Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - The Flames' handling/plan for Zayne Parekh..

gvitaly · 01-20-2026, 10:15 AM

I think the plan for Parekh should be pretty fluid. As in his play would dictate the amount of games he gets to play at the NHL level.

You let him finish the conditioning stint in the AHL. It would give him another 4 games in the AHL. You re-evaluate then. In the meantime you work with the strength and conditioning coaches, as well as the skills coaches to improve his game.

Then you start by letting him and Brz alternate games in the lineup alongside Hanley. Each game he doesn't play is an opportunity to refine some of his defensive game in practice. If he improves, give him a bigger role, more ice time, etc. If he struggles, and he is on the receiving end of hard hits on a nightly basis, then you eventually scratch him for another 5 consecutive games and send him to the AHL for another conditioning stint.

Next year's training camp will decide if he plays in the NHL or the AHL, and a year in the AHL will likely do him some good.

By the end of the year Parekh will have something like 20-30 NHL games, 5-10 AHL games, and 7 games in the WJC-U20. The total amount of games would be pretty close to a full season in the NCAA. For example, Reschny played a total of 7 more games than Parekh this season despite the fact that Parekh missed ~2 months due to injury.

01-20-2026, 10:15 AM	#43
gvitaly Franchise Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Exp:	I think the plan for Parekh should be pretty fluid. As in his play would dictate the amount of games he gets to play at the NHL level. You let him finish the conditioning stint in the AHL. It would give him another 4 games in the AHL. You re-evaluate then. In the meantime you work with the strength and conditioning coaches, as well as the skills coaches to improve his game. Then you start by letting him and Brz alternate games in the lineup alongside Hanley. Each game he doesn't play is an opportunity to refine some of his defensive game in practice. If he improves, give him a bigger role, more ice time, etc. If he struggles, and he is on the receiving end of hard hits on a nightly basis, then you eventually scratch him for another 5 consecutive games and send him to the AHL for another conditioning stint. Next year's training camp will decide if he plays in the NHL or the AHL, and a year in the AHL will likely do him some good. By the end of the year Parekh will have something like 20-30 NHL games, 5-10 AHL games, and 7 games in the WJC-U20. The total amount of games would be pretty close to a full season in the NCAA. For example, Reschny played a total of 7 more games than Parekh this season despite the fact that Parekh missed ~2 months due to injury.