The Calgary Flames’ start has been ugly enough to set an unwanted mark: they’ve been outscored 23-6 through four games, the worst opening in franchise history. That kind of beginning naturally has fans rattled, and there’s no sugarcoating how rough it has looked.
Still, the larger point is that a miserable stretch like this is often part of the price of rebuilding. Teams do not usually jump straight from the bottom to the top. They spend time getting punched around, stacking losses, and putting themselves in position to draft the kind of players who can change everything later.
The Flames are not expected to keep getting blown out at this rate. Within the next month, they should find a more stable version of their game.
It starts in net, where the goaltending has to produce more saves, and it also depends on the skaters in front of them settling in. That won’t suddenly turn them into a winner, but it should at least make the games more competitive.
Even bad NHL teams can win on any given night.
That is the part fans have to keep in view: down years are often the foundation for what comes next. The San Jose Sharks went through three straight seasons of 60 points or fewer from 2022-2025, finishing with 60, 47, and 52.
Those seasons delivered Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini, and Michael Misa. Now the Sharks are one of the league’s most intriguing young teams and have a very bright future.
The Montreal Canadiens followed a similar path, posting 55, 68, and 76 points in the 21-22, 22-23, and 23-24 seasons. In that span, they added Juraj Slafkovský, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Michael Hage, and Jacob Fowler. They’re coming off an appearance in the eastern conference finals and look built to contend for years.
The Anaheim Ducks also lived through a long rebuild, spending seasons near the bottom of the standings from 2019-2024. That stretch brought in Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Jackson LaCombe, and Jamie Drysdale, whom they turned into Cutter Gauthier. The Ducks are now coming off an exciting season in which they beat the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Utah Mammoth/Arizona Coyotes went through their own dark years before emerging as one of the NHL’s most exciting young teams, led by Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. And the Chicago Blackhawks, despite their rough start this season, have loaded up on enough young talent to project as a Western Conference force as early as next season.
The path isn’t new, either. Over the last 15 years, plenty of eventual Stanley Cup teams went through miserable seasons before getting there: the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, LA Kings, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, and Edmonton Oilers.
For Calgary, there is at least some reason for patience. Compared with where many of those teams were when their rebuilds began, the Flames are ahead of the curve. Since Craig Conroy took over in 2023, the organization has drafted a deep crop of young players that includes Zayne Parekh, Carson Carels, Cole Reschny, Ethan Wyttenbach, Cullen Potter, Sam Honzek, Matvei Gridin, Aydar Suniev, Theo Stockselius, Jack Hextall, and Chase Harrington.
Not every name in that group will turn into a difference-maker, and that’s part of the process. But the Flames are collecting lottery tickets, and the idea is to hit on enough of them to reshape the roster. The next two seasons are going to be hard on fans, but the big picture still matters: Conroy is expected to keep adding high-end talent to an already stacked prospect pool, and that is the plan.
In Other News...
Flames Prospect Watch Took A Frustrating Turn In London
Londons latest outing turned into a frustrating one for Calgary Flames prospect watchers, as the Knights came up short in a 4-3 shootout loss to Erie. Aleksei Medvedev did his part with several key saves, and London got useful contributions from players such as Eloan Le Gallic and Marcus Nordmark, but the night never quite settled into the kind of clean, controlled performance that would have made for an easier watch.
The bigger issue was the way the game slipped away late, with the Knights unable to finish after building a lead and then seeing Erie tie it up in the closing minutes of regulation. Special teams and first-period scoring remained problem areas, and Ryan Brown was unavailable again because of an upper-body injury, leaving his status still uncertain as the Knights move on from a result that felt like a missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Penalty Kill Faces Its First Real Test Against Anaheim
The early returns on Calgarys penalty kill have been hard to miss. After allowing a goal in the opening game of the season, the Flames have settled in quickly, stringing together a long run of successful stops and putting themselves among the leagues better short-handed teams. Martin Pospisil has been a notable part of that effort, taking on meaningful minutes while stressing the groups aggressive, prepared approach when the puck drops and the pressure starts.
Now comes a more revealing checkpoint against Anaheim, the kind of game that can tell you whether the numbers are just a hot start or a real strength. Ryan Huska has shown faith in the units structure and execution, even with Sam Honzek unavailable for the matchup, and the Flames will get another chance to see how their short-handed identity holds up when it matters a little more. [Read more 🡒]
Flames May Be Near A Brutal Decision On Connor Zary
Connor Zarys future in Calgary has moved from a roster question to a cap-management puzzle, and the Flames are already weighing some uncomfortable options. Elliotte Friedman reported the club placed Zary on waivers, a move tied to his $3.775 million cap hit, after the Flames also tried to move him in the summer and again before waivers without finding a taker.
Now the pressure is on to find a trade before the situation gets uglier. Zarys contract can be bought out at one-third value, which would leave Calgary with a $600,000 cap charge for two more seasons, and contract termination remains on the table if nothing materializes. For a team already trying to sort out its lineup and its books, it is the kind of decision that can linger well beyond one players spot on the roster. [Read more 🡒]