<p>In a year with little to no expectations set out for them, the Calgary Flames have fared quite well in the standings and find themselves vying for a playoff spot late in the season. Calgary is a much better hockey team than what many of their fans and surrounding pundits had them pegged to be last summer, yet the Flames&#8217; unanticipated success raises more questions than it does provide answers.</p>
<p>With just 28 games remaining in their schedule and the deadline fast approaching, Calgary now faces a critical juncture at this point in their season. Flames management will need to analyze the good, the bad and the ugly thus far in 2024-25, and employ a clear vision for the future.</p>
<h2>The good</h2>
<p>The Flames have seen several positive storylines emerge this season, namely their rookie phenom between the pipes, Dustin Wolf. The California boy has turned up the heat in the crease this year and single-handedly dragged Calgary into the fight. Wolf boasts a .913 SV % and a 2.63 GAA across 32 games of action this year and has the Flames within striking distance of a playoff spot despite the team scoring the fifth fewest goals in the league (2.62 goals for/game).</p>
<p>Matt Coronato has arrived this season, he&#8217;s displayed ample scoring touch (30 points in 49 games) along with the ability to keep pace at the NHL level. Coronato&#8217;s strong play in 2024-25 has been a pleasant surprise for the Flames as he&#8217;s proven himself to be a bonafide NHL player.</p>
<p>Calgary has also seen major growth deeper down the pipeline, with many of its prospects dominating at the junior level. The likes of Zayne Parekh, Henry Mews, Matvei Gridin, Jacob Battaglia and others have delivered in every way in their first year back with their junior clubs since being drafted by the Flames last summer. I previously wrote an article on <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/how-the-flames-prospect-pool-has-emerged-as-one-of-the-leagues-best#">Calgary&#8217;s emerging prospect pool</a> so I won&#8217;t delve too deep into it here, anyhow, the shelves are well-stocked.</p>
<h2>The bad</h2>
<p>Wolf&#8217;s stellar play has, in a way, artificially boosted Calgary in the standings. In other words, this team, as it&#8217;s constructed should not be anywhere near a playoff spot. Again, the Flames rank <strong>fifth-last</strong> in the league in goals for per game, the only teams they score more than? None other than Nashville, San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim. Just being mentioned in the same sentence as those teams, no matter the context, is nothing short of an indictment in today&#8217;s NHL.</p>
<p>This year&#8217;s Flames have been an amazing story, but the question becomes how far can they really go, and at what cost? As per the conditions of the Sean Monahan trade years ago, Calgary will have to forfeit their own 2025 first-round pick to Montreal if they finish below Florida, but outside of the bottom 10. The Flames are currently 10 points back of the Panthers, leaving very little chance of catching them, but sit just four points above the bottom 10 teams, so it&#8217;s not inconceivable that they could come out of this season with a top-10 draft choice.</p>
<p>Wolf&#8217;s play has elevated the team in the standings, but the Flames still struggle to beat good teams, as evidenced in their recent losses to Toronto and Colorado. Their poor stretch of play versus the league&#8217;s best calls into question the likelihood of Calgary making the playoffs, let alone making a Stanley Cup run.</p>
<h2>The ugly</h2>
<p>The Flames do not have the luxury of forsaking a better draft pick for a chance to make the playoffs, yet they stay afloat in the middle ground of the league, a dangerous place to sit. It&#8217;s become apparent that this team is too good to tank but not good enough to be considered a serious contender this season.</p>
<p>Sure, making the playoffs will have positive impacts on the team and its young players. It can also be dangerous to voluntarily enter into a planned period of losing (what some outside of Calgary may refer to as a &#8216;rebuild&#8217;) for fear of developing a &#8216;losing culture&#8217; within the locker room. That said, the Flames sorely lack elite talent and don&#8217;t necessarily have another avenue of acquiring it outside of the draft.</p>
<p>Calgary has some great veteran players under contract, Nazem Kadri, Mackenzie Weegar, Rasmus Anderson to name a few. However, these assets are only depreciating in value and could fetch a franchise-altering package if most or all are dealt at this year&#8217;s deadline, emphasis on <em>this year&#8217;s</em>, not in 2026 or 2027 when their perceived value will be significantly lower.</p>
<p>Trading these players out of Calgary will almost certainly tank their playoff odds and general manager Craig Conroy has already shown his belief in the group, acquiring Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from Philadelphia last week. Conversely, it could allow the team to fade in the standings, retain their top draft pick, and continue to bolster their pipeline.</p>
<p>Management has been put in an awkward position, but &#8216;staying water&#8217; or &#8216;walking the line&#8217; might not be the best course of action for Calgary. Conroy and company need to decide which route is best for this organization&#8217;s future and employ a clear vision accordingly. Is it wise to keep these vets around in hopes that they can string together a cup run? At the cost of the multiple first-round picks and blue-chip prospects that they could be acquired for at this year&#8217;s deadline?</p>
<p>Conroy was decisive in his trading of expiring vets last season, but Wolf has muddied the waters here in 2025. Only time will tell how the second-year general manager chooses to deal with these peculiar circumstances.</p>
<h1>This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market</h1>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-138373 size-medium" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-300x300.png 300w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-150x150.png 150w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-768x768.png 768w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-2048x2048.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><em>A Tradition of quality products and personalized service for 104 years.</em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Proud to feature only the finest premium AAA Alberta Beef, Locally raised fresh pork, locally raised fresh free range chicken and turkey, fresh alberta lamb and milk fed veal.</em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Over 20 varieties of in store made salads,  delicious desserts and of course our famous in store made meat pies. Proud to be Calgary, and Southern Alberta&#8217;s Consumers Choice Award Winner for best Meat and Deli for 24 consecutive years! Bon Ton Meat Market, 28 Crowfoot Circle NW.</em></strong></p>


In a year with little to no expectations set out for them, the Calgary Flames have fared quite well in the standings and find themselves vying for a playoff spot late in the season. Calgary is a much better hockey team than what many of their fans and surrounding pundits had them pegged to be last summer, yet the Flames' unanticipated success raises more questions than it does provide answers.

