Hockey returned last night with a triple header of matches. Tonight the Calgary Flames join the action against the Edmonton Oilers. The Calgary Flames’ opening night lineup has been set, and we’ve already received some previews of how they’ll line up against their rivals tonight.
Now it’s fun to respond. Especially when a game hasn’t even been played yet, that’s human nature. However, this setup is a head scratcher.
Zayne Parech is extra
What stands out the most of all these lines is that Zayne Parekh skates on the fourth pair with Daniil Miromanov. This could indicate that Parekh will be in the press box for the opening match of the year. It’s a bit of a confusing situation. On the one hand, you want to see the best prospect since Matthew Tkachuk started for the season opener, but on the other hand, do you really want to see him tormented by two of the best players in the world: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl?
I understand both sides of the argument, but I think all this talk about trust is a bit crazy. Parekh won’t let one match dictate his confidence for the entire year. I also think it’s a bit of a back and forth argument. Yes, if McDavid flies by or Draisaitl fires the puck past him a few times, it will take some hits to the confidence level. However, if you’re sitting on him because you might not trust him to give you the best chance of winning against the best of the best, this would also take the same amount of hit on a super-competitive guy like Parekh.
I have no doubt that Parekh will not suit up for tomorrow’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. If you want him to play just one of the consecutive games, it’s kind of a lose-lose decision. That’s in the sense that you either put him against the team with two of the best in the world, or against the team he fought a week ago. So it just comes down to the fact that it’s the season opener and people want some hope to start the year. And that’s why I think Parekh should play tonight. He’s earned a roster spot, and he wouldn’t even get many minutes or matchups against the duo in Edmonton.
It’s really a big reaction caused by a single game decision. I think the best route for Parekh’s development is to follow the same plan as Leo Carlsson’s rookie year. Sit with him occasionally, not because he’s having a hard time, but so he can relax, heal, and see the game from an outside perspective. If this were, say, game 20 of the year, and this was the standout plan, the outrage wouldn’t be as great. It’s just that it’s the first game of the year and the Flames don’t have an incredible bottom three defense. Moreover, they certainly don’t have the best track record when it comes to using the young players correctly.
The forward lines
Farabee-kadri-klapka
This is a very strange combination of players to me. What did Joel Farabee and Adam Klapka necessarily do to earn front-line minutes with the team’s best center? Neither really had a great pre-season, and they certainly haven’t shown that they are of that caliber.
I mean, if you look at the end of 2024-2025, Klapka had a good run alongside Kadri, with eight points in ten games. However, this streak came at the time of year when most teams are checked out. It could easily end up being a stretch similar to Walker Duehr at the end of the 2022-2023 season
Obviously Klapka played more minutes in those ten games, but most players will produce more with better players in a higher role. To start the year, I think it wouldn’t hurt to see if the magic is still there. It’s really a surprising place to see Klapka placed. If it sticks, great, but if not, make the change quickly.
As for Farabee, it’s just a bizarre position to see someone like him in. He had a terrible 2024-2025 season with six points in 31 games with the Flames, and a total of 25 points in 81 games. Those are not good numbers at all. I understand the idea of trying to get him back to his form for 2023-2024, but I just don’t know if the first line is the place to start. The Flames have promoted a mentality of earning your spot, and I just don’t feel like Farabee has really earned top minutes.
There’s a very good chance one of these guys is a placeholder for Jonathan Huberdeau until he comes back from injury, but it’s a bit of a headache.
Zary-Backlund-Coleman
This is probably the least worrisome concern I have with the Flames’ projected lineup. Backlund and Coleman are great linemates for everyone and perfect for young or lost players. However, I don’t think Zary needs the leadership of the two more than some of the other guys on the team. I’ve gone into more detail in another piece, but to progress, Zary needs some time on a more offensive line.
