Athletic Poll Results

The Flames have been on a downward trend for a few years now. Since getting past the first round of the Playoffs in 2022, the Flames haven’t even qualified.

Whilst this does create an opportunity in terms of being able to get exciting youngsters in by obtaining high draft picks, there’s no long-term guarantee of success. For success, you need a perfect storm of the right players, at the right time, and a coach capable of getting the best out of them. There’s a lot of online conjecture about the last of those amongst Flames fans. Last season saw Ryan Huska get criticism from Flames fans for often being reluctant to play the younger players.

Despite the influx of young talent in recent years, this hasn’t been enough to convince neutral fans that long-term success is likely in Calgary. A recent poll on The Athletic got more than 20,000 votes, and the Flames were voted the third least likely to win a Stanley Cup within the next ten seasons.

The poll results

Vancouver led the way with 15% of the vote. Toronto sat just behind them on 12%, despite recently drafting potentially elite forward Gavin McKenna at first overall. The Flames sit just behind at 11%, followed by Columbus with 10%.

Whilst all fan polls should be taken with a pinch of salt, the neutral’s view of Calgary’s long-term chances is perhaps telling about the current state of things. Vancouver’s fall from grace, from finishing with 109 points in 2023–24 and then dead last in 2025–26, was spectacular. The loss of Quinn Hughes last season has only lowered their chances in the eyes of readers of The Athletic.

The Flames’ long-term chances, as seen from a Flames Fan

There can be little argument that the last few years have seen the overall quality of the team go down. In the aforementioned 2021–22 season, the team of Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Lindholm, Toffoli, et al, were tipped as contenders. Four years later, very few members of the squad remain.

Since then, any proven player with any value has been traded away. In return, the Flames received draft picks, creating an exciting prospect pool in Alberta. Zayne Parekh has become a valuable part of the defence, with Carson Carels, recently drafted 6th, likely to join him soon. Matvei Gridin impressed many in his rookie year last season. There are also many tipping Cole Reschny to join them soon after an impressive display at the IIHF World U18 Championship, helping Canada secure the bronze.

As well as what’s coming through, Dustin Wolf has established himself as the first-choice keeper. At just 25, his best years are ahead of him… hopefully.

Of course, none of this guarantees success. There is a big difference between heading in the right direction and becoming cup contenders. It’s important to remember that we’re not the only team with exciting prospects. Not only that, but the West has several high-potential teams.

The Wild/Avs/Stars Problem

Of course, it’s important to recognize that youth doesn’t necessarily lead to success, as demonstrated by the recent Playoffs.

The Central Division was the cause of the latest criticism of the current Playoff system last season. The Avs, Stars, and Wild got a total of 336 points combined last season, an impressive total. That meant, however, that Dallas and Minnesota faced each other. This wasn’t necessarily the issue, but the wild card format was what drew controversy. Vegas ended up with a much easier run after getting significantly fewer points than any of the aforementioned.

Vegas went on to compete in the final, despite only securing 95 points in the regular season. For context, that’s lower than the 96 that didn’t even see the Flames qualify the year before. Whilst you will have to face good teams at some point if you’re going to win, many criticized the format for allowing them to get further than both Dallas and Minnesota, despite the points gaps. It led to renewed calls for the 1–8 format to return, rather than the current set-up.

Getting talented youngsters in is no guarantee of even getting past the first round. The Flames have often cited Dallas as the model to follow in terms of recruitment, but getting 112 points and going out in the first round just shows even the ideal models don’t necessarily get you anywhere. We have a saying in my native England, calling our end-ofseason playoffs in football “the Playoff Lottery”, and the same applies for hockey, if not more so.

Summary

Flames fans are optimistic about the future given the stockpile of exciting youth coming through. However, the poll could be deemed to hold a bit more of a realistic view of the future. It does feel, as Flames fans, that we’re heading in the right direction, but there are many factors that suggest we should stay more grounded.

That being said, it’s nice to look at what’s coming through the system and be optimistic.

Hopefully this will be a case of “The Kids Are Alright!”