The Calgary Flames entered the 2024-25 season with few people outside of their locker room believing that they could make the Stanley Cup playoffs. They ended up missing the post-season only on the basis of the regulation wins tiebreaker.

So suffice it to say, the Flames are trying to find one more point in 2025-26 to get themselves over the cut line and into the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Here are three reasons to be optimistic that the Flames can get back into the post-season.

The Flames’ special teams units were kinda blah in 2024-25.

The power play scored on 21.0% of their man advantages, 19th-best in the NHL. They were better than they were in 2023-24, but not quite good enough to get the Flames to where they wanted to be. Meanwhile, the penalty kill was pretty bad for much of the season, with the group showcasing pretty solid fundamentals… but when they made mistakes, they were big ones. They were the 25th-best PK in the NHL by percentage.

So why should there be optimism?

Well, after the trade deadline, with Trent Cull having gotten familiar with the PK, they were seventh in the NHL in kill effectiveness. And the Flames could be adding some skill to their blueline that should impact the PP…

So, uh, remember how Dustin Wolf was the best goaltending prospect the Flames had in literally decades and he became a full-time NHLer and nearly dragged an offensively-challenged Flames team to a playoff spot?

Meet Zayne Parekh, the best defensive prospect the Flames have had in literally decades. He’s set to potentially become a full-time NHLer in 2025-26, which will likely involve him playing on the power play and in every game situation that involves the Flames having the puck and trying to score goals.

He might not be at his full powers right away, but Parekh is a big reason to be optimistic for Flames fans.

In a lot of ways, the 2024-25 season was about figuring out the limitations of the current Flames roster and how to work around them. Do they have elite offensive talent? Not exactly. So they play a smart, structured defensive style that supports their goaltender. And while other teams will definitely be prepared for the Flames’ stifling, persistent style of play… the Flames don’t need to spend the first chunk of the season getting everyone on board with playing that way.

The Flames know what they are. And based on last season, they seem entirely on-board with playing a certain way. And with a year of playing that style under their belts, they should be a little bit better at it. That alone could be the difference between playing after Game 82… or playing golf.

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