In a season in which the Calgary Flames have sat in the basement of the NHL standings for over two months, the organization continues to move forward business as usual. Now entering the midway point of the 2025-26 season with the playoffs a distant dream, the organization refuses to admit defeat.
Whether it’s directly from team President Dan Maloney or countless NHL insiders, we continue to hear that this team has no plans to rebuild. It all goes back to the same excuse each time. We don’t want to become the Buffalo Sabres. We don’t want to be stuck at the bottom of the league. I have bad news for the Flames: you already are the Buffalo Sabres. In fact, you may actually be worse.
Whether it’s playoff success or top draft picks, the Flames have been arguably the worst organization in the entire NHL since the 2004-05 lockout.
Playoff success is rarely seen in Calgary
First off, let’s take a look at overall playoff success since the lockout. The playoffs are why you play the game. It’s why the NHL exists: for teams to compete for the Stanley Cup. Well, the Flames don’t do much of that, and when they do, it doesn’t last very long. First, let’s take a look at overall playoff wins since the 2005–06 season. Here are the bottom five teams.
Playoff wins
We won’t be considering the Seattle Kraken here, as they’ve been a team for only three seasons. For any relocated teams, we’ll be combining their totals. We also won’t be considering the 2020 play-in series or round robin. Here are the bottom five teams in the NHL for playoff wins since 2005.
| Team | Playoff Wins (since 2005) |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres | 25 |
| Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers | 23 |
| Calgary Flames | 23 |
| Utah Mammoth/Arizona Coyotes | 13 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 12 |
Your eyes do not deceive you; the Buffalo Sabres have more playoff wins than the Calgary Flames over the last 20 years. This is despite the Sabres not playing in a single playoff game since 2011. 14 straight years without a single playoff appearance, and the dreaded Sabres still have more playoff wins than the Calgary Flames since 2005.
Only two teams in the entre NHL have less playoff wins than Calgary, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Arizona/Utah franchise. Utah is currently one of the more exciting young teams in the league, and should be shooting up this list over the next few years.
Funny enough, the Winnipeg Jets, who rejoined the league in 2011 and have six fewer seasons under their belt since 2005, have the same amount of playoff wins as the Flames.
In total, the Flames have 23 playoff wins across the past 20 seasons, averaging just over one a season. Their highest such total in one year is a measly five wins, accomplished in 2015 and again in 2022. They’ve yet to win two games in the second round of the NHL playoffs since 2004.
For context, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning lead the NHL in the category, with 102 playoff wins apiece since 2005, 79 more than the Flames.
Playoff series wins
Next up, let’s look at overall playoff series wins. Getting individual wins in the playoffs is one thing, but they mean nothing if you don’t close the deal and win a series. Just like in the wins category, the Flames’ numbers are truly embarrassing when it comes to series wins. Here are the bottom five.
| Team | Playoff Series Wins (since 2005) |
|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 |
| Minnesota Wild | 2 |
| Utah Mammoth/Arizona Coyotes | 2 |
| Calgary Flames | 2 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 1 |
Once again, the Flames are among the worst teams in the NHL when it comes to success in the playoffs. In fact, there is just one team that has fewer playoff series wins than the Flames since 2005, the Blue Jackets. There are currently three teams tied with the Flames for the second-worst total.
With their series win over the Senators last year, the Maple Leafs officially tied the Flames with two series wins since 2005. Given the current direction of the Minnesota Wild, I’d be shocked if they aren’t ahead of the Flames in series wins by the summer. Utah meanwhile, has one of the brightest futures in the NHL.
The Flames’ two series wins came in 2015 during the “Find a Way” Flames season, and then in 2022 when they narrowly defeated the Dallas Stars in Game 7 overtime. Outside of those two years, the Flames have done absolutely nothing in the playoffs. Across the last 20 seasons, they’ve lost in the first round seven times, lost in the second round twice, and missed the playoffs 11 times. Their overall playoff series record since the lockout is an ugly 2–9.
The Sabres meanwhile have won four series since the lockout, which is double the Flames total. Their overall record in playoff series since 2005 is 4-4. So despite not making the playoffs for 14 straight years, they currently double the Flames series wins total.
In terms of the best teams in the league, the Penguins and Lightning lead the NHL in series wins since the lockout, with 20 each. That’s 18 more series wins than the Flames.
