Calgary Flames News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

6 Reasons the Flames Failed to Make the Playoffs

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Apr 19, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Calgary Flames battled almost right until the end, but fell just short in their quest of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It came down to Game 81, and they did their job, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in a shootout. Unfortunately, both the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues were also able to win their games, which officially eliminated the Flames from postseason contention.

The Flames put forth a fantastic effort all season long, as their roster on paper was not one fans would have envisioned would have been anywhere close to competing for a playoff spot. Head coach Ryan Huska really got this group to buy into a defensive-styled game to help mask some of their issues, and goaltender Dustin Wolf was simply superb. As many positives as there were, however, there are still some big flaws with this team, which is why they failed to make the playoffs. Here are the six main reasons they fell short of their goal.

Reason One: Flames’ Lack of Scoring

The biggest concern with the Flames all season long was their lack of scoring. Their leading scorer (Nazem Kadri) had just 35 goals and 67 points. That’s a solid season, but not one that should be leading a team. Next up was Jonathan Huberdeau, who scored 28 goals and 62 points in what was a very respectable bounce-back season.

The bigger issue is the drop-off after those two. Next up was MacKenzie Weegar, who had 47 points. Again, that’s a very solid season for the defenceman, but that isn’t enough points from the third-leading scorer for a playoff team. Had they had better offensive contributions from others on their roster, such as Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund, Yegor Sharangovich, and Rasmus Andersson, it could have been a much-different story.

Reason Two: Blue Line Needs Improving

One major area of concern for the Flames entering the 2024-25 season was the blue line. Aside from MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson, there were a ton of question marks on the back end, with many feeling like it would leave goaltenders Wolf and Dan Vladar exposed.

To the credit of this blue line, they stepped up in a way few envisioned. Kevin Bahl proved himself as a true top-four defenceman, while Joel Hanley also played surprisingly solid in a top-four role. That said, the bottom pairing blueliners, mainly Jake Bean and Daniil Miromanov, struggled for the majority of the season. The five-and-six defencemen for the Flames will need to be tweaked by general manager Craig Conroy this summer.

Reason Three: Rasmus Andersson Struggled

While the bottom-pairing defencemen struggled, perhaps the biggest disappointment of all was Andersson. After a hot start through his first 10 games of the season, he struggled in a big way, and finished the season with a team-worst plus/minus of minus-38. The Flames needed him to be far better than he was, and may very well have made the playoffs if he had played to the level he’s shown he’s capable of in the past.

This poor season couldn’t have come at a worse time for Andersson, who is eligible to sign a long-term extension this summer. It should make the Flames rather hesitant to do so, though it is also rough for them, as they could have undoubtedly gotten a bigger trade return for him before the season began.

Reason Four: Special Teams Were Less Than Ideal

Another major issue for the Flames this season was their special teams. While their power play was far better than in 2023-24, it was still below average, and played a big part in why this team struggled to find the back of the net this season. They ended the 2024-25 campaign with a power-play percentage of 21.0, which ranked 19th of the NHL’s 32 teams.

Of even bigger concern was the penalty kill. Though it showed some serious improvement following the 4 Nations Face-Off break, it still wound up being 25th in the league at just 76.1 per cent. Had it been better throughout the course of the 2024-25 campaign, the Flames would undoubtedly be getting ready to suit up for the playoffs.

Reason Five: Vladar Cost Flames Points

Though he picked up his play to close out the season, it was still an overall rough showing for Vladar. The 27-year-old struggled to a 2.80 goals-against average (GAA) along with a .898 save percentage (SV%). It marks the third-straight season he’s failed to post a SV% of .900 or higher.

Had Vladar been better in the early and mid-points of the season, the Flames would have certainly picked up another couple of points in the standings, which would have made them playoff-bound. The question now becomes whether or not they elect to bring him back on a cheap contract, or look elsewhere for a more reliable backup behind Wolf.

Reason Six: Injuries Played a Toll

Though injuries are never an excuse, this Flames group struggled as a whole to stay healthy in 2024-25. Not only did they lose two players who were making an impact in Justin Kirkland and Anthony Mantha in the early going, but they were also forced to play without Connor Zary for lengthy stretches due to two separate knee injuries.

As a result, the Flames had to rely heavily on their American Hockey League (AHL) depth to take on significant roles. To their credit, those players did play relatively well, though it was far from the performances they would have gotten had the three previously mentioned stayed healthy.

Next Season Remains a Mystery

Despite outperforming expectations in a big way this season, there are still many doubts as to whether or not the Flames can build and improve off of it come 2025-26. After all, they were largely carried by Wolf, who is still a very young goalie. If he is to experience any sort of sophomore slump, this team could wind up being in the lottery race. That said, they proved everybody wrong this season, and will be looking to do so again starting next October.