The Calgary Flames as a whole have not been a very good team this season. They were by no means expected to be very good, but haven’t gotten contributions they were hoping for from the likes of Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, Dustin Wolf, and several others.
Given those struggles, it’s no surprise to see that the Flames sit at a disappointing 21-23-4 record through 48 games. While they aren’t entirely out of the playoff picture, most are under the assumption that by the time the 2025-26 campaign concludes, they will be in the draft-lottery conversation.
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While the entire team has struggled as a collective whole, however, one of the biggest, if not the biggest disappointment this season has been MacKenzie Weegar. After being one of, if not the Flames top defenceman since arriving via trade ahead of the 2022-23 season, he’s struggled immensely in 2025-26.
Olympic Pressure No Longer to Blame
The 2024-25 season, one in which Weegar was very good, had many believing he would be on Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Ultimately, he was left off, but seemed to have put himself in the conversation to crack a spot on the back end for the Winter Olympics. That was confirmed further when he was invited to Canada’s orientation camp late in the summer.
Any chance Weegar had at cracking Canada’s Olympic roster, however, was put to rest pretty quickly after what was a porous start to the 2025-26 season. Many felt that the pressure of the Olympics was playing into his struggle. However, the team has already been named, and Weegar, who was left off the roster, has continued to struggle.
After scoring north of 45 points in each of the past two seasons, Weegar has just three goals and 16 points through 48 games this season. That puts him on pace for just five goals and 27 points. Keep in mind, this is a player who scored 20 goals in 2023-24.
Of course, every NHL player, particularly offensive defencemen, are prone to having down seasons. If it were just his offensive totals that had dipped, things wouldn’t be overly concerning. The issue, however, is that as bad as his offence has been, he’s been even worse in his own end of the ice.
Weegar is a Turn-Over Machine This Season
A quick look at Weegar’s totals this season would tell you just how much he’s struggling. As already mentioned, the offensive totals are way down, but what stands out even more is his plus/minus. The usually dependable right-shot blueliner is tied with Brayden Schenn for the second-worst mark in the league at -23. Though plus/minus is often a flawed stat, those who have watched the Flames closely this season will tell you it’s quite indicative of how he’s played.
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Before joining the Flames, Weegar was known to be a defenceman who could make big mistakes at inopportune times. That hasn’t changed since arriving in Calgary. Make no mistake; the good he brought far outweighed the big turnover he seemed prone to make on a nightly basis. This season, however, those turnovers have come even more often, and the rest of the play hasn’t been good enough to justify it.
Weegar leads all NHL defencemen in giveaways this season with 78. Granted, players that are given big minutes like Weegar are always prone to more giveaways, but that is still a jaw-dropping total. For example, Rasmus Andersson, the one Flame who has averaged more ice time than Weegar this season, has 12 less at 66. It may not seem substantial, but Andersson is tied for 15th amongst all NHL defencemen in that category.
Not Time to Panic Just Yet
Though there are some Flames fans who are starting to become frustrated by Weegar’s play this season, it’s too soon to panic. After all, he was a very good top-pairing defenceman through his first three seasons with the Flames, suggesting this is just an off year. If he continues to struggle like this in the 2026-27 season, however, it may be time to officially start worrying about him.
