{"id":402593,"date":"2026-01-12T00:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T00:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/402593\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T00:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T00:53:10","slug":"flames-week-ahead-schedule-storylines-push-or-pivot-mckenna-goaltending-and-more-the-hockey-writers-calgary-flames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/402593\/","title":{"rendered":"Flames Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Push or Pivot, McKenna, Goaltending and More – The Hockey Writers – Calgary Flames"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Calgary Flames are entering a pivotal week that could define the direction of their franchise for years to come. Fresh off snapping a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Jan. 10, the team finds itself stuck in the \u201cmushy middle\u201d\u2014not quite a contender, but not low enough for a guaranteed high draft pick. Here are the key storylines and upcoming schedule for the week of Jan. 11-18, 2026.<\/p>\n

The \u201cPush or Pivot\u201d Dilemma <\/p>\n

With the trade deadline approaching and the Olympic roster freeze (Feb. 4) looming, general manager Craig Conroy faces a critical decision. The Flames are hovering just outside the wild-card race (six points back<\/a>). Management must decide whether to \u201cpush\u201d for a playoff spot to validate the current core or \u201cpivot\u201d to selling assets. The recent win against Pittsburgh keeps the playoff hope alive, but the prior four-game skid highlighted deep inconsistencies.<\/p>\n

Rasmus Andersson on the Trade Block <\/p>\n

Speculation is intensifying around defenseman Rasmus Andersson. He is widely considered the Flames\u2019 most valuable trade chip<\/a>. Reports suggest contenders like the Toronto Maple Leafs and others are interested in his services to bolster their blue lines for a Cup run. While trading him would maximize asset return, removing a key stabilizer like Andersson would effectively signal a \u201cwhite flag\u201d to the locker room.<\/p>\n

Gavin McKenna Wants In? <\/p>\n

A major buzz began circulating this weekend following reports that top 2026 draft prospect Gavin McKenna, a Yukon native, has expressed a strong desire<\/a> to play for the Flames. While Calgary is currently projected to pick outside the top spot, this report has energized a fanbase eager for a future superstar, adding pressure on the team to perhaps embrace a lower finish to secure higher lottery odds.<\/p>\n

Goaltending Stability <\/p>\n

Dustin Wolf has been the workhorse this season, but his workload has led to inconsistency recently. However, Devin Cooley stepped in<\/a> to stop 27 shots in the win against Pittsburgh on Saturday. The coaching staff will need to balance Wolf\u2019s development with the need for fresh legs during this week\u2019s road trip.<\/p>\n

Flames Schedule Jan. 11 \u2013 18<\/p>\n

DateDayOpponentVenueTime (MT)*Jan. 13Tuesday@ Columbus Blue JacketsNationwide Arena5:00 PMJan. 15Thursday@ Chicago BlackhawksUnited Center6:30 PMJan. 17Saturdayvs. New York IslandersScotiabank Saddledome1:00 PM<\/p>\n

AI tools were used to support the creation or distribution of this content, however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of The Hockey Writers editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our Editorial Standards<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Calgary Flames are entering a pivotal week that could define the direction of their franchise for years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[895,26,5294,504,896,766,5,4,3327],"class_list":{"0":"post-402593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-calgary-flames","8":"tag-calgary","9":"tag-calgary-flames","10":"tag-calgaryflames","11":"tag-dustin-wolf","12":"tag-flames","13":"tag-gavin-mckenna","14":"tag-hockey","15":"tag-nhl","16":"tag-rasmus-andersson"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115879398877601561","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}