Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is home to some of hockey's greatest players, including Hall of Famers Mike Vernon, Bill Gadsby, and Herbie Lewis, former first-round pick Taylor Hall, and several Stanley Cup champions, including Logan Thompson, Brayden Point, Cale Makar, and Tim Hunter.

Although the list of current NHLers born in Stampede City is small, their impact is felt across the league both north and south of the border. 

Today, we pieced together the best lineup featuring Calgary-born players.

Center: Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)

2024-25: 60 GP 32-33-65 

Point is the only two-time Stanley Cup champion from Calgary currently playing in the NHL. Moreover, he's among 21 players to score 50 goals in a single season in the salary cap era. Since his debut in 2016-17, Point has tallied the seventh most goals (296) of any player in the past nine seasons. Although there are hundreds of centers in the league, there's a case that Point is one of the best.

Blues Players To Record A 50+ Point Season Before Turning 24 (since 1999-00):

— Alex Pietrangelo
— Vladimir Tarasenko
— Jordan Kyrou
— Robert Thomas

Dylan Holloway is 2 points away from joining this list👀 pic.twitter.com/t0pLi4ysHR

— BluesMuse (@STLBluesMuse) March 14, 2025

Left Wing: Dylan Holloway (St. Louis Blues)

2024-25: 66 GP 21-27-48 

As the 14th overall pick from the 2020 Draft, Dylan Holloway has finally blossomed into the player many expected with his first 20-goal season with the St. Louis Blues. After leaving the Edmonton Oilers on an offer sheet in 2024, Holloway has become one of the Blues' top scorers when given a chance to play top six minutes. 

Right Wing: Brett Leason (Anaheim Ducks)

2024-25: 54 GP 5-11-16 

Brett Leason became an NHL regular after the Anaheim Ducks claimed him off waivers from the Washington Capitals ahead of the 2022-23 season. In 2023-24, he had a career year with 11 goals and 22 points. As one of the few wingers from Calgary in today's NHL, Leason is one of the more productive ones.

Cale Makar Sets An Avalanche Record With His SIXTH Point Of The NightWatch as Cale Makar grabs a little piece of Colorado Avalanche history, firing home his second goal of the night against the San Jose Sharks to earn his sixt...

Defence: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)

2024-25: 66 GP 24-51-75 

Almost every time Makar scores a goal, makes a play, or sets up a teammate, he's usually compared to the all-time greats like Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, and Niklas Lidstrom. Whether he's playing defense or offense, Makar is a generational talent already worthy of the Hall of Fame in just six seasons.

Defence: Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets)

2024-25: 65 GP 10-41-51 

Josh Morrissey is among the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, ranking among the top five in production with 196 points in 224 games over the past three seasons. For his efforts, he's finished in the top ten for Norris Trophy in the past two seasons. As the anchor of the Winnipeg Jets, Morrissey is one of the reasons why they are one of the top teams in the NHL. 

HOLY SMOKES THESE STATS🔥

Logan Thompson has been dominating the crease for the Capitals this season🥅‼️ pic.twitter.com/HqVkIuhY7e

— BarDown (@BarDown) January 15, 2025

Goalie: Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals)

2024-25: 37 GP 28-4-2, 2.36 GAA, .916 SV% 

Thompson wouldn't be the starter with the Vegas Golden Knights, so he accepted a trade to the Capitals in June 2024. In 37 games, the 28-year-old has had a Vezina Trophy-caliber season, guiding the Capitals to the top of the NHL standings with a 28-4-2 record. He was awarded a six-year extension worth $35.1 million for his performance. 

The Calgary Flames (30-23-11) wrap up a three-game homestand by hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Last game of the homestand 💪@BParkerTV sets the stage for tonight's tilt! pic.twitter.com/728tML45wo

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 14, 2025

After a busy trade deadline, this is the first time the Flames will play the Avalanche following the acquisitions of Brock Nelson and Erik Johnson. Considering their position in the standings, tied for the second wildcard spot, Friday night is another must win for Calgary. 

Inside the Numbers

Calgary

- Last 10: 4-2-4

- vs. Opponent: 0-1-0 (4-2 L)

- At Home: 18-10-5

Colorado

- Last 10: 7-2-1

- vs. Opponent: 1-0-0 (4-2 W)

- As Visitors: 17-14-1

Between the Pipes

Calgary starter - Dustin Wolf

• Season: 38 GP / 22-12-4 / 2.52 GAA / .915 SV%
• Career: 56 GP / 30-19-5 / 2.68 GAA / .909 SV%
• Last 5: 3-2-0 / 1.60 GAA / .929 SV%
• vs. Opponent: 1-0-0 / 1.00 GAA / .958 SV%

Avalanche starter - Scott Wedgewood

• Season: 17 GP / 8-6-1 / 2.49 GAA / .908 SV%
• Career: 147 GP / 56-54-23 / 2.92 GAA / .906 SV
• Last 5: 2-3-0 / 2.80 GAA / .884 SV%
• vs. Opponent: 0-3-1/ 4.03 GAA / .891 SV%

Conversation Starters

- Jonathan Huberdeau had one of his best games as a member of the Flames on Wednesday. Does he have an encore performance in another critical game?

