Flames are expected to have playoff berths after 96 points in 2024-25 season – Hockey writer – Calgary Flames
It shouldn’t have looked like this last season. Instead of nailing too much noise, Calgary’s flames quietly scored 96 points, exceeding external expectations and suggesting that, based on your point of view, a rebuild or “rebuild” may not be as long as many people.
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Now, with the new season, the team feels different. It’s not whether they will compete. It’s about whether they can push things further. In the video below, Kyle Bukauskas looks at many positive storylines surrounding the flames ahead of the 2025-26 season. Is the Flame ready to take the next step after exceeding expectations a season ago?
New tones around the flame chamber
As Bukauskas shared, this time last year, Nazem Kadri publicly defended veterans because people started a question about whether men want to stick with Calgary too. The cloud disappeared. The players are signing long-term deals, captain Mikael Backlund is firmly fixed in place, and in a sense, the group actually wants to grow together.
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Of course, there are still some decisions – the contract next June has surfaced with his contract, but even that uncertainty is controllable. Instead of distracting the flames, these flames gather around stable thoughts.
Young flame talent brings real hope
The arrival of the blue chip prospect is part of this optimism. Fans buzzed at the 19-year-old defensive Zayne Parekh. He ignited the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) back to back with a 30-goal season. No one has placed him on Bobby Orr’s territory yet, but the excitement is real. The team didn’t ask him to save the franchise on Day 1, but they thought he was special and it was important.
On the front side, Matthew Coronato is the name of the circle. In his first NHL season, he scored 24 goals and you feel like he’s just scratching the surface. He shoots the puck like a natural 30 player, and the number may soon appear once his confidence catches up with his release. Calgary still approached the bottom of the league in scoring last season (29th in total, five-on-five) scores, so internal growth for Coronato and other young forwards could be the difference between the Bubble and the playoff lock.
Flame is completing business
One of the main stories of the offseason is that the flames keep their young cores at a pace. Coronato signed for seven years. Kevin Bahl extended it for six years. Morgan Frost, Connor Zary and others also put pens on paper. Then there is Dustin Wolf – the goalkeeper who took a lot of burden last season and has been awarded for seven years after that.
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It’s not just a good room. This is a signal to the rest of the league: the player wants to stay in Calgary. When your own guy wants to stay, it can become an attraction for others.
Dustin Wolf and the next step in the flame
The biggest reason for optimism may still be between pipelines. If Wolf approaches anywhere the level he did last season, the flames are in every game. He is young, competitive and locked in. Charter goalkeepers may hide a lot of flaws, and Calgary may have one.
Blake Coleman summed it up to this season: If everyone on the roster is 5% to 10%, that’s everything. With a young natural growth, it is almost guaranteed.
Why does this season feel different in Calgary
The Flames missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, but you will feel the transition. The narrative has changed. Rather than questioning the question about buying, or whether the stars will bolt, it is about who is ready to strengthen the next question.
Last season, they kept their ground with a brutal Pacific division in a group that was still figuring out things. Now they know they belong.
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If Coleman calls for a gradual improvement of the ring, if Coronato takes the next step, if Wolf remains stable, then Calgary is not only going to fight for universal cards. They are staying in the playoffs.
For flame fans, hope has been building slowly. This season feels real.
