Well, the inevitable came to fruition, and the Calgary Flames finished dead middle in the league, falling short of post-season contention for the third straight season. Instead of clinching a wild card spot with their final breath, they instead miss painfully, by a razor-thin margin, and in the process forfeit their first-round pick to a pick swap.

Does it get any worse?

Yes, here are their top five leading scorers on the season.

Life’s too short to have a negative outlook, and trust me I’m trying not to.

Some positive outcomes from this year include Dustin Wolf’s emergence as a potential franchise goaltender, hence why the players listed above were even close to a playoff berth. Along with the emergence of two serviceable players under the age of 25 in Matt Coronato and Kevin Bahl.

Also worth noting is the tight bond developed this season within the Flames locker room, as many players spoke about the strong culture amongst the group in their exit interviews.

The problem is culture doesn’t change a team’s fortunes without elite talent to go along with it, and the Flames do not have elite talent, nor are they in any kind of position to acquire it.

Once upon a time, they did field some pretty awesome players in Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, until the debacle that was the 2022 off-season. A disaster of monumental proportions that could have been avoided with proper planning and a touch of savvy management.

But that’s neither here nor there as the past cannot be altered, yet this current group of Flames and Flames fans alike continue to feel the effects of that ‘mass exodus’ of talent a long three years ago. Now 33 months after Tkachuk informed the Flames he would not sign a long-term extension with the team, they are still no closer to replacing either of their former superstars with high-calibre players.

The selection of Zayne Parekh is certainly a step in the right direction, but is by no means enough to make this team a true Stanley Cup contender, even if the dynamic defenceman meets every expectation.

Calgary needs at least one or two more potential difference makers like Wolf and Parekh if they’re to break out of this slump that’s seen them make it past the second round of the playoffs just once in the last 35 seasons.

The notion that tanking can be a dangerous course of action is derived from franchises that have tanked but continue to spin their wheels without gaining any traction. Franchises like the Buffalo Sabres, who have long been out of playoff view despite picking high in the draft seemingly every year.

The reality is that the Flames have had no more success than Buffalo has had in recent memory, the two teams are tied in series wins in the 21st century with five apiece. But at least the Sabres have something to show for the near-unbearable growing pains they’ve faced. Buffalo has picked in the top three spots of the NHL Draft four times in that span, something Calgary has never had the privilege of doing in their entire existence.

Division rivals like San Jose and Anaheim continue to accumulate elite young talent year and year out at the draft, while the Flames continue to come close before stubbing their toe in either April or May, only to be left with a mid-tier selection, or in many cases, no first-round selection at all.

The fruits of the draft haven’t translated into postseason success yet for either the Sharks or Ducks, but will in the near future. The likes of Macklin Celebrini (1st overall, 2024), Sam Dickinson (11th overall, 2024), Will Smith (4th overall, 2023) and William Eklund (7th overall, 2021) represent a strong young core for San Jose and one that’s light-years ahead of the Flames’.

Anaheim has taken a brief hiatus from beating Calgary senseless in the first couple rounds to pick up Beckett Sennecke (3rd overall, 2024), Leo Carlsson (2nd overall, 2023), Pavel Mintyukov (10th overall, 2022) and Mason McTavish (3rd overall, 2021).

When these players turn the corner, and some already have, the Ducks and Sharks may just lap the lagging Flames all over again, as they did throughout the 2010s.

The aforementioned California-based rivals are each set to pick in the top 10 again this season, with the Sharks possessing the best odds at number one overall. Conversely, Calgary won’t make their first selection until the latter half of the first round.

In combination with Wolf’s heroics, management’s reluctance to move off of depreciating veteran assets like Kadri, Andersson and Coleman has perpetuated their constant middling state here in 2024-25.

The Flames may have taken strides toward a future playoff berth but missed yet another potential opportunity to acquire a franchise-altering player. Said player is something they’ll need if they plan on eventually shifting their focus onto becoming true Stanley Cup contenders.