Friends, the Calgary Flames’ 2024-25 season ended after 82 games. Despite a valiant effort, the Flames didn’t qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

We’ve had about a week to decompress and collect our thoughts following the Flames’ exit, and now we’ve gathered our writing staff to discuss the Flames’ season overall through our roundtable.

Aidan Kiss: The main thing that surprised me this year is how the Flames just managed to hang around. Every time you thought they were going to fade away in the standings, they’d pick up some wins and stay competitive.

Coleman Miller: The team played 81 meaningful games with the potential of a playoff berth lying just out of reach. Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, Adam Klapka carved out NHL roles for themselves. Craig Conroy also made good on his promise to transform his roster without totally stripping the team down to its bare bones. Nazem Kadri putting everything on the line to help his team win.

Flash Stevens: I said before it was a free year so results based outcomes were not what I was looking for – what grabbed me was resilience. The group genuinely fought with every last breath, every game, all year long. No home game ended up being a wash and every fan always got a proper performance from the professionals who truly were professional.

Liam Mabley: Dustin Wolf: We may never see a rookie season quite like his again, to drag a lacklustre roster that ranked 27th in goals for to a 96 point season is truly generational stuff.

Robert Munnich: I would say their commitment to playing a difficult style of hockey. The players were asked to block a ton of shots, forecheck and back check like crazy, and grind for goals in the offensive zone. Every player bought in and it got them 96 points which was impressive.

Ryan Pike: I was pretty impressed by their ability to not go away quietly, especially given that the style of hockey they chose was really physically and mentally taxing. Rather than fade after the trade deadline, like I think a lot of onlookers felt they might do, they somehow managed to play some of their best hockey of the year after that point. Some times get worse over the course of a season due to injuries and fatigue: these guys somehow got better.

Aidan: In a season full of good surprises, the most disappointing aspect of the season for me was the usage of the young players. Coronato wasn’t given a fair shot at the start, Kerins came up and produced just to be sent down. Then at the end of the season, Parekh, Brzustewicz, Stromgren and more should probably have had extended looks.

Coleman: When a team with such a poor offence falls just short of a playoff spot it isn’t hard to play the what-if game. If they had made another trade deadline addition would that have tipped them over the edge? Acquiring a player on an expiring contract would not have been a popular move, however, when the lack of scoring amounted to being a few close games short of playing bonus hockey it is a tough pill to swallow. The Flames exceeded my expectations for the year and beyond that made me more excited to see what next year could bring. Allowing a young goaltender to take the reins challenged what anyone thought the team was capable of being. Let’s see what the rest of the youth movement can do.

Flash: The offence was pitiful. Take out Kadri and Coronato’s production and where is this team? Even with stellar Wolf performances it would have been the basement. The coaching staff have to let more freedom for offence within their daily game structure or they’ll end up back in 9th again. Also if they need help revamping their power play? It’s pretty bad and has been for years now.

Liam: Reluctance to play young players: It got tiring to watch a rebuilding club continue to roll out veteran fourth-liners instead of giving guys like Rory Kerins, who flashed in limited play, a chance to prove themselves further.

Robert: Finishing in no man’s land. It was great that the team was in the mix until game 81. But ultimately they missed the playoffs and won’t pick in the top 10. That’s the worst place to be in sports, especially when you’re in a re-tool.

Ryan: Man, I wish we had seen more of the young blueliners in the system. We saw a lot of forwards get cups of coffee, and of course Dustin Wolf had his emergence, but the sheer volume of incumbent veterans meant that we didn’t see as much of players like Ilya Solovyov or Yan Kuznetsov this season as I would’ve liked.

Aidan: I’d give the Flames a solid B. Based on what they were expected to do at the beginning of the year, you have to be pretty impressed with the end result.

Coleman: B+.

Flash: C+. They were once again as mid as mid could be. They have an aging veteran core and some great role players on defence. Playoffs next year could help those young players but it’s really time to realize this group of vets is a sneak-in group at best – time to get younger, faster, and more creative. Parekh will help with that. (Dustin Wolf gets an A++.)

Liam: D+ : Not sure what they accomplished, other than a positive culture amongst vets that are not guaranteed to be a part of this team in the coming years. No playoff berth and no premium pick gets a D+ at best.

Robert: I’d give them a B+ if you’re just looking at this season alone. The emergence of young players and a rebuilt culture in the locker room are huge positives. The lack of scoring would be the main negative. But if you zoom out and look at the big picture, this season was not a huge success. Finishing in the middle of the standings was the worst possible outcome for the long term future of this team.

Ryan: Solid B. Their special teams weren’t spectacular and they didn’t score a ton, but they seemed to really embrace their identity as a tough night at the office for whoever was across the ice from them. By the end of the season, they seemed to have as much swagger as a low-scoring hockey team could possibly have. That bodes well for the future.

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