With playoffs all but out of the question, Calgary Flames fans have turned their attention to the 2026 draft.
It’s said to be a very strong draft class this year, led by the likes of Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Keaton Verhoeff.
The majority of Flames fans haven’t been disappointed to see their favourite team struggle this season, as it gives the organization a strong chance at locking down a top-three pick for the first time in franchise history.
How strong a chance, you ask? Well, let’s take a look…
NHL.com
The Flames currently sit 31st in NHL standings with 48 points. They are just three points shy of the 27th-placed Chicago Blackhawks, but with Rasmus Andersson already being traded and a few other veterans potentially headed out the door, betting on a significant rise in the standings would be unwise.
On the flip side of things, finishing dead last is unlikely, as the lowly Vancouver Canucks have just 41 points through 54 games.
Draft lottery odds
Should the Flames finish the season in 31st place, they will have a 59.8 per cent chance of landing their first-ever top-three pick. They would also have a 13.8 per cent chance of landing the first-overall selection. The lowest they would be able to drop to is fourth place.
Tankathon
The Flames have picked fourth overall just once before, where they landed Sam Bennett back in 2014.
As is the case with the draft lottery, teams can only slide back a maximum of two spots. That means that if the Flames finish 30th or worse, they are guaranteed to have a top-five pick. Their highest to date since Bennett came in 2016, when they selected Matthew Tkachuk sixth overall.
It’s easy to see why Flames fans are quite excited about what lies ahead. This organization has some great pieces in place with the likes of Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, and Zayne Parekh. They also have some very intriguing prospects in their pipeline.
Adding a potential top-three pick to their organization would play a massive role for the Flames as they look to slowly shift from a lottery team into contending status in the years to come.
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