The Calgary Flames find themselves in the familiar middle ground of the standings here at the end of February. They sit just one point back and have a game in hand on the Vancouver Canucks who own the final wild card spot in the west. Though shy of the playoffs, they have fared extremely well in the eyes of many, relative to the expectations set out for them last summer.

With a wide range of outcomes still possible for Calgary, let’s examine some of the catalysts in determining how exactly their season might play out.

Zary returned from injury on Sunday against the San Jose Sharks after being held out of the previous 15 contests due to a knee injury. Zary is an offensively gifted forward who displays his creativity with the puck almost every game. His re-insertion into this lineup is a massive boost for the Flames who score the fourth fewest goals in the league.

This kid has the ability to ‘wow’ you with the puck on a nightly basis, but needs to find a way to convert more of the opportunities he creates into goals. Zary, in his second NHL season, has 22 points across his 41 games played after recording 34 points over 63 appearances in his rookie campaign. With just 26 games to play this season, time is running out for the 23-year-old to take another step forward this season.

Regardless of whether or not Zary shows measurable improvement over the latter half of his sophomore season, his performance down the stretch will have a measurable impact on where Calgary ends up.

This one’s rather obvious… Dustin Wolf may be the sole reason the words ‘playoff berth’ are even in Calgary’s vernacular in 2025. The Californian’s rookie campaign between the pipes has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Wolf’s been the perfect counter to the Flames’ offensive woes this season, posting a 2.62 GAA and a .913 SV% over 34 appearances. The young goaltender has been afforded more starts for his stellar play and now appears to be the starter over Dan Vladar.

With Wolf now garnering the starting role, if he wasn’t already, he is now the biggest variable in the Flames’ playoff hopes. If Wolf can consistently perform the way he has the rest of the way, Calgary can certainly end up in the playoffs. Conversely, if he takes a step back, the Flames don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell at playing in games in May.

The new guys have been slowly acclimating since they first donned the flaming ‘C’ 24 days ago. They have combined for only four points over their six games with the Flames this season. Frost has shown he has scoring touch, strength at the face-off dot and can distribute on the power play, three boxes GM Craig Conroy was desperate to check in this deal. Farabee on the other hand, hasn’t shown the early returns of Frost and has just one point thus far.

It would be unwise to rush to judgment after only seeing a small sample size of games with these guys. Both Frost and Farabee were drafted and developed in Philadelphia, and their tenures in Calgary are not yet a month old, however at some point, the training wheels have to come off. With both players under team control for years to come, Conroy is banking on the newcomers being impact players for now and in the future.

Frost and Farabee’s roles on this team will continue to be defined over the remaining 26 contests. The rest of the season will also provide a clearer view as to whether or not this change of scenery can help them take a step in their development, or if they are simply the players they were in Philadelphia.

The man some call ‘The Bison’ has been an entertaining watch this season, a year where he’s taken major developmental strides. Coronato has shown an affinity for scoring goals, he’s got the third-most tallies by a Flame this season with 14. Coronato’s goal-scoring ability is what made him the 13th overall pick in 2021, but it’s the other aspects of his game that have turned heads in 2024-25.

The Bison has lived up to his name in his play, he churns up and down the ice with formidable speed and surprising strength. He’s assertive in puck battles and possesses a high level of hockey sense, often reading plays well and positioning himself to pick up loose pucks, rebounds, etc.

Like Wolf, Coronato’s strong play has forced the coaching staff to give him more opportunities. He’s now a regular within the top-six forward group and is currently serving on the top line alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. With his newfound role and the coaching staff’s confidence, the sky is the limit for the 22-year-old winger.

Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!