Dustin Wolf calls it make-or-break.
MacKenzie Weegar loves that the NHL schedule-makers have thrown the Calgary Flames right into the deep end to start the season.
Starting with Wednesday’s Battle of Alberta, the Flames are faced with a gauntlet that will see them play five games in the first eight days and see them play seven of their first 10 games against teams that got invited to the post-season dance last season.
So yeah, there’s a decent chance we’re going to know exactly what the Flames are by the time kids are putting the final touches on their Halloween costumes.
“You look at our first 10 games and it’s kind of make-or-break,” Wolf put it plainly. “We had a great start to the season last year and came out flying and we want to continue that. We’ve got a lot of back-to-backs in the next two weeks. We’re focusing on tomorrow (against the Edmonton Oilers), first of all. Focus on getting our two points up north and then work towards the next one.”
The Flames’ early schedule is daunting, to be sure.
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They open with a back-to-back on the road, starting with Wednesday against the Oilers and then the next night against the Canucks in Vancouver.
Saturday brings the St. Louis Blues to the Saddledome. Yes, the same Blues who narrowly edged the Flames out of playoff contention.
After that, you’ve got another back-to-back next Tuesday and Wednesday, starting with the powerhouse Vegas Golden Knights at home followed by a game just over 24 hours later in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth.
There’s nothing easy about any of that.
“Into a back-to-back right away, a lot of divisional games, a couple home-openers for other teams that we’re going into, but for me, I’m looking forward to that,” Weegar explained. “(It’s) getting right into a tough stretch, right off the hop. I think you couldn’t ask for anything better.
“You’re going to set your season up great after that if you can get through that with a great record.
“I think that can just carry the momentum the rest of the year, so it’s huge. It’s the most important stretch, I think, of our season right off the bat.”
Calgary Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar and forward Matt Coronato doing drills during the first day of training camp at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.
The Flames know better than most how important starting strong can be. That’s true for every team, of course, but especially for a group that figures to be fighting for a playoff spot right until the end.
Last year, they surprised the hockey world by going 5-0-1 and were able to carry that momentum forward.
In 2023-24, on the other hand, they went 2-1-7 in their opening 10 games and were never fully able to recover.
For a team that is serious about its ambitions to qualify for the playoffs this season, there’s no denying the importance of picking up as many points as possible in their opening stretch.
“It’s huge,” said Flames centre Justin Kirkland. “Early in the season, you don’t think about those maybe one or two points that you might have let slip away. And then you look back on it at the end of the year. These games are so important right now to get off to a good start and put yourself in a good position to have success.
“To get off to a great start is very important.”
Calgary Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson celebrates his shootout goal on Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck in preseason NHL action at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.
The Flames know their first 10 games won’t tell the whole story of their season. Win more than you lose, and it sets you up nicely but only gets you so far. Vice versa, and there’s still lots of time to recover.
But starting strong has been a point of emphasis since Day 1 of training camp.
“One game at a time, and that’s the biggest thing for us,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “I know a lot of the players are probably being asked about last year and all that stuff, but we’re trying to put that in the rearview mirror, much the same as we don’t want them or try not to allow them to look too far ahead. So we try to keep the scope very narrow for certain things, bigger scope for other things.
“When it comes to who we’re playing, they have to be focused on the task at hand and that is Edmonton that is coming up next for us.”