- Dustin Wolf is starting his third straight game. Considering the Flames have only one more back-to-back left on the schedule, it is safe to assume that he's getting most of the starts the rest of the way?

- Where is the secondary scoring? Matt Coronato is Calgary's fourth leading scorer and has only two points (two goals) in his last nine games. Meanwhile, Blake Coleman, the fifth highest scorer, has a single assist in the past 14 games. These two must step up now that Connor Zary and Mikael Backlund are out. Do they have it in them?

Where Are They Now?

Calgary

- 4th Pacific Division

- 2nd Wildcard

- 8th Western Conference

- 15th NHL

Colorado

- 4th Pacific Division

- 2nd Wildcard

- 8th Western Conference

- 15th NHL

Flames & Canucks Leaders

• Goals: Huberdeau & Kadri (22) / MacKinnon (27)
• Assists: Weegar (29) / MacKinnon (75)**
• Points: Huberdeau & Kadri (46) / MacKinnon (102)**
• PIM: Pachal (80) / Wood (46)
• PPG: Huberdeau (7) / Makar (10)
• SOG: Kadri (211) / MacKinnon (268)

** - NHL Leader

Flames Projected Lineup

According to NHL.com, here's a look at the projected lineups for the Flames. (Subject to change)

FORWARD

Jonathan Huberdeau -- Nazem Kadri -- Matt Coronato

Joel Farabee -- Morgan Frost -- Blake Coleman

Martin Pospisil -- Yegor Sharangovich -- Adam Klapka

Ryan Lomberg -- Kevin Rooney -- Dryden Hunt

DEFENCE

Kevin Bahl -- Rasmus Andersson

Joel Hanley -- MacKenzie Weegar

Jake Bean -- Daniil Miromanov

GOALIE

Dustin Wolf

Dan Vladar

Tonight's game starts at 7:00 p.m. MT and is available on TVAS, SN1, ALT2, KTVD and Sportsnet+.

The Calgary Flames (30-23-11) play the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, ending a three-game homestand before their final trip to the East Coast next week.

In their last contest against the Vancouver Canucks, forward Conor Zary hit defenseman Elias Pettersson with an elbow in the back of the head, leading to a two-game suspension, announced on Thursday afternoon.

During the same game, captain Mikael Backlund suffered an upper-body injury, and on Friday, the team announced that he was now listed as week-to-week. 

#Flames say captain Mikael Backlund is week-to-week with an upper body injury.

Big blow down the stretch.

— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) March 14, 2025

Before the Canucks game, the Flames recalled Adam Klapka from the Calgary Wranglers. The 24-year-old was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, but will most likely be pressed into action on Friday night against Colorado.

Meanwhile, with another hole in the lineup to fill, Calgary recalled Dryden Hunt on Friday morning. The pair of Wranglers forwards have combined to skate in 14 games this season in the NHL, with one point.

Forward Dryden Hunt has been recalled from the @AHLWranglers.#Flames | @original16beerpic.twitter.com/xsWOSO7tns

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 14, 2025

Hunt is the Wranglers' second-leading scorer, with 48 points, while Klapka has contributed 26 points. 

However, that wasn't the Flames organization's last move on Friday. The Wranglers acquired forward Ty Tullio from the Buffalo Sabres via the Rochester Americans.

Forward Ty Tullio has been reassigned by the Buffalo Sabres from Rochester Americans and loaned to the Calgary Wranglers.

Tullio, fifth round draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2020 has played 147 games in the AHL, putting up 54 points. pic.twitter.com/q2QL8ZZsJE

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) March 14, 2025

Initially drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round (125th overall) in the 2020 Draft, Tullio has yet to play in the NHL. Over three seasons in the AHL, he has scored 23 goals with 31 assists for 54 points in 147 games.

The Flames, who maintain the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference, will host the Avalanche at the Saddledome on Friday.  Meanwhile, the Wranglers hit the road for a weekend series with the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday and Sunday.

On Trade Deadline Day, the Chicago Blackhawks made a few moves to try and better their situation in the long term. After having already traded Taylor Hall and Seth Jones, there was wonder how far they’d go on the final day to do something. 

Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith were traded to the Detroit Red Wings and they made a prospect/salary cap/draft picks trade with the Utah Hockey Club. There wasn’t anything fancy but these moves could all help them in the future. 

Ryan Donato, Pat Maroon, and others all had their names in rumors for the week leading up to the deadline. Almost everyone ended up sticking around though so there are a few veterans still there to help out the kids. 

Donato and Maroon being on the team next year means that they would have signed an extension so they won’t be traded away. However, there are a few other guys that weren’t moved and could be traded come the summer. 

Now that the dust has settled from the big day and some time has passed, these are the three guys who might be sent packing once the time comes in the off-season: 

1. Connor Murphy

Connor Murphy is a solid defenseman that plays good minutes when he is healthy. That's the problem though. He deals with injury trouble just about every season. For a guy that makes $4.4 million against the cap, that money could go toward some offense which this team sorely lacks. 

