We’ve officially reached the quarter mark of the 2025–26 season, and the Calgary Flames have won just five games. Even the team’s biggest doubters would’ve questioned someone suggesting the Flames would only win five of their first 20 games. Yet here we are, with the Flames sitting dead last in the NHL.

Despite this, the message and vibes around the organization still seem to be geared towards a turnaround and push for the playoffs. So, where do the Flames stand, and what are their paths to the top and bottom? Let’s take a look.

Current NHL standings

As mentioned, the Flames are currently in last place in the NHL. Here’s the current bottom five in the NHL as of Monday, November 17.

TeamRecordPoints %Vancouver Canucks8–9–2.474Buffalo Sabres6–8–4.444St. Louis Blues6–9–4.421Nashville Predators6–10–4.400Calgary Flames5–12–3.325

The Flames are currently the only team without at least six wins on the season, and one of only teams, along with Nashville, with double-digit losses in regulation. In terms of point percentage, the Flames are the only team below 400 right now as they’ve collected just 13 of a possible 40 points.

Path to the playoffs

So if the organization does truly believe the playoffs are still possible, what do the Flames have to do in the remaining 62 games to get there? Let’s just say it’s not looking pretty. Given the team’s disastrous start, they’ll need to play some elite hockey from now until April to get into the playoffs.

For this exercise, let’s assume 97 points is the playoff cut-off this year, as that was the organization’s very vocal target coming into the year. Here are some different outcomes and how close they’d leave the Flames to the playoffs.

Point % in Final 62 GamesSeason-end Point Total.55081.595 (Flames in 2024–25)87.677 (Flames in 2021–22)97

It’s not looking pretty for the Flames. Even if they manage to play .500 hockey the rest of the season, something they are nowhere close to doing right now, they’d finish the year with only 75 points. 22 points shy of the predicted playoff cutoff.

If they manage to replicate their point pace from last season (.595) when they nearly made the playoffs, they’d still come nowhere close to the playoffs with only 87 points at year’s end. 10 points shy of the cutoff mark.

As it stands, the Flames will need to play .677 hockey the rest of the way to even hit the 97-point pace. It just so happens that was the exact pace the Flames played at during their historic 2021–22 season, their second-best season in franchise history. If you’ve watched even one game of this year’s team, you’ll know that playing at the same pace as that juggernaut 2021–22 team for 62 games is an impossible task for this rendition of the Flames.

Road to a top-five pick

Now let’s take a look at the reverse, and see where the Flames could land in the draft lottery based on different results the rest of the season.

For context, the bottom five in the NHL last year ranged from 52 points in dead last to 76 points in fifth last to 82 points in 10th last.

Point % in Final 62 GamesSeason-end Point Total.325 (current pace)53.409 (Flames in 1997–98, worst pace in franchise history)63.470 (2013–14 Flames, highest draft pick in franchise history)71.50075

When you look at the point pace of previous Flames teams who finished near the bottom of the league, it really puts into perspective just how poor the team has been this year. Never has the organization finished a season with a point pace below .400, and yet they currently sit at .325 through 20 games. If that were to continue, the Flames would finish with a measly 53 points on the year, which would virtually guarantee the top odds in the draft lottery. It would also go down as the 15th-worst full season in NHL history.

If the Flames were to play at the same pace they did in 2013–14 when they drafted Sam Bennett at fourth overall, they’d finish this season with 71 points. That total would likely be good for third- or fourth-best odds going into the draft lottery.

Even if the team somehow righted the ship and played .500 hockey the rest of the way, a big ask for a team with five wins in 20 games, they’d still only be in line for around 75 points. That would likely place them with the fifth or sixth best lottery odds.

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