As we approach roughly 70 days until the start of the 2026-27 season, it is never too early to think about fantasy hockey. NHL.com recently announced its Top 250 fantasy player rankings, with only five members of the Calgary Flames cracking the list. Considering the organization is in the midst of a rebuild and its superstar power is limited now with Blake Coleman gone, it’s no surprise that so few Calgary players found their way into the rankings.
Unfortunately, there were no Flames players in the Top 50, Top 100, or even in the Top 150. Their first ranked player, at 190, is newly acquired defenseman Simon Nemec, who had 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games with the New Jersey Devils last season. He was the second-highest-scoring defender on the team behind Luke Hughes despite having the fifth-worst plus/minus total at minus-11.
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At 221st overall, Zayne Parekh joined the rankings. The 20-year-old played 37 games with the Flames last year, collecting four goals and nine points with a minus-9 rating. In limited time with the Calgary Wranglers, he had five points in four games. Heading into next season, the young star in the making is slated to be a bottom-pairing defenseman, waiting for the opportunity to break out.
Not too far down the list at No. 234 and No. 235, Nemec and Parekh are joined by former 20-goal scorer Matt Coronato and 20-year-old Matvei Gridin. Last year in 80 games, the 23-year-old Coronato led the Flames in scoring with 18 goals and 45 points, two points ahead of captain Mikael Backlund. After scoring 24 goals in 2024-25, Coronato regressed while the Flames struggled to score as a team.
Meanwhile, Gridin got his first taste of NHL action last year, scoring six goals and 20 points in 37 games, the same number of games he played with the Wranglers. But he had 10 goals and 30 points in the NHL. Heading into next season, there’s a chance that Gridin finds himself in a significant role in the rebuilding Flames, tapped as a top-line winger at the moment.
Finally, the last-ranked player on the NHL.com list is goaltender Dustin Wolf. As the Flames tumbled down the standings, Wolf had his first losing season, posting a 23-29-3 record and leading the NHL in losses. After carrying Calgary to higher finishes than expected in previous years, it appears that he’s plateaued with a 60-52-12 record through 128 games. Now, that’s not just on Wolf, but the team in front of him.
Are you surprised that more Flames players didn’t make the list? Can Jonathan Huberdeau have a bounce-back campaign? Could Connor Zary reach 20 goals? What about Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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