Despite how close the Calgary Flames are to a playoff spot, the odds of making the postseason aren’t in their favour. Per MoneyPuck, they have just an 18 percent chance of clinching a berth. So, regardless of their hot play of late, they have a big mountain to climb.
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That said, nobody expected the Flames to be in this position in the first place. They sold off a ton of veterans in the 2023-24 season and moved Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane last summer. It was evident that general manager (GM) Craig Conroy was opting for a full-fledged rebuild.
Rebuilds mean enduring long, painful seasons. After all, to rebuild, teams must bottom out and accumulate talented draft prospects and high draft picks. He may never admit it, but Conroy undoubtedly envisioned that happening this season and perhaps over the next few years. That hasn’t happened, but that’s a good thing.
Young Flames Getting Valuable Games
While adding top picks is always an asset, it comes at the cost of losing games. That can instill a bad culture and, for younger players, bad habits. On some teams, that isn’t an issue, as they have replaceable pieces that aren’t expected to be around long-term. That isn’t the case with the Flames.
The Flames already have some big names that will be core pieces of the organization moving forward. Goaltender Dustin Wolf leads that charge, though he isn’t the only one. Recent 20-goal scorer Matt Coronato is a huge part of the franchise, as is 23-year-old Connor Zary. One could even argue that players like Morgan Frost and Kevin Bahl could be included in that conversation.
Fans who think a high pick would benefit the team more than a playoff race need to ask themselves if bottoming out is the right thing for the Flames’ young players. After all, there is still a draft lottery in play, and getting a high pick doesn’t guarantee a franchise-altering player. Building up the roster’s confidence and having them get used to playing in high-stakes games outweighs the benefits of finishing near the bottom of the standings.
Flames’ Youth Responsible for Season Success
What makes things far more exciting is that the Flames’ young players are a huge reason why they’ve been successful this season. Once again, Wolf is at the top of that list. For some, he’s the only reason this team is in the playoff conversation, having put together a 2.67 goals-against average (GAA), a .909 save percentage (SV%) and a 24-15-5 record through 44 games.
While Wolf is undoubtedly the team’s MVP, Coronato has also excelled up front. After looking out of sorts in the NHL a season ago, he’s been a new player in 2024-25. His 20 goals are third amongst all Flames, and, at just 22 years old, it appears there will be plenty more 20-goal seasons ahead of him.
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As for Zary, stats don’t tell the entire story. He was getting things done offensively before suffering a gruesome knee injury in January. Since returning, he’s struggled to find his offensive touch, but he impacts the game in many other ways. He’s defensively sound for his age and is arguably the most skilled player on the Flames at creating chances off the rush. Of course, there is the fear that he suffered another ugly injury on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars, but that doesn’t diminish his overall progress this season.
Time to Embrace the Flames’ Playoff Push
While the reasoning behind wanting a high pick was justified, we’re too deep in the season for the Flames to drop off in the standings. With just 11 games remaining and a playoff spot very much in reach, the fan base should embrace this resilient group and root for them to get back into the postseason for the first time in three seasons.
