Calgary Flames Training Camp Lineup Shows Off Potential Opening Night Unit

It's been noted time and time again this off-season, but the 2026/27 version of the Calgary Flames isn't one of the most talented groups in National Hockey League history, and no matter how you put the lineup together, this isn't one that's going to contend for a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, that doesn't mean there's going to be no reason for Flames fans to tune in, as the final year of the Scotiabank Saddledome will also see the arrival of (hopefully) many key pieces of the future in Calgary.

The lineup isn't a great one no matter what way you do it, but with the home opener now just 14 days away, the Flames first lineup at training camp has signalled how the team could lineup against the Seattle Kraken.

Calgary Flames Release First Training Camp Lineup

Coming into training camp, there were likely only two guarantees for the Flames lineup, with that being the top line of Matvei Gridin, Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato, with the goaltending tandem being Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley. Both of those were confirmed by Pat Steinberg as the Flames open camp, but beyond that, we've had many of our suspicions and predictions confirmed by Steinberg's revelation.

Starting with the rest of the forward groups, the standout revelation from training camp is the duo of Samuel Honzek and Chase Harrington splitting time alongside Mikael Backlund and Joel Farabee, with the potential to be a very good replacement for the consistent Blake Coleman-Backlund line of years gone by.

Beyond that, there's no surprises up front, with Connor Zary taking the 3LW role in the absence of Jonathan Huberdeau alongside Ryan Strome and Yegor Sharangovich, with the fourth line being made up of Adam Klapka, Martin Popsisil and the duo of newcomers Alex Nylander and Maxim Tsyplakov.

For the most part, this is how the Flames are expected to lineup on opening night, and while there's no elite level talents in their prime among the group, with Honzek, Zary and the top line, it's clear that the youth is going to get the opportunity to shine.

Defense is Where the Calgary Flames May Shine

However, the most intriguing part of these lines is the defensive group, and with the addition over the past 18 months of two former top picks in Zayne Parekh and Simon Nemec, excitement around this blue line continues to build. As we here at Flame for Thought predicted weeks ago, the three pairings are well balanced and aimed at optimizing the youth on the blue line, with the top two pairings being the most exciting, with Simon Nemec and Kevin Bahl as the No. 1 with Jake Middleton and Zayne Parekh being the second pairing.

Clearly, that's a very talented top four with great balance, as both Bahl and Middleton provide experience and leadership while Nemec and Parekh are expected to break out offensively in their much larger roles this season.

Beyond that, the third pairing is one that's focused purely on defense, with Yan Kuznetsov and Zach Whitecloud both being as steady as any defenseman in the National Hockey League, and while the ceiling there isn't high, as a third pairing, a team in the NHL couldn't ask for too much more.

The Calgary Flames Goaltending Tandem Could be one of the NHL's Best

Obviously, the no-brainer in this lineup is the goaltending tandem of Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley, and while there's some exciting goaltenders in the pipeline for Calgary, there's no one knocking down the door to take either spot.

Ultimately, many believe the Flames are going to struggle to finish beyond 30th in the NHL standings this season, but one factor that could change that is the goaltending, with both Cooley and Wolf having the ability to steal games for Calgary, as they have the potential to be an elite duo in the league.

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