A Stanley Cup contender with some cap space may consider a player like Murphy as a top-four guy. The Blackhawks might be able to retain on Murphy during the summer too as Mikko Rantanen and Jake McCabe will come off the books. 

Murphy's name wasn't in any reported trade talks ahead of the deadline but his contract situation makes him someone to think about. If they decide to make a move involving him this summer, it won't shock anyone. 

Throughout his Blackhawks tenure, the team has been lousy. They wanted to get younger when they acquired him in the Niklas Hjalmarsson trade with the Arizona Coyotes which made sense but it didn't lead to more winning ahead of the rebuild. Now, everyone might be better off if he went somewhere with a chance to compete. 

2. Kevin Korchinski

The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of young defensemen in the organization. Guys like Artyom Levshunov, Louis Crevier, Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt Kaiser, and Alex Vlasic amongst others are fighting for ice time at the NHL level. 

Korchinski is currently down in the AHL. That doesn't even account for Sam Rinzel who has been one of the best defensemen in the NCAA this season. All of these guys can't be on the NHL roster at the height of their powers. 

Chicago could also draft Matthew Schaefer in the top three of the 2025 NHL Draft if they believe that he is a future superstar defenseman. With or without Schaefer, the Hawks are loaded at the position which is a good problem to have. 

The Blackhawks need help up front. A team may take a chance on Korchinski who is a highly gifted offensive defenseman who was drafted in the top ten (7th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. He's had his ups and downs at both the NHL and AHL level but there is no doubting his ability to create. That will attract teams if the Hawks put him on the market. 

3. Jason Dickinson

The Blackhawks probably should have traded Jason Dickinson during the 2023-24 season while he was in the middle of having a career year. His value will never be higher than it was then. You can also understand Kyle Davidson wanting some veteran presence within the organization. 

In 2024-25, he's been good but hasn't produced offensively the way that he did one year prior. Now, he is facing the final two years of his current contract which has a cap hit of $4.25 million.

Teams looking for a solid bottom-six center that plays well defensively and can bring some offense to the table may be all over him if he were put on the block.

Like the first two on this list, Dickinson was never in any rumors ahead of the deadline this year but they are in the organization and could now be moved once summertime comes for something good in return. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The latest episode of The Hockey Show has dropped!

Following one of the craziest Trade Deadline’s in recent memory, THS hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork get into the fallout, both regarding the Florida Panthers and the rest of the NHL.

Joining the show to help break everything down is NHL on ESPN sideline reporter Emily Kaplan.

They get into the Brad Marchand trade to Florida, which teams were the winners and losers of the Trade Deadline and who will provide the best challenge to the Panthers when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.

This week’s wins and fails of the week, presented by Jagermeister, included a Superman punch in a hockey fight and a Superman save by a goaltender, a fan trying to fight a mascot and Nathan MacKinnon hitting a major milestone.

Dave and Roy also reviewed the Panthers week that was, which featured a dominant shutout win, an uncharacteristic blown lead in Boston and a fun victory in a heavyweight matchup in Toronto.

You can check out the full show in the video below:

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Now that the month of March is half over, potential playoff seedings and wild card battles are taking shape nightly across the NHL.

With last week’s trade deadline in the books, fans and experts alike seem to view the Dallas Stars as serious Stanley Cup favorites. And the betting markets appear to agree, with Draft Kings having the Stars down at +600 to win it all. Not far behind are the Edmonton Oilers, + 800 to win their first Cup since 1990.

The Los Angeles Kings? They aren't getting a ton of love from the sports books at +2000 or an implied probability of 4.76%. 

Although it's true that the Kings have well-known issues, is it possible that LA is more of a threat than people realize? Despite their 28th-ranked power play (15.5%), 13th-ranked save percentage (.904), and mild 2.86 goals per game, the Kings are regularly beating some very good teams. 

Looking strictly at teams with a .600+ points percentage at this point in the season (CAR, COL, DAL, EDM, FLA, TBL, TOR, VGK, WSH, WPG), the Kings are a robust 11-8 against this elite group. This includes three wins against Vegas, two wins against both Dallas and Winnipeg and one against the defending champion Florida Panthers. Not too shabby.

How have Cup favorites Dallas and Edmonton fared against this same group? Not nearly as well as Los Angeles. Edmonton has so far gone 7-11-3 against these elite teams, while Dallas has posted a record of 7-11-2. Not the kind of record that screams a lock to win it all in June. 

While it would be foolish to read too much into this discrepancy, it seems to indicate that the LA Kings play up to their competition. There is a belief in the room that they can beat anybody when they play their game.

Swiss winger Kevin Fiala alluded to this sentiment during the media scrum following LA’s win against the Washington Capitals on March 13th:
“We’re not scared from (sic) anybody. We’re strong at home this year.”

Not just strong but a league best 22-3-4 at Crypto.com Arena, which has suddenly become a very inhospitable venue for road teams from either conference. 

With 18 regular season games remaining for the Kings, much remains to be written. Will their dominance at home continue unabated? Can they continue to go toe-to-toe with the NHL’s top tier? Will they find a way to get better results away from home?

If so, the hockey world just might be sleeping on these guys. And if you are LA, you probably hope that they keep dozing well into May and June.