Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? That legendary rant from former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora sums up how Calgary Flames fans would have reacted to the thought of this 2025-26 team getting into the postseason just weeks ago. A horrid start to the season suggested that this team was bound for a top pick at the 2026 draft. That may longer be the case.
The Flames have quietly been one of the NHL’s hottest teams in recent weeks. Not only are they currently riding a three-game winning streak, but Monday night’s victory over the Buffalo Sabres also helped them improve to 7-2-1 over their last 10 games. They haven’t dug themselves out of the hole they were in just yet, but are starting to rise in a hurry.
Playoff Spot is Within Reach
After winning Monday’s game versus the Sabres, the Flames were able to pull within three points of a wild-card spot. Granted, there are five other teams that remain sandwiched between themselves and the current final wild-card holder in the San Jose Sharks, but it’s an impressive turnaround given where they were just weeks ago.
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With their recent run, the Flames are quickly pulling out of the bottom of the standings. After sitting 32nd in the NHL for a rather lengthy period of time, they have now pulled into a tie for 28th, and are suddenly just three points shy of being top 20 in league standings.
While there is still work to be done, the Flames are looking like a significantly better team than they did through October and part of November. A big part of that has been goaltending, as both Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley have been exceptional as of late. That said, there are several other players providing a big role.
Nazem Kadri has turned things around and now sits with 26 points through 31 games. Rasmus Andersson, who struggled immensely a season ago, is playing some of the best hockey of his career. Not only is he providing offence with 21 points, but he’s also vastly improved his play on the defensive side of the puck. Meanwhile, rookie Yan Kuznetsov has formed an excellent pairing with MacKenzie Weegar, who is also starting to look more like himself after a rough start.
Fans Unsure How to Feel
The issue with the Flames turning around things as of late is that many within the fan base were hoping to see this team finally select first overall at the upcoming draft. While that remains a possibility, their recent play suggests they may have much tougher odds at landing that first pick than initially expected.
The absolute worst-case scenario here would be similar to what we saw a season ago, where the Flames wound up missing the playoffs by a single point. As a result, their first selection at the 2025 draft wasn’t until 18th overall. Entering a draft that includes some elite prospects in Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, and Ivar Stenberg, there is certainly an argument to be made that bottoming out this season may be in the best interest for this organization long term.
The issue there is that players will never be on board with tanking, meaning that this Flames team is going to continue fighting right down to the end. Should they continue winning games, fans may as well get on board and start rooting for this team to make the playoffs and perhaps go on an unlikely run. It’s not a spot many envisioned this team being in position to do, but their play lately suggests they could wind up being in the running down the stretch.
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 At the end of the day, it would be far better for them to get in and give their young players playoff experience, rather than finish just outside of the playoffs and land another middle-of-the-line first-round pick. Should they be able to play like they have as of late, we could very well see some postseason hockey at the Saddledome for the first time since the 2022.
