The Rangers are shaking up their roster, sending Jaroslav Chmelar and Brett Berard to Hartford (AHL), with Brennan Othmann and Gabriel Perreault coming back the other way in corresponding moves. The 23-year-old Othmann has only played one game with the Rangers this season. He has 10 points (4G / 6A) in 19 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
After an abysmal start to the season, the Flames have been much better lately, winning four of their last five (4-1-0), and will turn to Wolf to tend the twine on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. The 24-year-old Wolf has a tremendous 1.45 GAA and .940 SV% in his last five games (4-1-0), his winningest stretch of the season. He has a 2.86 GAA and .899 SV% in 25 games (10-12-2). The Flames enter the action on Tuesday as -131 road favorites against a Sharks team that will be without one of their top offensive contributors, Will Smith (undisclosed).
Nemec has not played the last two games for the Devils due to an undisclosed injury and has been placed on Injured Reserve. It's unclear when the talented Slovak defenseman might return to the lineup, but the Devils' Head Coach Sheldon Keefe stated he is expected to miss "some time" and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Backlund exited Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings in the second period due to an undisclosed injury. He was not at practice on Monday and the team has not yet given an update on his status. The 36-year-old forward has 16 points (5G / 11A) in 33 games this season.
Parekh started the season with the Flames but saw very limited exposure, recording one assist while averaging 14:46 time on ice over 11 games. The talented 19-year-old defenseman has not played since November 7th, due to an undisclosed injury, but will join the Canadian team at the IIHF World Junior Championship, hopefully providing a boost to their chances as well as to his confidence.
Hunt is a veteran of 237 career NHL games, but has primarily been an AHL player for the past four seasons. The 30-year-old forward has 18 points (5G / 13A) in 16 games with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) this season.
Hunt has been a healthy scratch for the last four games and will head back to the AHL, where he has 16 points (5G / 11A) in 15 games this season. During his time with the Flames, the veteran winger had no points in two games.
Middleton was limited to 16:34 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, and has been placed on Injured Reserve due to an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:08 time-on-ice and has six assists in 28 games this season.
Brzustewicz was a third-round pick, 75th overall, of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old defenseman played one game with the Flames last season, his only NHL game. He has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 23 games this season with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL). Brayden Pachal will be the odd man out of the lineup to accommodate Brzustewicz's debut.
Hunter Brzustewicz will draw into Calgary's lineup to make his season debut on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings, resulting in Pachal returning to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Pachal has been in and out of the lineup lately. He has three assists in 21 games.
Cooley controlled the Flames' crease for the latter part of November, regularly putting together tremendous efforts, but had a poor 12-save performance (.750 SV%) in a 5-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on December 2nd, and has not played since. The 28-year-old Cooley returns to the crease on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings, hoping to rediscover the heroic play that earned him an elite 1.66 GAA and .934 SV% in seven November appearances (3-1-1). The Flames enter Wednesday's contest as slight -101 home underdogs against a Detroit Red Wings team with points in five straight games (3-0-2).
With Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) returning to the lineup, Tsyplakkov will head to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old Tsyplakov was impressive in his first NHL season in 2024-25, scoring 39 points (10G / 35A) in 77 games, but has been largely unnoticeable in 2025-26, scoring just one point (1G / 0A) in 20 games.
Jake Bean will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres, allowing Pachal to re-enter the lineup. The 26-year-old Pachal is averaging 13:32 time-on-ice and has three assists in 20 games this season.
Brzustewicz was a third-round pick, 75th overall, of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old defenseman played one game with the Flames last season, his only NHL game. He has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 23 games this season with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
After an abysmal start to the 2025-26 season, Wolf seems to be rounding into form, recording a shutout in two of his last eight games (4-3-1), and posting quality starts in four of his last five (3-2-0), posting a 1.40 GAA and .931 SV%. The 24-year-old runner-up for the 2024-25 Calder Trophy has 2.90 GAA and .899 SV% in 23 games this season (8-12-2). The Flames enter Monday's contest as slight -104 home underdogs against a Sabres team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 26 points (11-13-4).
