The Calgary Flames are second last in the NHL standings. If it were real early into the 2025-26 season, one may understand the organization wanting to see if they can dig their way out of the hole they are currently in. That said, we are at the 24-game mark, which means over a quarter of the season has been completed.
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It’s become quite clear watching this current team that they aren’t a playoff-calibre roster. In fact, they aren’t very close. They have the goaltender, but aside from that, there are far too many holes on this roster. They don’t have a deep enough blue line, their centre depth is amongst the worst in the NHL, and they lack a player or two up front who can really take over a game on any given night. Their 57 goals through 24 games is a clear indicator of that.
The Flames were trying to do a rebuild, or perhaps more of a retool, on the fly. The issue is that they didn’t already have the pieces in place to attempt that. Their two best forwards are over the age of 30. It seems to be clear to nearly everybody that in order to become a contender, they need to sell off some of their top players in order to bottom out and bring in some elite talent through the draft. Unfortunately, that idea doesn’t seem to interest owner Murray Edwards whatsoever.
Flames Stuck in Same Cycle Under Edwards
Based on the standings, one would assume that the Flames would play into the card they’ve been dealt and set their sights on a top pick at the 2026 draft. There are certainly a number of prospects who have the ability to become elite NHL players in the likes of Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, and Ivar Stenberg.
To help ensure that they remain in the bottom of the standings, while also bringing back some other young pieces and/or draft picks, one would also think the Flames would look at moving a player like Nazem Kadri. He still has value, but, his contract, which is in place through the 2028-29 season, could become a problem. After all, he is 35 years old. Still, the Flames seem to have zero intention on moving him.
“I think we need more Kadris, not less,” president of hockey operations Don Maloney said in a chat with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. “We need more of that winning.”
What winning Maloney is referring to is unclear, as it certainly hasn’t been coming from his Flames. Sure, Kadri was able to win a Stanley Cup as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, but it doesn’t take the sharpest of minds to tell you this Flames roster is no where near what that Avalanche roster was like in 2022.
Based on the recent comments from Maloney, it seems clear that this organization continues to be completely against the idea of a rebuild. The same thing was said when Brad Treliving was working as their general manager (GM), and it’s been no different under Craig Conroy. That, of course, is due to the fact that Edwards has continued to remain in place.
It’s been suggested by many in-the-know that it is Edwards himself that is against the idea of a rebuild. That puts others, like Conroy, in a tough position. Granted, we don’t know if Conroy thinks a rebuild is the right solution either, but if he does, it’s hard to make it come to fruition if ownership won’t sign off on it.
Flames fans are quite upset with the lack of direction of this franchise, and are even more up in arms given Maloney’s comments such as the one mentioned above. This is an organization who has won just one game in the second round of the playoffs since their Stanley Cup Final run back in 2004. Their only Stanley Cup to date came back in 1989. And still, for some reason, they, or perhaps Edwards, seems to hate the idea of a rebuild, despite the fact that it’s been so successful for many other franchises across the NHL.
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Unfortunately, there is nothing that anybody can do to change Edwards’ mind. The good news, though, is that despite his reported wishes against a rebuild, the Flames are still currently in a draft-lottery position. Should they continue to struggle the rest of the season, there is a strong chance the Flames will land an elite prospect at the upcoming draft, which could wind up going a long way in helping change the direction of this franchise.
