Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska isn’t believed to be on the hot seat despite an ugly start to the 2026-27 season.
While they did pick up a win in their most recent outing against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Flames have won just two of their first eight games this season. They’ve also been outscored by a whopping 37-17 margin.
Wins were never going to be easy to come by for this rebuilding Flames team, making their record somewhat unsurprising. The way in which they’ve lost several games, however, has left some questioning whether Huska’s job could be in jeopardy.
Based on a recent report, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
On Tuesday’s edition of Insider Trading, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Flames and general manager Craig Conroy have no intention of firing Huska at this point.
“Ryan Huska is not on the hot seat,” Dreger stated. “The team played slightly better in a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes [on Sunday].
“Management is hoping they continue to play on that sort of trend moving forward.”
The 2026-27 campaign marks Huska’s fourth season as the Flames’ head coach. The 51-year-old previously spent five seasons as an assistant in Calgary before landing the top job following Darryl Sutter’s dismissal after the 2022-23 season.
One factor that could be working in Huska’s favour is the team’s struggles in goal. Although Devin Cooley delivered a much-improved performance against the Hurricanes, both he and Dustin Wolf have struggled out of the gate, with each carrying a goals-against average above 4.00.
Goaltending was expected to be one of Calgary’s biggest strengths this season. Instead, inconsistent performances between the pipes have contributed to their early-season struggles, making it difficult to pin the blame entirely on the coaching staff.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Huska is entirely free of responsibility. Calgary’s defensive breakdowns and inability to consistently compete for a full 60 minutes have also been concerning, and the coaching staff will need to find ways to address those issues as the season progresses.
For now, it appears Huska will be given time to work through the team’s growing pains. With Calgary in the midst of a rebuild, management appears willing to give their head coach a longer leash than a team with playoff expectations would be able to afford.
That patience won’t last forever, though, particularly if the Flames continue to surrender goals at their current rate. But for the time being, Huska appears to have the backing of Conroy and the Flames’ front office.