Defense
The blue line in Calgary got another major addition with Carson Carels in the 2026 NHL Draft, and with Simon Nemec also arriving via trade, this defensive group of the future for the Flames is starting to take shape. However, Carels is a year away and the team need to make some decisions following the Blake Coleman trade, so how will things shape up on the blue line?
Pairing one: Kevin Bahl-Simon Nemec
While the Flames future is looking promising on the blue line, the top pairing for the present could be a long-term solution that we get a look at early in 2026/27, with the tall, lengthy Kevin Bahl paired with the underperforming former No. 2 pick that the team gave up significant assets to land.
Player (2025/26) | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kevin Bahl | 76 | 4 | 14 | 18 | +2 |
Simon Nemec | 68 | 11 | 15 | 26 | -11 |
While these numbers don't tell the entire story of these two players, Bahl playing first pairing minutes and ending the year on the 29th best team in the NHL with a positive differential while Nemec posts 7 more goals in 8 less games shows how the style of these two plays should blend and mesh perfectly.
The success of this pairing depends entirely on whether or not Nemec can take the leap he was expected to in New Jersey, because with the safe, steady Bahl alongside him, this could be a pairing that succeeds in several different ways despite the low overall expectations of the team.
Pairing two: Jake Middleton-Zayne Parekh
Following the Simon Nemec trade, it was revealed by Craig Conroy that Zayne Parekh wanted to play on the left side, but following the acquisiton of Jake Middleton, the pairing just makes too much sense, espcially with Carels hoping to play alongside ZP19 when he makes his way to the NHL.
Player (2025/26) | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jake Middleton | 75 | 2 | 14 | 16 | +2 |
Zayne Parekh | 37 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -9 |
Parekh is one of the players that could make the 2026/27 interesting for the Flames, and with Middleton already making himself a popular player in Calgary, given his physical nature, this is a versatile pairing that could provide the Flames plenty of spark during the upcoming campaign.
Pairing three: Yan Kuznetsov-Zach Whitecloud
Ideally, this third pairing should be given to a young duo ready to prove themselves, and while the combination of Yan Kuznetsov-Hunter Brzustewicz would be ideal, until the team move Zach Whitecloud, he deserves a role in Calgary.
While this pairing would have very limited offensive upside, they'd be as safe a duo as any we've seen in Calgary for years, and although this is more of a third pairing you'd see on a contender, it would be a safe shutdown duo for the Flames.
Player (2025/26) | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yan Kuznetsov | 57 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -8 |
Zach Whitecloud (Flames) | 31 | 0 | 10 | 10 | +2 |
Extras: Hunter Brzustewicz, Brayden Pachal
The most concerning thing about this current defensive group is that if Whitecloud isn't traded and the team want to play Jake Middleton in a full-time role, 21-year-old Hunter Brzustewicz may miss out on a significant role with the team. With all of the speculation around Whitecloud however, it's likely that the third pairing in Calgary will feature both young names in Brzustewicz and Yan Kuznetsov, but for now, the team will need to be patient with Brzustewicz as they look to find him a full-time role like Kuznetsov moving forward.
On top of that, the team will need to trade either Joel Hanley or Brayden Pachal, if not both, and in this situation, we've kept Pachal for his experience as he likely plays the 7/8 role for Calgary in 2026/27.
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