In May, Sports Illustrated published an article with 100 bold predictions for the NFL season. Inspired by that brilliant article, I’ve put together a list of sixteen bold predictions about things that may or may not happen over the course of the Calgary Flames’ 2025-2026 season.
1. Zayne Parekh wins the Calder Memorial Trophy
Calgary thought they had a Calder Trophy winner last year in Dustin Wolf, and since I’m a firm believer in not learning from my mistakes, I think this year is the right year. Zayne Parekh will have to beat the likes of Ivan Demidov, Ryan Leonard and Zeev Buium, to name a few, but he looks as ready as ever to compete for it.
After a 107-point year in the OHL and a goal in his NHL debut last season, he should be ready to make a real splash in his first full year as a Flame.
2. Jonathan Huberdeau will score fewer points than last season
Jonathan Huberdeau is coming off a 62-point season in which he scored 28 goals, both of which are highs for him in a Flames uniform. He made a lot of changes to his game last season, with many noting his drive to shoot the puck more and play with more physicality than we’d seen from him in previous years, but I’m still not convinced he’s completely turned the corner yet. He ends the season with fewer than 60 points.
3. Ivan Prosvetov will beat out Devin Cooley for the backup spot in the NHL at some point during the season
With Dan Vladar headed to the Philadelphia Flyers, there were a few question marks surrounding the backup spot in the Flames’ lineup at the start of the year. Calgary appears to have made its choice heading into the season, selecting Devin Cooley to back up Wolf, but I don’t think Ivan Prosvetov’s hopes are gone just yet. He will surprise a lot of people with the Calgary Wranglers, which will earn him a mid-season call-up to replace the struggling Cooley.
4. Dustin Wolf will win fewer games this season than he did in his rookie year
Wolf had a spectacular rookie season in which he nearly led the Flames to the playoffs. While I think he’ll have a good second year, I’m not as confident that the Flames can give him more help than last season.
Lightning won’t be able to strike twice, and Wolf won’t be enough to push the Flames to wins the same way he did in his rookie year. He will lose about as many games as he will win.
5. Connor Zary will dress at least 80 games in the regular season
Last season we saw Connor Zary take a step back. Despite spending the entire season in the NHL, he struggled with injuries and only played in 54 games. Now on a new three-year contract, Zary will have a lot to prove if he wants to increase his value heading into contract talks in a few years, and that starts with staying healthy.
6. Matt Coronato will score 35 goals
Like Zary, Matt Coronato will have a lot of pressure on him going into the 2025-26 season now that he has his high-profile new contract. He’s coming off a 24-goal season and only seems to get better with time.
Assuming he plays all year, it’s pretty much a given that he should be able to get above last season’s level; the only question is how high he can go. I think he will finish the season with at least 35 goals.
7. Ryan Lomberg cracks 100 PIMs
Ryan Lomberg is having a bit of a strange year. He managed to improve on his previous season’s points total, but many fans felt he was still not doing enough. He finished the year with just 57 PIMs, the lowest he has ever achieved in a full season. I think he will almost double his total from last season and get over 100 for the first time in his career.
8. MacKenzie Weegar scores 20 goals for the second time in his career
Many fans will likely remember the magic of MacKenzie Weegar’s 2023-2024 season. He shattered his own career with twelve goals, scoring twenty during the campaign. Last season he returned to his previous form, scoring just eight goals. While it would certainly be a safe assumption that his 20-goal season was more than likely an outlier, I don’t think anyone should discount him. I think he will surprise a lot of people again and return to his form from 2023 to 2024 and finish with 21 goals.
9. Mikael Backlund is demoted to the fourth line as his decline becomes more apparent
Unfortunately, this will be the year Father Time catches up with 36-year-old Mikael Backlund. While his offensive stats have slowly declined over the past few seasons, his defensive play will also show some noticeable cracks. With all the young centers on this Flames team right now, it won’t be long before the coaching staff notices he’s falling behind, and the Calgary captain will spend the vast majority of the season on the fourth line.
10. Jake Bean gets 30 points, passing his career high
Jake Bean enters his second year in Calgary with revenge in his heart. Inspired by how good it felt to truly dominate in the Dome during his junior career with the Calgary Hitmen, he will play in almost every game for the team. His play will eventually earn him a semi-permanent spot in the top four, and he will finish with at least 30 points.
11. Adam Klapka will score 26 goals in the regular season and earn a spot in the top six
When it comes to prospects, all everyone wants to talk about is the Parekhs and Matvei Gridins of the world. Everyone keeps missing the real gem in this young Flames line-up. Adam Klapka comes straight out of left field and dominates his way into the top six of Calgary’s lineup, where he will finish the year with 26 goals.
12. Justin Kirkland will score on 100% of his shootout attempts this season
I don’t even know if I should explain this. The man is just absolutely disgusting when it comes to the shooting. When the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, the Martians have aimed the death ray at Earth, and you better score: I want Justin Kirkland.
13. Sam Honzek will score 20 goals and appear in at least 70 games in the NHL
Ahead of his first match in the lineup, he will take note of the claims being made about him by a certain Win Column writer. He will take these claims personally and use them as fuel to push himself to score 20 goals in just over 70 games. He will be asked after the season what inspired him to find the next level in his game, and he will thank Joshua Serafini.
14. Martin Pospisil is visited by a ghost on the night of December 25, 2025
After his experiences that evening, Martin Pospisil sees the flaws in his ways and vows to change. He will not record a single penalty for the rest of the 2025-2026 season.
15. Dustin Wolf spends extended time with former Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and shockingly retires from the NHL at age 25 to become a professional fisherman
May 3 next year starts like any other day. Wolf’s potential will look the brightest it has ever looked. No one doubts him anymore. He has proven himself as a franchise goaltender in the coming years.
Just as he feels he has reached the pinnacle of the sport that has been his life’s passion, he realizes a devastating truth after a wonderful afternoon with Miikka Kiprusoff. He may have proven himself as a goaltender, but not as a fisherman. He immediately announces his retirement and sprints straight from the Scotiabank Saddledome into the Bow River, never to be heard from again.
16. The Calgary Flames win the Stanley Cup
Don’t get too excited, I’m pretty sure all the things mentioned before are more likely to happen than the Flames winning the cup this year.
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