Kerins, Coronato Lead Calgary Past Seattle in Preseason Win
CALGARY — The Calgary Flames leaned on a mix of youthful energy and veteran stability Tuesday night, skating to a 4–1 preseason win over the Seattle Kraken at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring midway through the first period, deflecting a Hunter Brzustewicz shot to give Calgary an early edge. Seattle answered before the intermission, knotting the game 1–1.
Early in the second, Rory Kerins restored the Flames’ lead. After Connor Zary carried the puck into the zone, a broken play left the puck bouncing loose in front. Kerins pounced and snapped a shot past the Kraken goaltender from close range to make it 2–1 Calgary. The 23-year-old prospect, who scored 33 goals last year for the AHL Wranglers, added an assist later in the night to cap a strong outing.
On fresh ice to start the third, Matt Coronato struck quickly. Stationed below the left circle, he one-timed a slick low cross-slot feed from Morgan Frost, beating the Seattle goalie clean to push the Flames ahead 3–1. Jonathan Huberdeau also picked up an assist on the play.
Sam Morton sealed it with an empty-netter at 17:26, created by a sharp defensive play from Sam Honzek, who broke up a Seattle rush and turned the puck the other way before sliding it ahead for Morton’s finish.
Brzustewicz finished with two assists and two shots on goal, continuing to impress with his poise from the back end. Sharangovich, Huberdeau, and Frost each chipped in helpers to round out a balanced offensive showing.
Between the pipes, Dustin Wolf stopped 12 of 13 shots before giving way to Owen Say, who turned aside all seven attempts he faced to close out the win.
The victory offered a glimpse of Calgary’s depth in action — with veterans setting the tone and young players like Kerins, Brzustewicz, and Honzek making strong cases to stick around as roster battles intensify heading toward opening night.
Flames Shut Out of Postseason Despite Strong 96-Point Campaign
CALGARY — The Flames came as close as a team can get without crossing the line. Ninety-six points usually secures a playoff berth, but in 2024–25 it did not.
Despite finishing ahead of Eastern playoff teams Montreal and New Jersey, the Flames missed the postseason after tying the St. Louis Blues for the final Wild Card spot in the West. The NHL’s first tie-breaker — regulation wins — tipped the balance. The Blues finished with 32, the Flames with 31. The narrowest of margins decided the playoff race.
The totals painted another layer of frustration. Calgary picked up 14 overtime or shootout losses compared to eight for the Blues. Those points padded the standings but carried no weight in the tie-breaker.
If there is disappointment, there is also optimism. The Wranglers’ pipeline continues to shape the Flames’ roster. Goaltender Dustin Wolf, after back-to-back award-winning seasons in the AHL, started 53 games for the Flames in 2024–25 and posted 29 wins, earning NHL All-Rookie Team honors while finishing just one victory shy of Mike Vernon’s franchise rookie record. Vernon, of course, later backstopped the Flames to their Stanley Cup championship in 1989, a reminder of how impactful a homegrown goaltender can become.
Connor Zary of Saskatoon has now appeared in 117 NHL games, recording 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points with the Flames. Before cementing himself as a regular, he produced 58 points in 72 games with the Wranglers in 2022–23 and added 10 points in 6 games in 2023–24.
Martin Pospisil of Zvolen, Slovakia has logged 144 NHL games, contributing 12 goals and 37 assists for 49 points. Like Zary, he passed through the Wranglers on the way up, tallying 10 points in 20 games in 2022–23 and 6 points in 6 games in 2023–24.
Leadership is another storyline heading into 2025–26. Captain Mikael Backlund has already acknowledged that defenseman Rasmus Andersson may be on his way out, suggesting a trade could be inevitable. Andersson has been a fixture on the Flames’ blue line and a key part of the leadership group, but Backlund’s comments highlight the sense of transition surrounding the roster.
That connection between change and opportunity matters. As the Flames push to convert more overtime games into regulation victories, the solution may already be skating a few feet away in the Wranglers’ locker room at the Saddledome. And with only two years left before the team moves into its new home at Scotia Place, the theme of transition is unavoidable — in the roster taking shape, and in the very building where Flames hockey has lived for nearly four decades.