Conference final appearances
What about trips to the conference finals as one of the last four teams standing in a season? One step away from a Stanley Cup final appearance. Winning a series is one thing, but stringing them together is the sign of a truly successful team. Well, the Flames haven’t seen that stage all that often recently.
| Team | Conference Final Appearances (since 2005) |
|---|---|
| Utah Mammoth/Arizona Coyotes | 1 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 |
| Minnesota Wild | 0 |
| Calgary Flames | 0 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 0 |
No team has fewer conference final appearances than the Flames since 2005. The organization has managed to make the final four of the playoffs a total of zero times in the past 20 years. That’s right, the Flames have not managed to win two playoff series in a row at any point in the last 20 years. They’re not alone, so there’s that at least. The Blue Jackets, Wild, and Maple Leafs all sit in the same situation as the Flames, with zero appearances since 2005.
Here’s a fun fact, though: all three of those teams have had longer playoff runs since 2005 than Calgary. The Flames’ longest run has been five games into the second round, accomplished in 2015 and 2022. The Maple Leafs have reached Game 7 of the second round. The Blue Jackets and Wild have both advanced to Game 6 of the second round. Every single team in the NHL has made it further in the playoffs than the Flames since the lockout. Given where the team stands right now, don’t count on them topping their five-win total in the playoffs anytime soon.
The Buffalo Sabres meanwhile, have two conference final appearances since 2005, and have made it to game seven of the conference final since the last time the Flames played a conference final game. For further context, the Tampa Bay Lightning lead the NHL with six conference final appearances since 2005, while 20 teams have at least two appearances.
Top five draft picks
Lastly, let’s look at the opposite end of the spectrum. Top-five draft picks aren’t what any team sets out to get, but they certainly bring a jolt of excitement and hope to an organization. If you’re not succeeding in the playoffs, you must be racking up top-five draft picks, right? Not exactly.
| Team | Top-Five Draft Picks (since 2005) |
|---|---|
| Dallas Stars | 1 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 1 |
| Minnesota Wild | 1 |
| Calgary Flames | 1 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 0 |
Shocker, the Flames can’t even be bad properly either. Despite sitting near the bottom of the NHL in playoff wins, playoff series wins, and conference final appearances since the lockout, the Flames also rank tied for second-last when it comes to top-five draft picks. The only team worse is the Vegas Golden Knights, who have been around for just eight years and have had a boatload of playoff success, including four conference final trips and a Stanley Cup.
Tied with Calgary with just one top-five draft pick in the past 20 years are the Wild, Stars, and Red Wings. The Red Wings have a Stanley Cup and 12 series wins since the lockout, so their lack of top-five picks is mostly due to success. The Stars are in a similar situation; they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 2005 but have 12 playoff series wins over that span, along with three conference final trips. They’ve also been one of the NHL’s top teams in the 2020s.
The only team that can claim as much pain as the Flames is the Wild, who also have just one top-five draft pick since 2005 and limited playoff success. With that said, they’re currently poised to be one of the league’s top teams for at least a couple of seasons with Quinn Hughes now in the mix.
The Flames’ only top-five pick was, of course, Sam Bennett, who managed just 26 playoff games in Calgary and has since played in three straight Stanley Cup finals with a different franchise, including two Stanley Cup wins.
The Sabres meanwhile, who the Flames are trying to avoid being like, have picked in the top five a total of four times since 2005. Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart are those four players. Not bad!
The Blue Jackets, Oilers, Blackhawks, Canadiens, Wild, and Mammoth/Coyotes all rank tied for first with six top-five picks since 2005. The Seattle Kraken meanwhile, who have been around for just four years, have two top-five draft picks, one more than the Flames do in their entire 45-year existence.
The Flames are the Sabres of the West
Taking the average ranking for every team in playoff wins, series wins, conference final appearances, and top-five draft picks, and averaging them out, the Flames rank dead last (31st out of 31 teams) on average compared to the rest of the league. The Sabres meanwhile, rank 23rd league-wide.
Since the lockout, the Flames are the only organization in the NHL to rank in the bottom three in playoff wins, series wins, conference final appearances, and top-five picks. Yes, not even the Sabres have experienced that much ineptitude since the lockout.
It may be time for the organization to stop using the Sabres as a cop out for not rebuilding properly. You already are the Sabres, in fact you’re even worse.
