Just over a week ago, the Calgary Flames season was humming like a fine-tuned van on a cross-country road trip. They just pulled off a massive trade for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, won their game against the Anaheim Ducks despite the drama of the deal, and were striking distance from a Pacific Division playoff spot.
A lot can change in a week.
Since the trade, the Flames have gone 1–3–1 and have now fallen three points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The trade deadline is just under a month away, but the team is only playing seven more games thanks to the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
The Flames have to decide what path they are going down and find out quickly.
The team’s weaknesses are starting to show
It’s safe to say the Flames aren’t going to roll over and die after a week where they went winless. But it’s how they lost that has the fans, and surely the organization, extremely worried. They were blown out of the building by the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the week in games where they simply were outmanned offensively.
Last night’s game was simply inexcusable, coughing up a two-goal lead late and losing in overtime to the lowly Seattle Kraken. The Flames have a scoring problem but are now starting to crack defensively as well. Dustin Wolf is holding the ship together with his bare hands, but not getting a lot of support from his teammates.
The break is absolutely going to help both Kevin Bahl and Connor Zary return from their respective injuries, which is going to bolster both sides of the ice for the Flames. Bahl had been their most steady defensive defenceman, and Zary was one of their most productive forwards. Getting both back would be the exact turning point for the team needed coming out of the break.
Upcoming stretch will decide the Flames’ season
That being said, the Flames are entering a grueling stretch in their schedule. After a game against the San Jose Sharks, the team hits the road to face the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Dallas Stars.
It’s not a trip for the faint of heart and will be the deciding factor in how the season plays out. Their last game of the trip comes the day before the trade deadline, meaning how they play could decide the direction for the rest of the season.
Flames must avoid finishing just outside the bottom 10
The critical x-factor here in the team’s crossroad is their own first-round pick in 2025. Right now, if the season ended today, the Flames would be sending their pick to the Montreal Canadiens, which would be sixteenth overall. It may sound middle of the pack, but they only sit five points out of a top ten overall selection which would mean they get to keep their pick.
For team “rebuilding/retooling,” if they were to keep treading water and finish the season, say, just outside of the bottom ten, they would have nothing to show for it aside from two late first-round picks. With Zayne Parekh putting up historical numbers in the OHL this season, the difference between a ninth-overall pick and no pick at all is significant.
The team isn’t going to give up, but if this week proved anything, they are far from a legitimate playoff contender. The team needs to pick a path to go down, and they need to figure it out fast.
