What should the Flames forward group look like for the regular season opener?

The month of October is finally here, and that means in just 9 days, the Calgary Flames will begin their 2024/25 campaign, taking on the Vancouver Canucks away from home before hosting the Philadelphia Flyers three days later in the home opener at the SaddleDome. While the roster is close to being locked in, the forward line combinations have been tested in many different ways this pre-season, giving GM Craig Conroy and Head Coach Ryan Huska plenty of options.

From a prospect turning into a rising star right in front of our eyes and pushing for a spot to struggling young names to those trying to transition positions, there are many ways the Flames can go, but with the regular season a week away, this is how we would play the Flames forward lines to begin the season.

Jonathan Huberdeau-Connor Zary-Anthony Mantha

Jonathan Huberdeau has been a major hole on this Calgary Flames team for the past two years, but after ending the 2024 portion of last season close to a point-per-game, there's optimism that he can get things going. In the off-season, the team brought in Anthony Mantha to bring his offensive game to the team, and with his ability to put the puck in the net, he will be the perfect wing partner alongside the crafty Huberdeau, who continues to look to get his teeammates scoring opportunities.

Down the middle on this line would be Connor Zary, who projects to be a centre of the future in Calgary, coming off a rookie campaign that saw him impress with 14 goals and 34 points in 60 games played. If the team are open to moving Zary down the middle in 2024 to get his long-term future set, and with all three excelling offensively in the pre-season, if they can build chemistry this could be one of, if not the teams best line.

Yegor Sharangovich-Nazem Kadri-Andrei Kuzmenko

At this point in time, the Flames have very few dynamic players offensively, so after a positive 2023/24 campaign, the team should look at the three players that suit that description most and keep them together. Down the middle, Nazem Kadri is the teams best centre, and with two players capable of scoring goals coming off 29 and 31 goal seasons, this could be a fun, fast-paced line to lead the way for the Flames.

While Sharangovich and Kadri are locked in as long-term members of the Calgary Flames, Kuzmenko is set for free agency after this season, so if these two can get him rolling like we saw at the end of last year, he's the perfect trade canddiate to get the Flames a huge return and build on the trade of Elias Lindholm. We've already seen the flashes of brilliance paired together this off-season, and even though the team have tried Sharangovich down the middle, he's best suited on the wing, and will make this the Flames best line in 2024/25.

Ryan Lomberg-Martin Pospisil-Adam Klapka

This could be one of the most intriguing lines in all of hockey this season, as it would pair the three hardest hitting names in the Flames organization together in a fourth line that could run wild and make opponents regret playing against them. While Klapka has likely the least certain role on the roster this season, he has impressed all off-season long, and with his ability to finish around the net as well as playing a physical syle of hockey, he fits perfectly alongside Pospisil and Lomberg.

There's certainly more skilled and experienced players that could find themselves on this line, but if the Flames are going to lose plenty of games this year, the team should be making it as hard as possible for opponents to play them, and this line is the way to do that. The most intriguing part of this lineup is Martin Pospisil playing down the middle, as he has experience as a centre on the international level, and if he can thrive in this role in 2024/25, he's a candidate to play down the middle for years to come with Calgary.

In the running for a lineup spot/13th forward role; Kevin Rooney, Walker Duehr, Jakob Pelletier, Samuel Honzek.