The 2025/26 season is only nine games old and yet it already feels like an eternity. The Flames are the worst team in the NHL this season, largely because they can’t score. In nine games they scored a league-worst fifteen goals, six fewer than the next worst team.
Ryan Huska has decided to change his lineup amid an eight-game losing streak, leaving the team’s leading scorer in Matt Coronato behind. It made sense to scratch Yegor Sharngovich. The 27-year-old has looked completely disinterested last season and has no way of contributing if he doesn’t score. Coronato offers much more than Sharangovich, and his scratch is frankly indefensible. This is why this step simply makes no sense.
Coronato is the team’s best goal scorer
Being your best goal scorer in the middle of an eight-game losing streak in which you’ve only scored 12 goals is certainly a brave choice and not a good one. Sure, Coronato hasn’t been great with just two goals this season, but he’s still one of only four Flames with more than one goal.
Last season he also finished third on the team with 24 goals, aged just 22. On a team with no talent, Coronato has the best shooting and goal-scoring ability of the entire team. Scratching him is counterproductive in the worst ways.
Coronato was one of the Flames’ best forwards at generating chances
Has Coronato had a hard time? Absolute. Has he been the team’s worst attacker? Not even close. This is where Coronato is one of the most important metrics when it comes to generating goals and opportunities. All figures come from naturalstattrick.com.
| Stands | Matt Coronato | Rank among the flame attackers |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | T-2nd |
| iCF | 37 | 1st |
| Shots | 14 | 3rd |
| ixG | 1.62 | 3rd |
| iHDCF | 6 | 4th |
Coronato has been one of the Flames’ very best all season in generating shots and chances towards the net, something that cannot be said for most of the squad. No player has created more shot attempts this season and only one Flame has scored more goals than him.
What can you expect for the Calgary Flames tonight?
It’s simply a baffling move to scratch one of your best scorers and chance generators while your team struggles as much as it takes to get the puck into the net. This decision is a shock, and given reports that Coronato is fully healthy, it won’t help the team on the ice at all.
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