Zary has silky smooth hands and a solid set of dual threat abilities that desperately need to be unlocked. Backlund and Coleman aren’t necessarily the best guys for this. Guiding them towards more two-way play, forecontrol and a bit of mediocre finishing. Zary has already shown promise in a two-way match and has had some finishing issues of his own.
You don’t fully unlock Zary by putting him in this position. I think putting him next to Backlund and Coleman will hinder his offensive development. He will continue to put up good two-way results with around half a point per game production, not fully unlocking his offense. Zary is a solid player, but I think all Flames fans have seen the potential in him, and it would be a shame to waste it.
I can understand if this is a short-term thing to bring Zary back after his injury, and later we see him shift to a more offensive line.
Sharangovich on the fourth line?
We just talked about Farabee, who desperately needs a return to form, but here’s another player who needs the same in Yegor Sharangovich. And Sharangovich gets to sit on the fourth line. I won’t sugarcoat it: Sharangovich wasn’t good last season. Only 17 goals and 32 points in 73 games are much worse compared to his 2023-2024 numbers. But the fourth line won’t help Sharangovich regain his form, and they’re paying this guy almost $6 million a year.
Sharangovich gives his best impact as a sniper. He won’t be able to do that in a limited role. Ryan Lomberg and Justin Kirkland are both “bring the vibe” type players in the Flames lineup. Neither Lomberg nor Kirkland are the type of game that Sharangovich would benefit from. They are hard-nosed, throw the body around and struggle a lot, the bottom six players where Sharangovich doesn’t fit. Heck, Lomberg had fewer points than Sharangovich had goals in a seriously bad year.
I know I was just going on about how Farabee is odd on the first line because he didn’t earn it and had a terrible 2023-2024 season. The same would apply to Sharangovich. This plays into the idea that the Calgary Flames’ opening night lineup is a mess.
Summarizing all forward concerns
As I just pointed out, all of the concerns I pointed out in the Flames’ forward group are more or less related. To start, I talked about how Klapka and Farabee confuse the placements on the first line. They haven’t done much to justify the minutes and aren’t necessarily the players you’d expect to see as your team’s top striker. Farabee in particular had a rough season, similar to Sharangovich, who I’m rooting for to move up.
The difference for me is that Sharangovich would benefit much more from some time with a player like Kadri, considering he needs to fill an attacking role to get back. On the other hand, Farabee plays a style that can be complemented in a lower role. He has a harder nose than Sharangovich and generates a lot of chances with that game. I think Farabee would fit perfectly next to Backlund and Coleman on the third line. Farabee complements the duo’s forward-thinking style well, and they all provide plenty of offense on the analytical side. Backlund and Coleman can give a slumping player like Farabe the right guidance and he could even develop a two-way game.
This would leave Zary in need of a new role, but also an opening on the first line. A more attacking line. Zary could therefore fit next to Kadri, which would benefit Zary’s more natural playing style. One trade could put both Farabee and Zary in more advantageous positions.
But what about Sharangovich? So far, Klapka has been primed for a bottom-six role. He is a huge 6-foot-4, 235-pound man who deals in the more dirty and dangerous aspects of the game. Perhaps someone more suited to the style Lomberg and Kirkland will play. So again, you swap the two players, and they end up in roles that fit their typical playstyles in a more refined way.
Is it a big concern?
The team is a bit of a mess right now. That is highlighted by the opening night lineup of the Calgary Flames expected to start the season. A top talent who hypes up the fan base and is left off the ice to kick off the season. Two players who most signed up for the lower positions in the lineup are pushed to the front line. Then another duo of players who aren’t in positions that necessarily benefit from the points they have in their careers, but are somehow expected to have a bounce-back season? Make it meaningful.
Is there much reaction to a lineup for Game One? Yes, absolutely. Some of these rules might end up working, and we feel foolish. Or they don’t mesh together and the Flames move on to the next set of combos. The biggest problem is that this lineup doesn’t inspire much confidence, and a lack of confidence on day one could make this a very long season. I hope I’m wrong.
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