The 2024–25 season was anticipated to be one where the Calgary Flames’ successes were measured upon player development, team culture, and NHL draft lottery odds. In other words, it appeared the rebuild was finally here. Despite the expectations prior to the season, the Flames are right in the hunt for a playoff spot in the midst of a difficult road trip against some of the Eastern Conference’s top dogs.
The team has looked good overall after coming back from the 4 Nations break, winning two of their first three. After back-to-back wins against the league-worst San Jose Sharks and near-league-best Washington Capitals, the Flames couldn’t get anything past Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Despite some struggles for the Edmonton Oilers coming out of the break, hooray, the West remains tight with little movement. The Flames are a mere one point out of the final western wild card spot while simultaneously being only three points from a lottery position.
This is especially important because the Flames’ own first-round pick won’t be traded to Montreal if it’s a lottery pick. The Flames currently hold three 2025 first-round picks:
- Their own pick, which would be 16th overall if the season ended today.
- The Florida Panthers’ pick, which would be 28th overall if the season ended today.
- The New Jersey Devils’ pick, which would be 20th overall if the season ended today (but will defer to 2026 if the Devils finish bottom 10).
As part of the conditions in the Sean Monahan trade with the Montreal Canadiens, the better of Florida or Calgary’s picks will be transferred to the Canadiens if the Flames finish outside the bottom 10. Currently, the Canadiens would receive the 16th overall pick.
Current NHL standings
The Flames have stood on the shoulders of Dustin Wolf once again, coming out of the break with the rookie having two solid starts against San Jose and Tampa Bay. The team rallied around Dan Vladar in Washington earlier this week, handing the second-overall Capitals a loss in their own building.
The trade deadline is looming, and while Craig Conroy has already made a substantial move in acquiring Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, there could be more to come. Conroy has said on many occasions that the group has “earned” a chance to make a run at the playoffs.
With this road trip being one of the toughest stretches of hockey on the Flames’ schedule, it’s very important they secure points and build some momentum. They are only a point behind Vancouver for the final wild card spot in the west.
Calgary is also very close to a lottery spot; somehow, only three points separate them and the 23rd overall Montreal Canadiens. The Flames would have to be jumped by six teams: Utah Hockey Club, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, and Montreal. It’s hard to believe the Flames slide below all of those teams.
Barring a complete disaster on the back end of this road trip, it’s time for the Flames to say goodbye to their own first-round pick this season.
The state of Calgary’s other picks
The New Jersey Devils have been through a rough patch since the new year, and losing their goaltender Jacob Markstrom in January was certainly not helpful. The Devils are now only six points ahead of the Flames in the standings, despite their early season success. The Flames are almost guaranteed the Devils ‘ first-round pick, however, as they still remain 13th overall headed into the final stretch of the season.
The Panthers have also won two of their first three games since the break—just like the Flames—and will host the boys from Calgary tomorrow night. In the current situation, the Panthers have gained some ground at fifth overall in the league standings.
If the season ended this way, the Flames would give Montreal their own pick and retain Florida’s, selecting 12 spots lower. Instead of having their own pick at 16th overall, they would have Florida’s 28th overall pick as well as New Jersey’s 20th overall pick.
Commit to the playoff push?
It seems inevitable that the 2024–25 Calgary Flames are going to prove the critics wrong. They haven’t played great hockey, not even good hockey most nights, but they’ve found a way to stay in the hunt on the backs of a young roster and a refreshed locker room culture.
However, the Flames still could fall or rise in standings a reasonable amount. The team has been in and out of the final wildcard spot all month, and it doesn’t appear they’ll be backing away from the hunt anytime soon.
The closer to the deadline we get, the more apparent it will become who is a seller and who is a buyer this year. At that point, the standings might separate further, but right now, things are very competitive from top to bottom.
The Flames have some work to do, but they’ve put themselves in a good position to try and scrape out a couple playoff wins. As far as the picks go, just trust Conroy, and the scouting team will make the right call. It’s time to look ahead a little less far down the road than we have been, Flames fans.
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