in all situations.
With his recent hot streak, Backlund is now third on the team in scoring (24 points), just one back of second-place Rasmus Andersson.
Ryan Lomberg, LW (3G-0A-3pts)
Although Lomberg isn’t expected to score much in his role, going 29 games without a marker probably was starting to weigh on the left winger.
He broke the dry spell in spectacular fashion recently, though, with a couple of breakaway goals — including a highlight-reel steal against the Edmonton Oilers.
Honourable mention to Lomberg’s linemate, Adam Klapka, who also collected three points over this span.
MacKenzie Weegar, RD (2G-3A-5pts)
It has been a long and difficult season for the veteran rearguard so far.
Weegar scored 47 points last season and boasted a +18 rating in 81 games. This year, he has managed just 12 points in 38 games to go with a painful minus-16 rating.
Nevertheless, only Backlund scored more than Weegar over the past 6 games. Weegar also has boasted by far the best underlying numbers on the team recently, with an expected goals ratio of 57% and goals for ratio of 78% at even strength. Only two other Flames were above water by both of those metrics during the period in question (Nazem Kadri and Yan Kuznetsov).
STRUGGLING RIGHT NOWMatt Coronato, LW (1G-0A-1pt)
The forward combination of Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost and Jonathan Huberdeau has really struggled to get anything going recently. So much so that head coach Ryan Huska broke up the long-time trio recently.
Coronato headlines those frustrations with just a single goal over his past six games.
More concerning is the total lack of shot volume from the player. His four individual shots are tied for last on the team with defensive defensemen Kevin Bahl and Yan Kuznetsov.
Sometimes pucks just don’t go in, even for Snipers like Coronato. But managing less than one shot on net per game is a red flag for a player whose calling card is his release.
Morgan Frost, C (0G-1A-1pt)
Like Coronato, Frost hasn’t had anything going on recently. His one point over the past couple of weeks was just a single secondary assist.
Thanks to the unexpected production of guys like Backlund, Lomberg and Klapka, this power outage has mostly flown under the radar. That probably won’t last, however, if the club’s putative top line continues to shoot blanks.
Kevin Bahl, (0G-1A-1pt)
Points aren’t really top of the list for the 6-foot-7 defender, so his one assist in six games isn’t a major concern.
The real issues are his team worst shot, chance and goals for ratios over the past six games. With Bahl on the ice at even strength, the Flames managed just 44% of the shot attempts, 36% of expected goals, and 30% of goals for.
His partner, Andersson, is right there with him at the bottom of the list (albeit with a few more points to his name).
Facing off against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl a couple of times recently probably didn’t help these numbers. The Bahl-Andersson duo has become Calgary’s top pairing over the past 12 months or so and typically has been pretty reliable, especially in 2025-26.
Expect this rough patch to be a blip.
HE’S PLAYING BETTER THAN IT SEEMSYegor Sharangovich, RW (1G-0A-1pt)
Aside from his snipe against the Edmonton Oilers recently, points have once again been hard to come by for Sharangovich over the past couple of weeks. The good news is he is getting looks, with 6.98 shots/60 minutes of ice at even strength (fifth best on the team).
His underlying numbers also have been solid with the fourth-best XGF% (expected goals for ratio) over the past six games, behind only Weegar, Kuznetsov and Kadri.
With just seven goals in 35 games, Sharangovich is probably not going to score 31 again this year. But at least he’s getting shots on net and not being a burden defensively right now.
PROSPECT SNAPSHOTCullen Potter, C (8G-11A-19pts in 20 games)
After a slow start to the season, the Flames’ 32nd-overall pick in the 2025 draft has been red hot recently. With five points in his past three games and 14 in his past 11, Potter is close to a PPG pace for Arizona State despite being one of the younger players on the team.
Potter is now sixth overall in NCHC scoring and trending upward. A smaller, shifty player who was considered one of the fastest players in the draft year, the Flames no doubt have high hopes that Cullen can continue on his current path.
William Stromgren, LW (3G-19A-22pts in 29 games)
On paper, Stromgren is the type of prospect scouts drool over. At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Stromgren is a big guy with a smooth skating stride and above-average hands. It’s the reason the team took him in the second round back in 2021.
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Unfortunately, the player hasn’t been able to translate his above-average tools to above-average results as a pro. His 22 points in 29 games for the Calgary Wranglers this year are good for fourth most on the team. Good, but not great numbers for a guy who will turn 23 in June.
Coming up on five years since his draft, the organization needs to figure out soon if they have anything in Stromgren or not.
Zayne Parek, RD (4G-2A-6pts in 3 games WJC)
After struggling through his first nine NHL games and sitting on the sidelines with an injury, Parekh has emerged as the top defender on Canada’s U20 world junior championship team.
His unique offensive skillset has been on display through the first three games of the preliminary round, which is why he currently leads Canada’s blueline in scoring and average ice time.
Parekh is eligible for an AHL conditioning stint once he returns from the world junior. Expect the Flames to take advantage so he can continue to find his pro legs.
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