We are now at the Olympic break, and the Flames don’t play another game until February 26th. The team seems to be leaning way more into selling assets and playing the youth mindset now that Andersson has been traded, talks are reportedly picking up with Coleman and Kadri, and the team is fifth last in the standings. Based on the direction of the team and the moves they have made, where do you see the team finishing by the end of the year? We asked, you answered.
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Where do the Flames finish by season’s end?
We presented this poll to our readers.
Last place
This would be the ideal scenario for the team to give them the best odds at drafting first overall. However, the way Vancouver is playing right now, it looks like nobody will be able to out-tank them. 10 points separate the Canucks and Flames, and I really only see a scenario where the Flames may catch the Cancuks if they trade both Coleman and Kadri. Even then, it may be tough.
Bottom 3
As of now, the St. Louis Blues hold the 31st spot in the standings with a point total of 49. That is only three points below the Flames. I see this as a real possibility for the Flames. The Blues are bad, but on paper, they have some good talent. Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich would all be top players for the Flames. On paper, I think the Blues have more talent than the Flames, but it just hasn’t translated in the standings yet.
What a disaster of a season it has been for the New York Rangers, who currently are third last. The front office has come out to state that they will be going through a retool and not a rebuild. Artemi Panarin has been traded, and it is likely that Vincent Trochek gets traded as well. Outside of that, though, I am not sure if they will be trading any other top contributors. Can that help the Flames finish below them? They are practically tied right now as just two points separate the two teams, although Calgary does have a game in hand.
Bottom 5
As of now, the Flames hold the fifth-last spot, with Winnipeg in the fourth-last spot. I truly don’t see Winnipeg finishing below the Flames by the end of the year. It has been a real disaster of a season for the team, but the Jets have so much talent. They literally won the Presidents’ Trophy last year and have not had much roster turnover. The team is just too good to finish that low in the standings.
Bottom 10
The teams that make up spots 6–10 are the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, and Florida Panthers. New Jersey and Florida are probably two teams that definitely don’t belong in this group, especially since the Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The other thing about the rest of this list is that outside of Nashville, every team has at least one truly elite talent in their forward or defence group. Chicago has Bedard, New Jersey has Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier, San Jose has Celebrini and Smith, and Florida has Tkachuk, Reinhart, and more. By season’s end, I believe all these teams will finish higher than the Flames just for this reason.
26 games left
The Flames have 26 games left to have control over their place in the NHL draft, and after that, it’s up to the lottery balls. The rest of this season should be about seeing what the young guys can do and where their place may be in the lineup in the future, as well as selling off on assets that will help shape their future.