Flames general manager Craig Conroy seeks scoring boost in Saddledome sendoff season

Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy speaks during an interview at the Saddledome in Calgary on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY — Improvement is necessary, says Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy, as the NHL team embarks on its final season in the Saddledome.

In what will be a season of "lasts" in the 43-year-old arena, the Flames' last home-opener at the Saddledome is Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.

The Flames will move across the street to Scotia Place next year.

Conroy, entering his fourth year as Calgary's GM, was a busy man in his third.

When a team that came within a point of the playoffs in 2025 started 1-8 and wasn't tracking to get that close again, the GM accelerated a youth movement he'd begun after his promotion from assistant GM in 2023.

"The goal was always we want to be on the upswing when we get to the new building and a lot of that's the young players," Conroy said Wednesday in the Saddledome's lower bowl.

"We've traded a lot of veteran players out and we have a lot of faith in the guys that are here. We do want to take a step this year.

"We want to see, myself, the fans, the city, everybody wants to see us going in the right direction, on the upswing."

The Flames were the lowest-scoring team in the NHL last season — only the Philadelphia Flyers' power play was worse — and finished outside the playoffs a fourth straight year.

Conroy said Calgary's 20-somethings — specifically mentioning Matt Coronato, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Matvei Gridin, Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka — need to increase production.

"We need them all to kind of take a step and show us where the scoring is going to come from," Conroy said.

The 55-year-old has spent more of his life inside the Saddledome than most people.

Just over half of his career 1,009 NHL games were played in a Flames' jersey during the forward's two stints in Calgary between 2000 and 2011.

Conroy was part of Calgary's run to the Stanley Cup final in 2004 when the Flames lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.

He was an assistant GM for Calgary for nine years before his promotion three years ago.

So Conroy feels sentimental about a building where he's spent the bulk of his professional hockey career.

"When I come out before anybody's out here and you're just sitting looking around, I know the four seats that my wife had with the kids when I played," he said. "It does bring a lot of emotion and I think the guys feel it too to some degree too.

"The guys know it's the last season here. They want to play well here. They want our fans to come and have an unbelievable experience, if you get to come to all the games or you get to come to one game. We want to be competitive and win here and have them leave saying, 'wow, I'm excited about this team moving forward.'"

Goalie plans

Dustin Wolf is Thursday's starter against the Kraken, but head coach Ryan Huska says he feels more confident inserting Devin Cooley into a game than he did a year ago.

"There isn't a hesitation to go to Cooley like we had last year because a little bit of the unknown," Huska said. "The way he played over the course of the year, we don't have any hesitation in going to him.

"That internal competition between both guys is something that's really important. Now, are we planning it being an even split? No, we're not, but if one guy gets hot and rolling, that guy's going to play."

Wolf, the runner-up for the 2025 NHL rookie of the year, went 23-29-3 last season with a 3.01 goals-against average and .899 save percentage.

Cooley's record was 10-10-6 with a 2.69 g.a.a and .909 save percentage.

"I didn't necessarily have the trust in Cools to start the year and we used Dustin too much," Huska said. "Now we have full confidence in both guys, so there aren't going to be situations where we feel like we're going to overplay one or the other."

Calgary's captains

Mikael Backlund continues as captain a fourth straight season, with Jonathan Huberdeau and Zach Whitecloud his alternates, the Flames announced Wednesday.

Huberdeau is sidelined to start the season as the 33-year-old recovers from March hip resurfacing. That alternate captaincy will rotate between Farabee, Jake Middleton and Ryan Strome during Huberdeau's absence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press