Newcomers add energy in Flames 5-4 win over Hurricanes

CALGARY — The departures of Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar has created opportunity in Calgary and embracing it on Saturday were Joel Farabee and newly acquired Ryan Strome.

Farabee scored twice as part of a three-point night and Strome had a goal and an assist in his Flames debut as Calgary cooled off the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes with a 5-4 victory.

“Tough saying bye to some really good teammates and some really good guys,” said Farabee, who moves into the team lead in goals with 15. “But on the flip side, I thought we got two really good players and I thought it provided a good energy in the room.”

The loss of Kadri — traded to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday — leaves a giant hole in Calgary’s league-worst offence. Kadri led the club in scoring the past two seasons and was once again the top point-getter this season.

Coming off six consecutive 40-point seasons, Strome slides into Kadri’s spot as a top-six centre and will look to get his season back on track. A frequent healthy scratch of late with Anaheim before being dealt to Calgary on Friday for a seventh-round draft pick, Strome entered Saturday’s game with just nine points on the season.

“It was just such a tough situation for me this year,” said the 32-year-old Strome. “I’m a better player than they treated me there and I think that I got the short end of the stick, whether it was a little bit of injuries and a bunch of new guys coming in, and that’s OK, that’s hockey.

“I could have probably just taken it and been an extra forward and rode it out, but I’m a competitive guy and I want to play.”

Also making his debut was 31-year-old defenceman Olli Mattaa, acquired from Utah as part of the Weegar trade. The two newest Flames combined on Calgary’s opening goal 19 seconds into the second period with Mattaa setting up Strome at the side of the net to tie it 1-1. It was one of three unanswered goals in the second period as the Flames took the lead for good.

“An absolutely insane day, busy 24 hours, telling my kids about getting traded and stuff, they’re pretty emotional,” said Strome, who woke up at 4 a.m. on Saturday to fly to Calgary. “Long day, but as hockey players, the easiest thing to do is just go out there and play. So that was the easy part.”

He left a good first impression with coach Ryan Huska.

“You can see the composure that he has with the puck, and that’s what 900 games will get you in the NHL,” said the Flames bench boss. “Nice to see him score, for sure, early and have impact on a power play, and that’s something that we need here moving forward.”

Huska is excited to have some veterans coming in to replace the experience they’ve lost to help insulate the club’s younger players. Another forward with experience, 30-year-old Victor Olofsson who came over from Colorado in the Kadri deal, will join Calgary on its upcoming five-game road trip.

“You need good people around them to show them how to play the game, to teach them the rights and the wrongs and to help build their confidence,” said Huska. “Because if you put young guys in situations continually that they’re not ready for, it hurts them. Their development goes the other way. And that’s why it’s so important that (general manager Craig Conroy) was able to add three older, quality people that they’re going to help push in the right direction.”

Kadri and Weegar were also part of the club’s rotation of alternate captains. As a result, Farabee wore an ‘A’ for the first time on Saturday.

“It’s one of those things you work toward your whole career, and for the organization and the guys in the room to think of me like that, and to get the honour to wear it, it meant a lot to me and my family,” said Farabee. “All I can do now is just, you try and be a good leader.”

FROST WARMS UP

Morgan Frost also had a big night with a goal and two assists for Calgary (25-30-7) and Blake Coleman had a goal and an assist. Calgary snapped a four-game winless skid.

Seth Jarvis, who also had a pair of assists, Sean Walker, Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov scored for Carolina (40-17-6). The Eastern Conference-leading Hurricanes lost in regulation for just the second time in their last 16 (12-2-2).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2026.