The Flames Are Winless. What’s Going Wrong in Calgary?

Seattle Kraken host the Calgary Flames during their home opener at Climate Pledge Arena on October 4, 2026. Photo by Jenn G

Written by Gina Anton

Three games into the 2026-27 season, the Calgary Flames are still searching for their first win and, more importantly, an answer to what has gone wrong.

Calgary has opened the season 0-3-0 and has been outscored 16-3. The Flames have lost 6-1 to the Seattle Kraken twice and 4-1 to the Vancouver Canucks, leaving them with one of the worst starts in the NHL by goal differential. Three games are not enough to define a season, but the Flames' early struggles are difficult to dismiss when the same problems have appeared repeatedly.

A Team That Was Built to Defend Isn’t

Last season, Calgary finished last in the NHL with 212 goals and did not have a single player reach 50 points. Without a high-powered offense to rely on, the Flames needed to limit chances, defend consistently and keep games within reach. Instead, they have allowed six goals in each of their first two games against Seattle, immediately putting themselves in difficult situations that their offense has not been able to overcome.

The first meeting was particularly damaging. Seattle scored three times in the opening period of Calgary's home opener, eventually winning 6-1. Four days later, the same matchup produced the same score. Sunday's game followed a similar pattern, with Berkly Catton scoring just 2:22 into the game before Mackie Samoskevich and Bobby McMann made it 3-0 before the eight-minute mark.

Those early deficits expose one of Calgary's biggest problems. The Flames cannot afford to consistently play from behind when they do not have the offensive firepower to quickly erase a deficit. When the defensive structure breaks down, there is very little margin for error on the other end of the ice.

The Offense Still Has Questions

There was already reason to wonder where Calgary's scoring would come from entering the season. The Flames' leading goal scorer from last season, Morgan Frost, has now scored their only goal in Sunday's loss to Seattle, while Matt Coronato scored Calgary's lone goal against Vancouver. Through three games, the Flames have managed just three goals.

That puts even more responsibility on players who were expected to take steps forward. Coronato, Sam Honzek and other young players need to become meaningful contributors, while veterans such as Mikael Backlund, Ryan Strome and Joel Farabee have to help stabilize an offense that cannot afford long stretches without production. The Flames also entered the season without Jonathan Huberdeau, who is on injured reserve, removing another experienced offensive player from the lineup.

Without enough scoring, every defensive mistake becomes magnified. A team that scores three goals across three games cannot afford to give opponents repeated opportunities, because there is no guarantee the offense will eventually make up the difference.

It’s Too Early to Panic

For all the problems Calgary has shown, writing off the season after three games would be just as premature as ignoring them. The Flames have shown stretches of competitive hockey, including against Vancouver, when Calgary held a 1-0 lead for much of the game before the Canucks scored four unanswered goals in the third period.

That loss points to a different problem than the Seattle games. Calgary does not just need to start games better; it needs to find a way to sustain its level of play for an entire 60 minutes. The team has shown that it can stay in games, but it has struggled to maintain that consistency when opponents begin to push back.

Head coach Ryan Huska acknowledged that the team has been making mistakes that NHL opponents are quickly turning into goals.

“Sometimes you’re trying too hard to make a certain play, and it ends up in your back of the net,” Huska said after Sunday's loss.

That may be the simplest explanation for Calgary's start. The Flames are making mistakes, and they are not creating enough offense to overcome them.

What Does Calgary Want to Be?

That may be the biggest question coming out of the first week of the season.

The Flames were never expected to overwhelm opponents offensively. Their path to success was supposed to come through structure, defensive responsibility and keeping games within reach. So far, they have not looked like that team.

Calgary has three days between games to practice and reset before returning to action. That break gives the Flames an opportunity to address the defensive mistakes that have defined the opening week rather than allowing them to become habits.

The season is still young, and one good stretch can change the conversation quickly. But the Flames will certainly need more than their first win to prove their place in the leauge.