Five months into the season, the Calgary Flames still find themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot. Who would’ve believed that to be the case back in October? Thanks to some spectacular goaltending from a rookie, the Flames have an opportunity to surprise the league and end up making the postseason.
Craig Conroy recently gave the team some new additions to hopefully help them in their playoff push. Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost made their Flames debut at the start of February, and the hope is for both players to be fixtures in the lineup for the next couple years. With how the Flames’ season has gone so far, will they be able to sustain it and make the playoffs? We asked, you answered.
Do fans see the team making the playoffs?
We presented the below poll to our readers.
Will the #Flames make the playoffs?
— The Win Column (@wincolumnCGY) February 8, 2025
Flames are playoff-bound
The Flames are fighting with the Vancouver Cancucks for the second wild card spot. Although many people would have picked Vancouver over Calgary to make the playoffs before the season started, Dustin Wolf has shown us that anything is possible.
Additionally, although Morgan Frost only has two goals so far in his Flames tenure, he has really impressed while he has been on the ice. Joel Farabee has also contributed a goal since he became a Flame.
As the season goes on and Frost and Farabee get more comfortable with the Flames and their system, can they strengthen the team to help push them into the playoffs? It would still take elite-level goaltending from Dustin Wolf, but there is definitely a scenario where the Flames end up surprising the league.
Flames miss the playoffs
The Flames are 4–5–1 in their last 10 games, have lost their last three games, and have a -17 goal differential. On top of that, they have the fifth-worst penalty kill in the league, fourth-worst faceoff win percentage, and score the third least goals per game. These are not the stats of a playoff-caliber team, but somehow, they are still in the hunt.
Dustin Wolf is the deciding factor on whether the Flames make the playoffs or not. Although he is a spectacular goaltender, is it reasonable to expect a rookie goaltender to carry a team into the playoffs? It would be fantastic if he could, but he also just entered the league, and it may be an unreasonable ask.
The team may need to strengthen their overall play if they are hoping to make the playoffs because relying on a rookie goalie to drag you there may not be sustainable.
The team has time to decide on a direction
Conroy still has time to see what this team is and plan out his trade deadline plans. Is this a team that is showing promise and worth adding players who have term? Or does the team still need some time and development before they can truly contend for a playoff spot?
Conroy needs to decide whether he should buy or sell, but I think all Flames fans can agree that the worst thing that he could do is stand pat. Conroy has stated that he is willing to add to his roster if the player is around 25 or younger and if that player comes with term. He has already acquired Farabee and Frost. Let’s see if he has more planned.
