Calgary Flames’ potential defensive pair on opening night – Hockey writer –

The Calgary Flames program is heading into the 2025-26 season, with the forwards very similar to last season, but the ongoing trade rumors surrounding defensive player Rasmus Andersson and the arrival of a few new defensive prospects suggesting that in September, the team’s blue line may look very different.

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Andersson is one of the hottest names in the trade market right now, and everything shows that Flame is actively shopping. Having said that, just because it suggests doesn’t mean it is straightforward. Sometimes, trade rumors emerge in the summer and if the deadline is finally traded, it will not be traded. That could happen here. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at some of the expected defensive pairs for the upcoming season, in which the Flames ultimately traded Anderson and those without.

Weiger remains first

Last season, Flames fans and administrators dragged Flop’s range between the two candidates because their real number is the defender of No. 1. In the final battle, Mackenzie Weegar finally won. Weegar scored higher points (Andersson’s 31 points, despite Andersson’s 3 goals), in part because it was the Flames’ first strong playing unit quarterback; he also averaged more puck time per game compared to Andersson’s 23:59, with an average of 24:09.

This is not a big difference and allows for similar ice time sample sizes for both. Weegar performs much better in each category. The two rarely act as a pair, so it’s easy to assume that Weegar’s performance would have been very good without Andersson.

As another point of Weegar’s achievements, he has the ability to play both sides. Andersson is a right-handed defensive player on a team with many right-handed defenders – too, Weegar, but he played halfway through the left-to-right-handed Daniil Miromanov last season. His other partner is left-handed Joel Hanley, who recently re-signed for two years with an average annual interest rate of $1.75 million. Although he and both are well above the water, he and Hanley perform better on the natural right. Let’s take the two of them as our first pair.

Andersson gets rid of the depth chart’s release to give the Flames the brightest prospect Zayne Parekh can play the second pair on the right. Parekh, 19, is not eligible to join the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Wrangler this season, meaning he has to play a role in the NHL or return to the Saginaw spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

After dominating the OHL over the past two years and earning its NHL debut in the last game of the season, Parekh will start at least from the flames. In this case, the trustworthy Kevin Bahl makes the most sense as his partner. Bahl is a pure shutdown guard with little offense, while Parekh is an extremely turbulent defender with occasional rookie defense.

The third one is more tentative than the other two. Jake Bean is the last left-handed defender, while Miromanov is right-handed (and best-scoring) compared to the other two. In this case, Brayden Pachal is the seventh-time defender – another prospect Hunter Brzustewicz is 20 and qualifies for the AHL (although he also made his debut last season), and will likely start the season with the Wranglers, where he can get more game time. Brzustewicz should be the first call in the case of injury, even the left-handed defender – Weegar must go left and right to balance the pairing again.

Better on paper with Andersson

Andersson stayed in the roster, creating a different story for the flames’ defensive pair. While his presence may create more backups on the right, it also moves Weegar to the left, making the right-handed roster a more balanced defensive core.

For much of last season, Anderson and Barr both played a pair except for ten collaboration games out of the lineup. Although Weger beat Anderson with ice time rate (little did), Vegar’s individual partners usually perform much less time than he played, and Barr and Anderson matched much closer. Anderson’s relative offensive advantage over Barr provides a stable, if not shocking pairing.

Now, the third defender – on this chart, if nothing else – Weger should play with the best defender with the remaining depth of the flame. That defender is Parek.

Transferring Hanley to the third pair of the first pair seems a bit like a gripping hand, but it makes sense – the first pair is too high for Hanley anyway, and at his age he will benefit from a fewer matches. Putting him on the depth chart also means that the entire left is now more trustworthy than the ones that were traded before the season. Bean isn’t strong in defense, offering almost everything else. Miromanov remained in third place, while Bean and Pachal held the defenders in seventh and eighth place.

Does this mean that the flame shouldn’t trade Anderson?

On Andersson, the team might be better. But that doesn’t mean it will be better in the long run. Andersson may not decide to extend with Calgary after his contract expires after the season, so if the flames can collect assets for him, they can now help them in the future. There is a high possibility of getting into the playoffs this season, and Andersson helped them achieve that, but there is a difference between getting into the playoffs and being a Cup contender, which has been around for a few years and is well beyond his remit.