It’s pretty hard to start a season rougher than the Calgary Flames have. Calgary is 1–6–1 after eight games and have the second worst record in the NHL. They have scored fewer goals than anyone else, with just 1.56 per game, and are in the bottom five in GAA, allowing 3.63 per game. I think most people would respond to these numbers by ordering themselves a Gavin McKenna jersey. For conversation’s sake, let’s assume Craig Conroy is the ultimate optimist. He still believes that the team can turn it around and is willing to do whatever it takes to help them do it.
What would Calgary need to do to sneak into the playoffs come April?
A look at the numbers
On average, you need about 97 points by the end of the season to have a chance at making the playoffs. Calgary has three points through the first eight games, which means they need 94 points in 74 games to even have a chance at a playoff spot. That comes out to 1.27 points per game, for reference here is a few other teams from last year and how many points they recorded per game alongside a few other team stats.
TeamOverall StandingsP/GGF/GGA/GDallas Stars (2024–25)5th1.293.372.73Los Angeles Kings (2024–25)6th1.283.042.51Calgary Flames (2025–26)*N/A1.27N/AN/ATampa Bay Lightning (2024–25)7th1.243.582.67Colorado Avalanche (2024–25)8th1.243.372.85Calgary Flames (2024–25)15th1.172.742.90
That should tell you all you need to know about the uphill battle awaiting the Flames if the goal still is to make the playoffs. They would have to play near the same level as all of the teams listed above for 75 games.
As much as the Flames management likes the culture that they are building, the question they need to be asking themselves is whether they are on the same level as the Dallas Stars or the Tampa Bay Lightning. If the answer is no, then Gavin McKenna just might be your man.
What do the Flames gain from attempting to make the playoffs?
Calgary is approaching a major crossroads. No matter how bad they may have started, most would probably not say that they are the worst team in the league. When it comes to the NHL draft lottery, it doesn’t matter who is in last in October. It matters who is last in April, and as it stands, Calgary may just be too good to suck that bad for that long. However, if you start selling veterans off now, maybe that changes.
The other option is that you try to turn the ship back around. You get to keep building your winning culture and allow your current squad of scrappy young guns to keep developing. It is a massive gamble, especially on a draft year like this, but maybe that trust and confidence in what you have is exactly what the team needs to save the season.
Craig Conroy has already shown us plenty that he is willing to be patient and that he trusts his group. But when that trust could potentially lose you a chance at a generational talent—all just to barely miss the playoffs again—when does it become just too much?
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