Welcome to my annual opponent preview series where I will go division-by-division looking at how the Vancouver Canucks match up against the teams they will be facing during the regular season. Think of it as a primer or “battle plan” as we head into October and the drop of the puck on the 2025-26 campaign.
Related: More Canucks Season Preview Content
We will begin this series with the Pacific Division and the Canucks’ first opponent of the season, the Calgary Flames.
Calgary Flames
- 2024-25 Record: 41-27-14 (96 points, fourth in Pacific Division, missed the playoffs)
- Notable Additions: Ivan Prosvetov, Zayne Parekh
- Notable Losses: Dan Vladar, Anthony Mantha
- 2024-25 Season Series: 2-1-1
The Flames were only an overtime/shootout loss away from surprising everyone and making the playoffs last season. They finished tied with the St. Louis Blues for the final wild card spot, but since they had fewer regulation wins, they lost the tie-breaker and ended up on the outside looking in. Led by lights-out goaltending from Calder Trophy finalist Dustin Wolf and everyone buying into head coach Ryan Huska’s hard-working style, they were always a tough opponent to face night in and night out.
The Canucks ended up winning the season series against the Flames last season, but every game was a battle, starting with a barnburner on Oct. 9 when the Flames came back from a 4-1 deficit and won 6-5 in overtime. The other three games were tight as well, with the teams trading 3-1 decisions in November and December and the Canucks finishing it off with a 4-3 win in March. The Canucks and Flames will only face each other three times this season, two in Vancouver and one in Calgary. Their first matchup will be on Oct. 9, the season opener for both teams.
Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau & Matthew Coronato Will Lead the Flames’ Attack Again
With no major additions up front, the Flames will be relying on the trio of Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau and Matthew Coronato to lead the way again. They made up 39.5 percent of the team’s goal production last season with Kadri being the only 30-goal scorer. Huberdeau looked more like the player that he was in Florida, but was still a far cry from the 115 points he put up in 2021-22. He nearly scored 30 goals last season, but will need someone to start…
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