A little over a month ago, we first explored what could be the Calgary Flames’ potential path to the playoffs. As expected, a lot has changed since then. The race for a playoff spot has narrowed among more teams, new acquisitions have made their way to Calgary, and new storylines seem to emerge daily—especially with the trade deadline looming.

Of course, any path to the playoffs involves winning, but what other factors do the Flames face at this point?

Before I get torn apart in the comments, I want to make it clear that I am on Team Trade Andersson. I think highly of him as a player and have thoroughly enjoyed watching him in a Flames uniform over the years. However, it’s hard to see exactly how he fits into the team’s future defensive core. BUT, if the Flames are to make the playoffs this season, you have to want Andersson on the roster. Yes, his offensive production has dipped this season, but he’s still a very good defenceman.

While players like Ilya Solovyov, Yan Kuznetsov, or even Jeremie Poirier deserve a fair chance at the NHL level down the stretch, when it comes time for the playoffs, you need Andersson more than these guys. He will lay it all on the line and can play important, difficult minutes for the Flames. Plus, a trip to the playoffs can’t hurt his trade value. If anything, it could increase it, bringing the Flames a larger return if they decide to move him this summer.

Basically, a path to the playoffs almost requires Andersson. Sure, they could probably do it without him, but that hill gets steeper if that’s the case. So can we do the heavy lifting this summer? A couple of more months of Andersson can’t hurt.

While Jonathan Huberdeau has stayed hot and Nazem Kadri has remained reliable, it’s no secret the Flames have had trouble scoring. They currently sit third from the bottom in the league in goals scored, with just 151. It really puts into perspective how incredible it is that we’re even talking about the playoffs—and how much Dustin Wolf has carried this team so far. While Wolf is more than welcome to continue playing out of this world, the Flames need to start making his job easier by scoring more goals.

In January, I suggested that someone needed to step up and start producing. The player I mentioned was Yegor Sharangovich. Initially, Sharangovich responded with four points in three games, which was encouraging. But beyond that, he has really struggled to find the back of the net and doesn’t seem like someone the Flames can rely on for scoring at this time.

At this point, it can’t just be one player stepping up—it will take a collective effort. The Flames have no interest in bringing in rental players at the trade deadline, and further upgrades to the forward group seem unlikely. That means they have to work with what they have.

Getting Connor Zary back gives the team a boost, and newly acquired Morgan Frost has been excellent in his short time with the Flames. They will both need to start producing more. They’ve shown they can create scoring chances out of nowhere, but the finishing touch hasn’t been there. On the other hand, Matthew Coronato has finally been given the opportunity to play with other offensive players. With his elite shot, we should expect his production to increase as he gets more comfortable in that role.

Currently, these three players are on different lines. This does provide depth to the Flames’ forward group, but I don’t expect the current line combinations to last the rest of the season. Could a Zary-Coronato pairing work? Perhaps Coronato with Frost could be dangerous. There’s still some experimenting to be done. At some point, something has to click. If the goals are going to start flowing, the team’s young players are in a position to step up.

The race for the final wild-card spot seems to be between four teams: the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Utah, and, of course, the Flames.

The Canucks just can’t seem to get anything rolling. They’ve been riddled with injuries, off-ice distractions, and under-performing top players. It’s difficult to know what to make of them at this point. They should be better than they’ve shown, and they’ll likely remain neck-and-neck with the Flames all the way to the finish. The match-up on March 12 could prove to be a crucial game.

Utah has been hovering in the middle of the standings all season. Never really considered a playoff threat, they now sit just four points back of a wild-card spot. Surely, Utah wants to be playing meaningful hockey late in their inaugural season. Could they make a splash at the deadline? The last thing they need is draft picks, so if they make a move, it would likely be for a player who can help them make a push down the stretch.

St. Louis is another tough team to predict. With Jordan Binnington in trade rumours and captain Brayden Schenn all but gone, they could begin to fade from the playoff picture. The Blues are currently five points out of a playoff spot and have no games in hand on anyone ahead of them. That said, they’re no strangers to surprising everyone—we all remember the 2019 season.

Overall, the race feels like it’s between the Canucks and the Flames, but Utah is a team worth keeping an eye on.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the Flames are still in an awkward spot—so close to the playoffs while still close to a top draft pick. It would be much easier to form opinions on what they should do if they were firmly on one side of that spectrum. But here we are.

The Flames are facing the toughest stretch of their schedule, and a lot could be decided over the next two weeks. The ultimate goal is to reach the playoffs. To prove they belong in the conversation, they need to beat top teams. They started well by handing the Washington Capitals their first home regulation loss since November. Now, they need to build on that because they don’t have time to sit back and wait for other teams to lose. Every game is a must-win.

Perhaps in another month, when the trade deadline has passed, new players have settled in, and only about ten games remain, we can reassess. Will we be talking about playoff match-ups? Draft positions? Or will this just be another year of barely missing out on both ends? Only time will tell.

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!