Flames Fans Need Not Worry About Zayne Parekh’s Rookie Season – Hockey Writers –

Expectations may not have been high for the Calgary Flames in the 2025-26 season. However, expectations were high for their 2024 ninth pick, Zayne Parekh.

Part of that expectation comes from the few defensemen who get out of the minute they put up in the NHL. You may have heard of them: Lane Hutson and Matthew Schaefer. These two reset expectations for top defensive prospects coming into the NHL, but that doesn’t mean Parekh didn’t have a disappointing rookie season, even by reasonable expectations.

However, given the situation Parekh entered, he was unlikely to have a breakout rookie campaign that exceeded anyone’s expectations. Many may have hoped for more from him this season, but don’t let that get in the way of your expectations for the future.

Zayne Parekh’s Rookie season

With a few games left in the season, Parekh had four goals and five assists for eight points in 37 games. Or, for per-60 lovers: 0.38 goals, 0.47 assists, and 0.85 points per 60. No matter how you look at it, it’s not that impressive for someone whose ability coming into the league was expected to be his offensive game.

The on-ice numbers aren’t any better as Parekh has a 49.36 attempt percentage, 45.42 shot on goal percentage, 45.93 offensive percentage and 44.12 goal share while on the ice at 5-on-5 for the Flames this season (via Natural Stat Trick).

In fairness to the rookie blueliner, those numbers aren’t that hard when you look at them against the Flames’ team average. His actual shot attempt share was 1.82% better than the team average, and his expected goal share was 1.97% better than the team at 5-on-5. But it still wasn’t good, as his actual goal share was 1.42% lower than average.

Numbers aren’t everything, but they paint a picture of the season Parekh had with the Flames. At the beginning of the season, we were seeing clouds, but there are also obvious mistakes.

Lately, we’ve been seeing more consistency, with six of his eight points and four goals coming in his final 12 games of the season.

Parekh Wasn’t in the Condition to Have an Explosive Rookie Season

Sticking to the comparison of Schaefer and Hutson, whether it’s unfair or not, as a point of reference, both of these talented defensemen quickly got into situations where they proved to be the best offensive options on the blue line.

Parekh could do this, but it has to be said that the Montreal Canadiens or the New York Islanders had weapons comparable to MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson, who were consuming top four minutes and craving power play time.

Another thing the Islanders and Canadiens had, compared to the Flames, was consistent offensive firepower. Both teams ranked outside the top five in expected goals per game in Hutson and Schaefer’s first seasons, while Parekh was on a Flames team that ranked among the top five in expected goals and dead last in goals per game.

Another setback Parekh faced early in the season was an injury that sidelined him from early November until after the World Junior Championship, when he finally played his next game against the Flames on February 2, following a brief stint in the American Hockey League (AHL) in late January.

Why You Shouldn’t Worry

Like Scott Wheeler of Athletic put it on his latest top-100 list, “This season, [Parekh] he would have benefited from next year’s rule change allowing first-time players to play in the AHL, but he was still 19 and had to play in the NHL, where he played well in defensive use but struggled at times physically – as all 19-year-old Ds do. “

Over time, his defensive game will improve. Will it ever be elite? Maybe not, but it doesn’t have to. Another thing Wheeler said is that “Parekh plays an attacking and natural style, where he looks to attack from the line into space or even in front of the net or below the goal line. He will also engage in runs like a goaltender, driving down the wall to challenge defenders and attack his shot or make a rare run in the NHL0 to NHL0 draft” Porter Martone leads the list Wheeler’s 2026′, AthleticApril 13, 2026).

The role Parekh played this season with the Flames did not allow the team to play his way; on the contrary, it exposed his weakness even more.

While these offensive-minded defensemen still have to defend well, many of the best around the league have their teams’ game plans designed to support guys like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Schaefer and Hutson, allowing them to make plays, without putting their team in too much danger.

With Parekh playing more minutes on the third pairing, no coach is going to use a special system for a guy who averages 14 minutes per game at 5-on-5.

A perfect example of this is Hutson on the Canadiens. He is, by most metrics, not a good defender, ranking in the bottom five percent of defensemen in pass-against and pass-blocking average. Despite constantly giving up space, Hutson still boasts a 62.59% goal share and 54.75% expected goal share while leading the Canadiens at 5-on-5, thanks to the support he gets in the defense or when he makes the trip to join the chase (from ‘NHL April 0 Hockey26 Player, Card Hockey26 Player).

It may seem basic, and teams protect defenders all the time. However, with highly skilled offensive defensemen like Parekh, you have to build your entire game plan around them, because you want the puck on their stick and try to make things happen as much as possible.