In the 2024–25 season, many thought the Flames would be a bottom-five to-10 team in the league. However, the Flames surprised the hockey world and performed much better than expected, finishing 15th in the league and fighting for a playoff spot until the very end.
The team did not add much to their roster during free agency, but the Flames will be adding their star prospect Zayne Parekh to the lineup. With a new season starting in a couple of months, will the Flames be better or worse? We asked, you answered.
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Will the Flames be better or worse?
We presented the following poll to our readers:
Better
Roughly a third of our voters on X believe the team will be better than they were last year. So far, despite the chatter around the team, key players have not been moved. If these players remain on the roster and Parekh has a great first rookie season and takes off, there is a chance that the Flames may find themselves in a playoff spot. However, I believe this relies on the youth taking another step, productive seasons from the team’s top-paid players, and another solid season from Dustin Wolf.
Worse
Many believe that despite the success the Flames had, they overachieved. The Flames struggled to find any offence last year, and their defence wasn’t elite. Despite this, they still managed to win more games than expected. Much of this can be attributed to Dustin Wolf’s goaltending and the belief the team had in their abilities. There were many games where they were down but found a way to climb back. It’s a great story, but this may not be a sustainable approach, especially if and when the team trades Rasmus Andersson.
Time will tell
If the Flames build from last year and continue to impress, does it change their plans and make them add to their roster? On the other hand, if they do worse and end up with a top-five-to-10 pick, do they decide to commit further to a rebuild and tear down the roster? It is an interesting time for this franchise, and these decisions will need to be made one way or the other.
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