No one can deny that Flames general manager Craig Conroy keeps his fan base on their toes.
Just 37 days ago, two days prior to the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, the Calgary Flames sat in dead last when it came to scoring goals. Tickling the twine at a rate of 2.45 times per game; the fan base lamented what they may be subjected in terms of on-ice product to if Nazem Kadri or Blake Coleman were to be dealt.
The question lingered over the Flames faithful: If they already deploy the worst offence in the NHL, what will watching Flames games be like without their key offensive drivers?
Then the MacKenzie Weegar deal was dropped. Pending the player’s approval.
With the cat out of the bag and a trade to Utah pending, Weegar, 32, sat at the top of the Time On Ice (TOI) list for Flames defencemen and Nazem Kadri held the lead among Flames forwards. Both were traded to new teams over the following two days.
Ice Time Leaders: Calgary Flames – Oct 7, 2025 to March 4, 2026 (TOI/GP)
- MacKenzie Weegar – 1386:35 (23:07)
- Kevin Bahl – 1295:37 (21:58)
- Nazem Kadri – 1163:42 (19:24)
- Rasmus Andersson – 1163:19 (24:14)
- Mikael Backlund – 1062:33 (17:43)
- Joel Farabee – 1014:31 (16:55)
- Matthew Coronato – 978:17 (16:35)
- Yan Kuznetsov – 935:04 (20:20)
- Morgan Frost – 915:50 (15:16)
- Jonathan Huberdeau – 906:34 (18:08)
Despite being traded 45 days prior, Rasmus Andersson sat fourth on the list. Likewise, Jonathan Huberdeau had been shut down a month prior on Feb. 4, 2026, yet remained in tenth for total ice time among all Flames skaters.
Let’s look at how ice time has been doled out since then. In bold are the new entrees to the top ten. In italics are their average time on ice per game.
Ice Time Leaders: Calgary Flames – March 5, 2026 to April 10, 2026 (TOI/GP)
- Olli Määttä – 379:36 (22:20)
- Kevin Bahl – 372:29 (21:55)
- Mikael Backlund – 343:18 (19:04)
- Zach Whitecloud – 342:18 (22:49)
- Blake Coleman – 312:29 (18:23)
- Zayne Parekh – 302:21 (17:47)
- Joel Farabee – 301:28 (16:45)
- Matthew Coronato – 300:06 (16:41)
- Yegor Sharangovich – 292:33 (16:15)
- Morgan Frost – 286:02 (15:53)
No more Nazem Kadri eating up offensive zone starts. The same can temporarily be said for Jonathan Huberdeau. Weegar is gone and preparing for a playoff push with Utah. Rasmus Andersson, stirrer of the Flames offensive drink in the early season, has been gone for months.
And yet the offence has improved.
Pre vs Post NHL Trade Deadline: Goals Per Game
Oct. 7 to March 6: 2.43 (32nd)
March 7 to April 10: 3.00 (20th)
In typical fashion, the Flames have taken everyone’s expectations, tossed them out the window, and said, “Sorry, welcome to the next era”.
Here are three wild trends surrounding, what we can only call: the Olli Määttä Era Calgary Flames.
#1. New Line, Blue Line
One major contributor?
Hinged on defencemen Olli Määttä, Zayne Parekh, and Hunter Brzustewicz all getting the green light to join the rush, the puck is moving up the ice a lot quicker than when Andersson and Weegar were starting breakouts.
Fans may remember the two sharing a habit of slowing down once possession was gained before making a low percentage volley at a player needing to slow down as well to stay on side. Years of this. Not every play, but certainly a handful of times each game.
The defence now drives low into the offensive zone at a much higher rate. Not entirely alien to this group due to Andersson’s late game heroics this season, but Parekh and Määttä can be spotted doing this several times per game.
There are other factors. Lanes are getting filled more aggressively, pressure is lower as well. One huge one?
#2. OZ Deployment has been flipped on it’s head
If we look at how Ryan Huska deploys his players in key offensive situations; we’re basically looking at an entirely new team.
5v5 Offensive Zone Faceoff Leaders Pre-Deadline
Nazem Kadri: 402 (67%)
MacKenzie Weegar: 385 (55%)
Jonathan Huberdeau: 324 (68%)
Kevin Bahl: 318 (45%)
Joel Farabee: 317 (64%)
Morgan Frost: 305 (65%)
5v5 Offensive Zone Faceoff Leaders Post-Deadline
Zayne Parekh: 104 (81%)
Morgan Frost: 102 (69%)
Matvei Gridin: 85 (75%)
Olli Määttä: 84 (49%)
Yegor Sharangovich: 76 (57%)
Ryan Strome: 76 (58%)
Talk about a changeover in deployment. Morgan Frost is the only player remaining in the top six in offensive zone starts. Two rookies take up the top three. Ryan Huska’s in-game decisions are reflecting that he’s starting to trust his younger players. The results?
Top Five Scorers since the NHL Trade Deadline: Calgary Flames
Morgan Frost: 8G, 4A, 12PTS
Joel Farabee: 6G, 6A, 12PTS
Matvei Gridin: 3G, 4A, 12PTS
Matthew Coronato: 3G, 4A, 12PTS
Olli Määttä: 2G, 9A, 12PTS
Blake Coleman and deadline acquisition Ryan Strome are right behind them with 11 points apiece. The Flames are now far more of a committee-based scoring group.
On that note.
#3. Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin are (finally) breaking out
If Matvei Gridin being tied for team lead in scoring and Zayne Parekh leading all Flames in power play production (5 points) since the deadline wasn’t enough, the rookie duo are now a driving force on Calgary’s first power play unit.
Their impact shows in more than just points. The two are on the ice in key moments for the Flames. Most recently, when Huska needed a goal to bring the game within one against the Avalanche. Gridin picked up a primary assist on Tyson Gross’ first NHL goal.
Parekh, 20, also leads the Flames with three power play goals since the Trade Deadline. Gridin has three power play assists over that span.
Staring into the Flames
Calgary has four games left on the 2025-26 regular season. Three of those being at home where they typically bring a higher quality on-ice product. Calgarian Tyson Gross, who scored late against the Avalanche to bring the game to 2-1, and then scored again only to have the goal called off, is likely hungry to pick up where he left off.
But first, the Flames play the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, who sit four points up on the Flames for 30th place. A win could put Calgary tied with the Rangers and only two points behind Seattle. A loss would all but seal the bottom four in the standings.
Courtesy of nhl.com.
Can the Flames hold on to 30th place? Does Tyson Gross find himself on a hot streak? Will Zayne Parekh continue to flourish in his final four games?
Stay tuned. Lots to come.
Statistics courtesy of Cap Wages, Natural Stat Trick, and the National Hockey League.
Keep Reading:
Will Calgary’s NHL-Worst Offense Improve Post-Kadri?
Do the Calgary Flames Have a Meritocracy Problem?
Tap of the Stick, Whack of the Pads: Flames Late-Season Blues
Ryan Huska Raises Eyebrows with Questionable OT Deployment
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