With the 2025–26 NHL season officially in the books, the Calgary Flames will once again be granted early holidays. But the lingering question is: How bad will the Flames be next season?
What Went Wrong This Season?
Going into 25–26, the Flames were trying to capitalize on the momentum from a frustrating finish in the 24–25 season, missing the playoffs despite having a 41–27–14 record and 96 points.
It seemed like Calgary would take the same route in 25–26. They rode the wave of positive dressing room culture and elite-level goaltending from Dustin Wolf.
After beating the Edmonton Oilers 4–3 in a shootout, overcoming a 3–0 deficit to win the season opener, the Flames lost seven straight games and looked completely uncoordinated throughout the early season.
Calgary only lost four games in December, causing fans to fear finishing the season in the mushy middle yet again. As we know, Craig Conroy chose to deal Rasmus Andersson, Mackenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri, seemingly “embracing the tank.”
An Unexpected Finish
The Flames stepped up their game post-deadline, with the likes of Ryan Strome, Olli Maatta and Zach Whitecloud standing out. Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee both hit the 20-goal plateau. Rookies Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin are making a name for themselves at the national level.
The new-look Flames won five straight games in March, but an extremely tough schedule followed, bringing them back down to earth.
How Bad Will The Flames Be in 26–27?
Obviously, we don’t have a crystal ball, and we can’t see what 2026–27 will hold for the Calgary Flames. But let’s try to break things down:
Fans shouldn’t expect the Flames to make a big splash in free agency going into the summer. For an ownership group that is constantly trying to “sneak into” the playoffs, they’ve committed to improving via the draft.
Going into draft weekend, the Flames have the 4th-best odds at winning the lottery. As much as Flames fans would love to draft 1st overall for the first time in franchise history, the likelihood of that happening isn’t as high as “the C of red” hoped for.
The Calgary Flames don’t quit. Regardless of whether they’re the competitor they were in 2021–22, or the young and hungry team that closed out 2025–26, this team is notorious for being hard to play against.
What To Expect From The Team
Flames fans should expect the team’s youth to take that next step. We know players like Connor Zary are chomping at the bit to prove their skill, and his comments during his exit interview are worth noting.
“When you have younger guys with talent and skill, you don’t want to hold them back. You don’t want to put a leash on them, right? At the end of the day, who gives a shit if they go out there and make a mistake. It’s going to happen.”
The Frost/Farabee trade was low risk, high reward for Calgary. It seems that “high reward” may come into play next season, as Frost put up 22 goals and 21 assists in 82 games, and Farabee tallied 20 goals and 18 assists in 82 games as well. Both players capitalized on the increased ice time post-deadline, and it’s a safe bet to assume they’ll get more in 26–27.
An unexpected duo emerged on the ice in the latter half of the season, with rookies Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin showing signs of some serious chemistry, especially on the power play. A full season of Parekh-Gridin on the team’s PP1 could be instrumental in determining the outcome of next season.
Devin Cooley shocked the league this year. Despite playing in the shadow of superstar goaltender Dustin Wolf, Cooley really came into his own, posting a .909 SV% on the season and being one of the best goalies in the league statistically. If he can continue to improve on his play between the pipes, 26–27 could be a very good year for him.
How The Draft Impacts The Season
As mentioned earlier, the Flames will likely draft 4th overall this June, should the lottery balls not go in their favour on May 5th.
Let’s say the Flames do draft 4th overall. It’s projected that one of Keaton Verhoeff or Caleb Malhotra will be available to don the flaming C.
Calgary has been hunting for a number one centre for what feels like forever now. If it’s possible, it’s a safe bet to assume Craig Conroy would love to take Malhotra, despite him being a left shot.
We’ve seen what a franchise piece can do for a club. Macklin Celebrini has completely turned the Sharks franchise around in a short period of time, and Matthew Schaefer has been a beacon of light for the New York Islanders.
Should that 9.5% chance the Flames draft 1st overall, one of McKenna, Stenberg or Reid could instantly impact the 26–27 season should they make the opening night roster.
Possible Offseason Trades
Calgary acquired 3, 2nd-round picks in this year’s draft via the Mackenzie Weegar trade. In season 2, episode nine of “The Chase,” it was mentioned that the Flames could use those picks as trade pieces.
Shane Wright
The Flames could go after Shane Wright. The Seattle Kraken have been seemingly willing to give Wright away for a “win now” player if the rumours are to be believed. Wright had 12 goals and 15 assists in 25–26.
Mason Lohrei
Calgary nearly acquired young Bruins defender Mason Lohrei in a squashed Rasmus Andersson trade. The Flames could look to revisit a potential move for Lohrei this offseason if the stars align.
Mavrik Bourque
This move seems most plausible for Calgary. Coleman to Dallas with retention for Mavrik Bourque and other pieces would make sense for both sides. Dallas is in win-now mode, and Bourque could benefit from the increase in ice time.
What To Make Of It
With Dustin Wolf, Zayne Parekh, Matt Coronato, Matvei Gridin, etc. being handed the reins by the Flames brass, anything can happen. This team’s never-say-die attitude could see them squeak into a playoff spot next season. But realistically, we should expect a similar year to next season’s predecessor.
We don’t truly know how “bad” this team will be, per se, as the Calgary Flames are an inconsistent team almost every season.
Only time will tell, but the Flames are in a good spot for the future, and to most of the city of Calgary, that’s all we’ve wanted.
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