With just 28 games remaining in their schedule and the deadline fast approaching, Calgary now faces a critical juncture at this point in their season. Flames management will need to analyze the good, the bad and the ugly thus far in 2024-25, and employ a clear vision for the future.
<h2>The good</h2>
The Flames have seen several positive storylines emerge this season, namely their rookie phenom between the pipes, Dustin Wolf. The California boy has turned up the heat in the crease this year and single-handedly dragged Calgary into the fight. Wolf boasts a .913 SV % and a 2.63 GAA across 32 games of action this year and has the Flames within striking distance of a playoff spot despite the team scoring the fifth fewest goals in the league (2.62 goals for/game).

Matt Coronato has arrived this season, he's displayed ample scoring touch (30 points in 49 games) along with the ability to keep pace at the NHL level. Coronato's strong play in 2024-25 has been a pleasant surprise for the Flames as he's proven himself to be a bonafide NHL player.

Calgary has also seen major growth deeper down the pipeline, with many of its prospects dominating at the junior level. The likes of Zayne Parekh, Henry Mews, Matvei Gridin, Jacob Battaglia and others have delivered in every way in their first year back with their junior clubs since being drafted by the Flames last summer. I previously wrote an article on <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/how-the-flames-prospect-pool-has-emerged-as-one-of-the-leagues-best#">Calgary's emerging prospect pool</a> so I won't delve too deep into it here, anyhow, the shelves are well-stocked.
<h2>The bad</h2>
Wolf's stellar play has, in a way, artificially boosted Calgary in the standings. In other words, this team, as it's constructed should not be anywhere near a playoff spot. Again, the Flames rank <strong>fifth-last</strong> in the league in goals for per game, the only teams they score more than? None other than Nashville, San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim. Just being mentioned in the same sentence as those teams, no matter the context, is nothing short of an indictment in today's NHL.

This year's Flames have been an amazing story, but the question becomes how far can they really go, and at what cost? As per the conditions of the Sean Monahan trade years ago, Calgary will have to forfeit their own 2025 first-round pick to Montreal if they finish below Florida, but outside of the bottom 10. The Flames are currently 10 points back of the Panthers, leaving very little chance of catching them, but sit just four points above the bottom 10 teams, so it's not inconceivable that they could come out of this season with a top-10 draft choice.

Wolf's play has elevated the team in the standings, but the Flames still struggle to beat good teams, as evidenced in their recent losses to Toronto and Colorado. Their poor stretch of play versus the league's best calls into question the likelihood of Calgary making the playoffs, let alone making a Stanley Cup run.
<h2>The ugly</h2>
The Flames do not have the luxury of forsaking a better draft pick for a chance to make the playoffs, yet they stay afloat in the middle ground of the league, a dangerous place to sit. It's become apparent that this team is too good to tank but not good enough to be considered a serious contender this season.

Sure, making the playoffs will have positive impacts on the team and its young players. It can also be dangerous to voluntarily enter into a planned period of losing (what some outside of Calgary may refer to as a 'rebuild') for fear of developing a 'losing culture' within the locker room. That said, the Flames sorely lack elite talent and don't necessarily have another avenue of acquiring it outside of the draft.

Calgary has some great veteran players under contract, Nazem Kadri, Mackenzie Weegar, Rasmus Anderson to name a few. However, these assets are only depreciating in value and could fetch a franchise-altering package if most or all are dealt at this year's deadline, emphasis on <em>this year's</em>, not in 2026 or 2027 when their perceived value will be significantly lower.

Trading these players out of Calgary will almost certainly tank their playoff odds and general manager Craig Conroy has already shown his belief in the group, acquiring Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from Philadelphia last week. Conversely, it could allow the team to fade in the standings, retain their top draft pick, and continue to bolster their pipeline.

Management has been put in an awkward position, but 'staying water' or 'walking the line' might not be the best course of action for Calgary. Conroy and company need to decide which route is best for this organization's future and employ a clear vision accordingly. Is it wise to keep these vets around in hopes that they can string together a cup run? At the cost of the multiple first-round picks and blue-chip prospects that they could be acquired for at this year's deadline?

Conroy was decisive in his trading of expiring vets last season, but Wolf has muddied the waters here in 2025. Only time will tell how the second-year general manager chooses to deal with these peculiar circumstances.
<h1>This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market</h1>
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-138373 size-medium" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/Bon-Ton-Logo-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" />
<p dir="ltr"><strong><em>A Tradition of quality products and personalized service for 104 years.</em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Proud to feature only the finest premium AAA Alberta Beef, Locally raised fresh pork, locally raised fresh free range chicken and turkey, fresh alberta lamb and milk fed veal.</em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Over 20 varieties of in store made salads,  delicious desserts and of course our famous in store made meat pies. Proud to be Calgary, and Southern Alberta's Consumers Choice Award Winner for best Meat and Deli for 24 consecutive years! Bon Ton Meat Market, 28 Crowfoot Circle NW.</em></strong></p>

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