It’s that time of year again when the World Junior Championships start. The Calgary Flames will likely have two players on Canada’s final roster in Zayne Parekh and Cole Reschny. Both guys are the top players in the Flames organization and are looking to make a significant impact in the upcoming tournament.
One question we can ask from the Flames’ perspective is: what does the organization do with Parekh when he returns from the WJC?
Let’s take a look at what the lineup could look like with or without him.
Lines without Parekh (now)
Right now, this is what the Flames defensive core looks like without Parekh in the lineup.
Kevin Bahl – Ramus Andersson
Yan Kuznetsov – MacKenzie Weegar
Joel Hanley – Hunter Brzustewicz
With Parekh out, some other younger defensemen, such as Kuznetsov and Brzustewicz, have stepped into bigger roles for the Flames. Both guys played really well and made a statement to stay in the lineup. With the young players playing almost every night, Brayden Pachal finds himself a regular healthy crab. Pachal has been a useful depth defender who brings great physicality to the lineup.
Unfortunately, the quick and young puck-moving defensemen are more likely to get ice time in a tanking season. It was also recently reported that defender Jake Bean will be out long-term due to surgery. Apparently this is something that the defender had been doing working on it for a while.
Since Bean is out and Pachal is scratched, someone else will have to come out of the lineup when Parekh returns. In my opinion, Hanley should come out of the lineup and be a healthy scratch again. The veteran defenseman has simply taken away some ice time for the younger guys and could be a useful depth defenseman for a better team. The Flames may have to make a trade or send someone down once Parekh completes the WJC.
Lines with Parekh
In my opinion, this is what the Flames defensive lines should look like when Parekh returns from the WJC.
Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar – Zayne Parekh
Yan Kuznetsov – Jager Brzustewicz
I feel like this lineup would be a solid lineup as it gives the veterans important ice time (Trade Value of Andersson) and gives the young guys consistent playing time. Considering how the 2025-2026 season has gone for the Flames, there is no doubt that every young player in the organization deserves a chance to play a few games. On the defensive side, the Flames have several guys ready to take on an NHL role. Kuznetsov has already played in twenty-one games this year. He has proven that he belongs in the NHL, as his pace and composure are quite good for his age (twenty-three).
On the other hand, Parekh and Brzustewicz have only seen limited ice time at the NHL level. Parekh played in eleven matches, while Brzustewicz played in four matches. You could say it makes sense that Parekh has played so little considering he struggled and suffered an injury at the start of the year. However, assuming Parekh gets a lot of confidence from the WJC, he should get good minutes once he returns. That includes second-line minutes with power play time.
Now Brzustewicz was called up a little less than two weeks ago. With Jake Bean likely out for a while, that alone should solidify his consistent spot in the lineup. Brzustewicz is best known as a puck-moving defenseman who can generate some offense. He and Parekh, as a future one-two offensive defenseman, could be a joy to watch as a Flames fan. Huska better keep him in the lineup because if Hanley or Pachal play over him, the fanbase will be even more confused.
What to expect from Parekh at the WJC
This upcoming WJC has the most anticipation for Flames fans in quite some time. The franchise will likely be looking at two first-round picks from the organization representing Team Canada. The last top prospect the Flames saw dominate the WJC was Matthew Tkachuk in 2016 with Team USA (and he hadn’t even been drafted yet). This franchise is expected to have some top talent at the tournament, and they will get that in Parekh and Reschny.
Team Canada recently cut three players, including Jackson Smith, Jake O’Brien and Marek Vanacker. This ensures that Parekh and Reschny make the team, as the squad is now at an acceptable level. If this is the roster moving forward, I would expect Parekh to see a significant amount of ice time. He will likely be the quarterback of the top power and is a crucial factor in Canada’s success.
Defenseman Cole Hutson led the tournament in points last year. Is this something Parekh could replicate in this year’s tournament? Team Canada desperately needs a bounce-back performance after back-to-back quarterfinal losses. Tune in as the 2026 Canadian tournament kicks off on Boxing Day against the Czech Republic.
Next: Analysis of more Calgary Flames trades heading into the holidays
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