As we transition to 2026, the Calgary Flames rank 26th in the NHL by points percentage. Although they have been much better recently, being ranked 26th as of January 1st means the team still has a lot of work to do to reach the playoffs.
So how do the teams ranked 26th when the calendar turns to the new year fare at the end of the season, and are the Flames facing an uphill battle? Let’s break it down.
26th place overall was not kind to the teams
Not to be the bearer of bad news, but if history is any indication, the Flames will have a hard time making the playoffs by the end of the season. Here’s a look at how the last 10 teams ranked 26th on New Year’s Day finished their seasons. All figures come from NHL.com.
| Season | Team ranked 26th (based on points%) | NHL rankings at the end of the season | Playoffs? | Final Draft spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Calgary flames | ? | ? | |
| 2024-2025 (32 teams) | Detroit Red Wings | 21 pcs | Missed by 5 points | 13th |
| 2023–24 (32 teams) | Buffalo sabers | 22nd | Missed by 7 points | 11th |
| 2022-2023 (32 teams) | Montreal Canadians | 28th | Missed by 24 points | 5th |
| 2021-22 (32 teams) | Chicago Blackhawks | 27th | Missed by 29 points | 7th |
| 2019–20 (31 teams) | Ottawa Senators | 30th* | Missed by 19 points | 5th |
| 2018–19 (31 teams) | St. Louis blues | 12th | Won the Stanley Cup | 31st |
| 2017-18 (31 teams) | Edmonton Oil Companies | 23rd | Missed by 17 points | 10th |
| 2016–17 (30 teams) | Vancouver Canucks | 29th | Missed by 25 points | 5th |
| 2015-16 (30 teams) | Winnipeg Jets | 25th | Missed by 9 points | 2nd (won lottery) |
| 2014-15 (30 teams) | Philadelphia Flyers | 24th | Missed by 14 points | 7th |
The play-offs don’t happen often
Well, if you’re Don Maloney and the Flames management group, you look at the 2018-2019 season as a reason to continue to push the idea that the start of the season was a mistake. That year, the St. Louis Blues entered 2019 as the 26th team in the NHL, finishing the year as Stanley Cup champions. The Blues eventually finished 30–10–5 as the calendar turned to the new year. Can the Flames do the same?
Beyond that, once in a lifetime Blues team, every other team that came into the new year ranked 26th failed to make the play-offs. Some came closer than others, but none were able to secure a playoff spot.
A top-three draft spot is a distant dream
Looking at worst-case scenarios, it continues to play well but narrowly misses the playoffs. AKA the Calgary Flames path and their current path in 2026. Funnily enough, the biggest near misses both occurred in the last two seasons. Those examples were the 2024-2025 Red Wings and the 2023-2024 Sabers, who missed by five points and seven points, respectively.
So while both teams had strong results from January to April, both ultimately fell short of the playoffs, while also missing out on a top pick. The Red Wings ended up going 13th and the Sabers ended up with the 11th overall pick.
On the other end of the spectrum, it is much more common for the team to remain where they are in the standings at 26th, or drop even lower. Of the last ten teams, seven finished in the top ten of the draft.
The bad news for those hoping for a top-three pick is that none of the past 10 26th-ranked teams ended up in the top four (without lottery luck). The highest non-lottery pick was 5th overall, which the 2022-2023 Canadiens, 2019-2020 Senators and 2016-2017 Canucks all achieved.
Stuck in the middle
As is always the case in Calgary, the Flames appear to be stuck in the middle of the NHL standings once again. As history has shown, the 26th-ranked team rarely makes the playoffs on New Year’s Day, while also never making it into the top four of the NHL draft without some lottery luck. Here’s hoping the Flames can break this trend in 2026.
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