Calgary Flames playoff picture: Does a 7-2 loss to Carolina Hurricanes hurt their post-season chances?

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Mar 11, 2024 15:08 GMT

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Calgary Flames by a score of 7-2 on Sunday, in their second game since the NHL trade deadline. The Flames' have had so many lineup subtractions recently that they are slowly fading in the wild card race.

Since trading star players like Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin, fans should be concerned about blowout losses, since Calgary was also defeated by the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Friday.

Despite employing Jonathan Huberdeau, Yegor Sharangovich, and Nazem Kadri, the rest of the lineup consists of young and unproven players like Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil, and Dillon Dube.

If it weren't for netminder Jacob Markstrom, 22-17-2 with a .910 save percentage and 2.68 goals-against average, this season would have been written off months ago. However, with a depleted defensive lineup in front of him for the stretch drive, he must go above and beyond his heroic performances to salvage the final 18 games.

Although they are not done yet and haven't played to the same level as the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames don't look like getting 90 or more points and sneaking into the playoffs.

The season is not over by any means, and it's not over until it's over, but Calgary hasn't done enough in 2023-24 to warrant obtaining a playoff spot. If they miraculously make it to the dance, it could be humiliating to get blown out (again) by a top team in the Western Conference.

On Monday morning, Calgary woke up with a 6.7% chance of qualifying for the playoffs and a 0.1% chance of winning the Stanley Cup. Heading into the season, their odds of winning were at +3000, ranking 14th overall.

Flames' general manager Craig Conroy opted to start a rebuild at the NHL trade deadline

A 2-6-1 record in October sank their chances of being a playoff contender out of the gate. Since then, the Flames are 29-22-4, giving them an overall record of 31-28-5 with 67 points, leaving them eight points shy of a wild card spot in the Western Conference.

According to data from Tankathon.com, the Flames have the 29th easiest schedule remaining. They face eight teams in the playoffs and 10 teams around or below them in the standings. It won't be easy, but the Flames could net themselves 20 or more points in the season's final month and give themselves a chance to make the playoffs.

They would need to leapfrog the Seattle Kraken (67 points) and Minnesota Wild (69) and hope the Nashville Predators (78), Vegas Golden Knights (75), or Los Angeles Kings (75) implode to help their cause.

Although Calgary has had successful stretches in 2023-24, the fanbase has publicly pleaded with management, led by new general manager and former player Craig Conroy, to blow up the roster and start a rebuild.

Considering the team had several pending unrestricted free agents, like Lindholm, Tanev, and Hanifin, he opted to swap them out to bring in some young players and stock up on draft picks. Moreover, he wasn't afraid to deal all these players to divisional and conference rivals, either.

Interestingly, Conroy opted to hold on to Markstrom, who will probably play every game the rest of the season if the Flames remain within striking distance of a wildcard spot.

However, with all these subtractions on the back end, Calgary and Markstrom will be tested every night.

Instead of going all-in on the rebuild, Conroy kept a few players he could move in the summer to kick his reconstruction project into high gear. But holding onto Markstrom gives fans hope that management hasn't written this season off yet.