The 2026–27 season started abysmally for the Calgary Flames, recording a single win in their first seven games. If you asked Flames fans on October 15th whether this team could compete for a playoff spot, you’d get a scoff, uncontrollable laughter, or the impression you were flat-out crazy. Fast forward three weeks, and the team is 6–3–1 in its last ten games and has scored four goals in three of those contests. Although that equates to a relatively meagre 65% point percentage, the Flames have looked like a completely different team. With the offence ramping up, both Cooley and Wolf finding their strides in net, and the collection of young players on the roster hungry to make a name for themselves, this Flames team is starting to feel different. This week, we wanted to know if Flames fans think this roster can keep surprising the masses and compete for a playoff spot. We asked, you answered.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @wincolumnCGY. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
Can the Flames make the playoffs this season?
We presented the poll below to our readers.
Yes
Roughly 7% of fans in this week’s poll think this roster could surprise the league and stay in playoff contention. It’s an optimistic view to have, but the Flames’ recent stretch of play suggests their ceiling is much higher than previously thought. One notable statistic to suggest this team could find long-term success this season is their outburst of offence despite an overhauled roster filled with young players. The Flames have scored four goals or more four times this season, three of which occurred in their last 10 games. Over the last three seasons, the Flames are one of the most consistent teams in NHL history when scoring 4 goals or more, winning 61 consecutive games. That mark ties them for the second-longest streak in NHL history with the 1927–1931 Boston Bruins, sitting behind the New York Rangers 65 straight wins with 4+ goals from 2011–2014. Moreover, if you consider the last ten games, the Flames would be on pace for roughly 20 additional 4-goal victories in 2026–27 for a total of 24 on the season. That would be the second most in a single season for the Flames since 2023–24 when they recorded 26.
Not to say we can project the entire season on that one statistic, but the Flames are undoubtedly exceeding expectations in the offensive category, providing more scoring than expected at the onset of the season. The Flames are on pace for 203 goals this season, slightly below their 212 total goals in 2025–26. But, when considering only the last ten games where the team has broken out, that number jumps to a projected 230 goals for the season. That would be the highest clip since 2022–23, when they finished with 253 goals and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker with the St. Louis Blues. Moreover, 35.7% of the Flames’ goals this year season have been scored by players under 25 years of age. That’s an increase of 11% from 2025–26, when 51/212 of total goals were scored by players under 25. Again, this statistic isn’t causation for victories, but it does suggest that, despite the Flames’ young lineup, they have been producing above average in the Ryan Huska era, and those goals are coming from players that still have the potential to develop further.
There’s a small chance
Roughly 52% of fans think that the Flames have a small chance of making the playoffs. I tend to agree with this camp. We’ve discussed the team’s recent increase in offensive production, but what leads to their incredible track record for winning when scoring four or more goals per game? On the defensive side of the roster, the Flames have undergone a significant overhaul to their roster with the departure of Rasmus Andersson and Mackenzie Weegar last season alone. This has undoubtedly put more pressure on the likes of Kevin Bahl, and new regulars to the Flames’ defensive core, Simon Nemec, Zayne Parekh, Jake Middleton, and Zach Whitecloud. Through the first seven games, the Flames averaged five goals against per game, with Dustin Wolf recording rough numbers to start the season. Through their last ten games, that number has been cut in half to an average of 2.5. It’s a significant reduction, jump-started by a hot stretch of play from Devin Cooley, and has since been backed up by Dustin Wolf finding his rhythm again. Some supportive goaltending has given the Flames D-core more room to breathe, and although defensive lapses are still too frequent for Ryan Huska or his ChatGPT model to be satisfied, it’s made a significant difference to the outcome of games. Cooley and Wolf’s combined SV% of .930 in the last ten games is 10% higher than their .830 combined stats through the first seven games of the year and has resulted in a GAA from 4.90 to 2.12 in the same time frames. Overall, despite the Flames’ young roster and woes to begin the year, their recent stretch of play certainly suggests they have a chance to compete for a playoff spot.
Absolutely not
Roughly 41% of fans think the Flames have no shot at making the playoffs this year. Missing the playoffs was the expectation everyone had for the Flames coming into this season, and for many fans the main objective of this season was to miss the playoffs by a long-shot and land in draft lottery territory once again. I tend to agree that this season is too early for the Craig Conroy era Flames to make a playoff run, it’s just too early. But you can’t help but get excited at the progress recent Flames draft picks have shown this season. That recent progress suggests Conroy’s drafting is paying dividends and is even more reason for the Flames to suck again this year in efforts to have another strong draft class in 2027. The pieces are falling into place, but the bottom line is the Flames are still a couple, if not a handful, of impact players away from making a run at the playoffs. Despite their recent success, and the enjoyment it’s brought to watch them play, there are still far too many mental lapses for this team to be in playoff contention. The last few seasons have taught us this team can be streaky at the best of times, and much of their resulting success through their last ten games can be attributed to the high motors of young players exceeding expectations, and some phenominal goaltending. They’re playing in Ryan Huska’s system better, but they are far from the pace needed to be consistent down the stretch. Their biggest mistakes are still occurring in their own end, and at times that lead to momentum-breaking goals they can’t score their way out of.
Streaky
All in all, this Flames team still has a long road to the playoffs, and who knows what will occur at the trade deadline, or prior to it. Joel Farabee has made himself a valuable asset on the trade market with a great start to the season, and Zach Whitecloud could also be a target for many teams looking to add depth in preparation for a playoff run. Despite the Flames’ recent success, if one or two players fall off their current pace or get moved out, the team looks a whole lot different. Calgary still has room to improve this season, and the improvements their young core has shown are an indication of good things to come once the Flames move into Scotia Place. Despite this, I don’t know if the last season at the Dome will feature any games beyond the regular season.
You must be logged in to post a comment.