Preview - Flames vs. Canucks

There's only been three days of on-ice sessions so far at this year's training camp, but there's no doubt the players are champing at the bit to see some actual game action.

Enough playing against each other - time to go head-to-head with some folks sporting a different logo on their jersey.

Same thing applies to new head coach Ryan Huska and his coaching staff.

It's time for the rubber to hit the road, as they say, when the Flames kick off the preseason tonight at 6 p.m. when they host the Canucks at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

"Now we can actually see our guys doing things," said Huska. "It's easier when you watch yourself in video and when you're trying to make corrections or make adjustments to what you're trying to do.

"So now you actually get a chance to play the games and see if they understand what we're asking them, first and foremost, and if they aren't understanding it then maybe our messaging has been wrong with them and then it's an opportunity for us to continue to build and get better with it.

"You start the game and yes, they're exhibition games and, yes, it's an opportunity for guys to make impressions but you want to win those games, too, 'cause that's a standard that you want to set."

In the Zone:

One big change on the ice this year is the team flipping from a man-to-man defensive scheme to a zone approach.

"There's changes with it, for sure," explained Huska. "The principles behind it are the same for us; we don't want to spend time in our zone. That part of it is not changing. What we ask our d-men to do, that'll be something that changes, and I think the most important person will be our centremen on the ice.

"So they're the guys, I think, we have to spend the most time with, because they're the ones that have the harder reads in regards to their coverage and who they have to pick up, and they way they see the game but that's one of the beauties of our team. When you look at our guys down the middle, you probably consider them our smartest players. So that's why we kind of feel like making subtle adjustments along the way will work for us.

"There's going to be some trial and error for sure because guys are kind of se in their ways, but that's something we're going to continue working on every day."

The Plan:

When it comes to personnel, preseason is all about the balancing act between giving younger players the reps and making sure the veterans get enough ice to hit the ground running when the regular season starts off.

Huska said that challenging the team's up-and-comers is one of his focuses in exhibition play.

"I think what we look for, you want to see if some of the lines we've used the last three days, is there something there when it comes to game time," he explained. "And then, I think as you get going further, there's certain players that you (want to see) are they ready to handle a situation where they're playing with a top-six NHL player.

"You can look at a Connor Zary, if you want to single out a player. We want to see what he's going to be able to do. So he'll find himself in situations where he's in that energy role we talked about with (Jakob Pelletier) but he, like the other younger guys, are going to get situations where they find themselves bumped up the lineup a little bit to see if they're at the level they're ready to contribute."

The Right 'Fit':

Huska told the media on Saturday that Dillon Dube was crowned the Fittest Flame following Wednesday's fitness testing. It was the third year that he has earned that title.

Mikael Backlund finished second, while Martin Pospisil was third.

"Mikael sets a standard for the older group, and Dillon sets a standard for all the guys trying to make it in," said Huska. "They put the time in."