A disappointing 2025-26 season has, at least slightly, altered the plan for Calgary Flames management moving forward.

Though the Flames have been playing better hockey in recent weeks, a 2-9-2 start to the season is why they find themselves 30th in league standings through 33 games.

Their slow start was seen as a win by some within their fan base, as they felt it gave management every reason to fully embrace a rebuild and trade out veterans such as Rasmus Andersson, Nazem Kadri, and Blake Coleman.

That hope seemed to be squashed following two interviews with Don Maloney weeks ago, where he seemed to suggest the Flames’ main focus was to be a competitive team. Based on a new report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, however, there may be other discussions taking place behind the scenes.

“If you look at Calgary, what I think they’ve been doing all year is they’ve been saying ‘We’re not tearing it down,’” Friedman said on Donnie and Dhali. “For one thing, they believe they’re not going to be able to with [Dustin] Wolf being Wolf.

“They’re not going to tear it down, they’re going to let this year play out. They’re not going to do short-term fixes, and they’re going to try to get the best pick they can.”

Hearing Friedman say that management is looking to get the best pick they can at the upcoming draft will be music to the ears of many Flames fans, who have watched this organization be stuck in the mushy middle for far too long.

Now, closing in on the halfway point of the season, it sounds as though GM Craig Conroy and his staff have come to the realization that they should lean into this and land a potential franchise-altering talent in next year’s draft.

While Gavin McKenna is the most recognized prospect going into the 2026 draft, there are several other elite talents to select, including the likes of Keaton Verhoeff and Ivar Stenberg. Should the Flames remain in a similar position, standings-wise, they will have a great opportunity to land a top-three pick for the first time in franchise history.

You might also like:Quinn Hughes forgot gear in brother’s car before first game after Vancouver Canucks trade