Which Side of the Defense Does Zayne Parekh Play on?
Last year, Zayne Parekh's rookie campaign was full of challenges, mostly due to injuries and inconsistent playing time early in the season, but when he returned after the World Juniors, he got increasingly more comfortable and confident on the ice.
Most of his late season success came on the left side with injuries to Kevin Bahl, and with the arrival of Simon Nemec, there were whispers that Parekh would play on the left once again in 2026/27. It's unclear as of right now, but with the drafting of Carson Carels, clearly the Flames want Parekh back on the right, so in training camp, the organization absolutely need to find the best possible pairing to maximize No. 19.
If the Flames can get Parekh in a position to maximize his offensive capabilities, this season could be a fantastic one for the exciting young blue liner, and training camp is the perfect time to find what combinations work to give him the best chance to succeed.
Is Morgan Frost a Long-Term Answer in the Top-Six?
Right now, the Flames motives are clear; get younger and keep building through the draft for the future, with the team hoping to put together a core built around Cole Reschny, Carson Carels, Ethan Wyttenbach and this increasingly exciting prospect pool. They're hoping to land a top-three pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to find a cornerstone centre, and with Reschny likely to arrive by the end of this season, this puts the pressure on Morgan Frost to answer a key question.
That question is his future viability as a top-six centre in the NHL, and if he was locked down long-term, he would be a good fit in the middle-six, but given that he'll be Calgary's 1C this year heading into free agency, the question is now a much, much more pressing one.
Last season after the deadline, Frost came alive as the Flames 1C alongside Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato, but his potential as a viable 1C is very unlikely in the NHL, so training camp is another opportunity for him to prove that at the very least, he deserves a long-term deal as their 2C. With a potential top-three pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to go along with Cole Reschny, the Flames top-six is going to get crowded, so while he has the first half of the season to prove himself, Frost needs to take advantage of training camp, or else he might be used as a trade piece, rather than a long-term answer in Calgary.
Add us as a preferred source on Google