The Calgary Flames are afraid of becoming the Buffalo Sabres. The numbers say this is already the case. – The Win Column

In a season in which the Calgary Flames have spent more than two months in the basement of the NHL standings, the organization continues to move forward business as usual. Now that we’re halfway through the 2025-2026 season, the play-offs are a distant dream. the organization refuses to admit defeat.

Whether it’s directly from team president Dan Maloney or from countless NHL insiders, we keep hearing that this team has no plans to rebuild. It all goes back to the same excuse every time. We don’t want to become the Buffalo Sabres. We do not want to remain at the bottom of the rankings. I have bad news for the Flames: you’re already the Buffalo Sabres. In fact, it could even be worse.

Whether it’s playoff success or top draft picks, the Flames may be the worst organization in the entire NHL since the 2004-05 lockout.

Playoff success is rarely seen in Calgary

First, let’s look at the overall playoff success since the lockout. The playoffs are the reason you play the game. That’s why the NHL exists: for teams competing for the Stanley Cup. Well, the Flames don’t do much about that, and if they do, it won’t last long. First, let’s take a look at total playoff wins since the 2005-06 season. These are the bottom five teams.

Playoff wins

We won’t consider the Seattle Kraken here, as they have only been a team for three seasons. For all moved teams, we combine their totals. We will also not be considering the 2020 play-in series or round robin. These are the bottom five teams in the NHL that have won the playoffs since 2005.

Your eyes do not deceive you; the Buffalo Sabers have more playoff wins than the Calgary Flames over the last twenty years. This is despite the fact that the Sabers haven’t played in a single playoff game since 2011. 14 straight years without a single playoff appearance, and the feared Sabers still have more playoff wins than the Calgary Flames since 2005.

Only two teams in the entire NHL have fewer playoff wins than Calgary, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Arizona/Utah franchise. Utah is one of the most exciting young teams in the league right now and should skyrocket this list in the coming years.

Funnily enough, the Winnipeg Jets, who rejoined the league in 2011 and have six fewer seasons under their belt since 2005, have as many playoff wins as the Flames.

In total, the Flames have 23 playoff wins over the last twenty seasons, an average of just over one per season. Their highest single-year total is a paltry five wins, achieved in 2015 and again in 2022. Since 2004, they haven’t won two games in the second round of the NHL playoffs.

For context, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning lead the NHL in this category, with 102 playoff wins each since 2005, 79 more than the Flames.

Playoff series wins

Next, let’s take a look at the overall playoff series wins. Getting individual wins in the playoffs is one thing, but they mean nothing if you don’t seal the deal and win a series. Just like in the wins category, the Flames’ numbers are truly embarrassing when it comes to series wins. Here are the bottom five.

Once again, the Flames are among the worst teams in the NHL when it comes to playoff success. In fact, there is only one team that has fewer playoff series wins than the Flames since 2005, the Blue Jackets. There are currently three teams tied with the Flames for the second-worst total.

With their series win over the Senators last year, the Maple Leafs officially tied the Flames with two series wins since 2005. Given the current direction of the Minnesota Wild, I would be shocked if they don’t lead the Flames in series wins by the summer. Utah, meanwhile, has one of the brightest prospects in the NHL.

The Flames’ two wins came in 2015 during the ‘Find a Way’ Flames season, and then in 2022, when they narrowly defeated the Dallas Stars in overtime of Game 7. Outside of those two years, the Flames have done absolutely nothing in the playoffs. Over the past 20 seasons, they have lost in the first round seven times, lost twice in the second round and missed the playoffs 11 times. Their overall record in the playoff series since the lockout is an ugly 2-9.

The Sabers have now won four series since the lockout, which is double the Flames total. Their overall record in the playoff series since 2005 is 4-4. So despite not making the playoffs for 14 years in a row, they are currently doubling their Flames series win total.

In terms of the best teams in the league, the Penguins and Lightning lead the NHL in series wins since the lockout, with 20 each. That’s 18 more series wins than the Flames.

Final performances of the conference

How about traveling to the conference finals as one of the final four teams in a season? One step away from a Stanley Cup Final. Winning a series is one thing, but stringing them together is the sign of a truly successful team. Well, the Flames haven’t seen that stage much lately.

No team has had fewer conference finals appearances since 2005 than the Flames. Over the past twenty years, the organization has managed to reach the last four of the play-offs a total of zero times. That’s right, at no point in the last twenty years have the Flames managed to win two straight playoff series. They’re not the only ones, so at least that’s true. The Blue Jackets, Wild and Maple Leafs are all in the same situation as the Flames, with zero appearances since 2005.

Here’s a fun fact, though: All three of these teams have had longer playoff runs than Calgary since 2005. The Flames’ longest streak was five games in the second round, achieved in 2015 and 2022. The Maple Leafs have reached Game 7 of the second round. The Blue Jackets and Wild both advance to Game 6 of the second round. Every team in the NHL since the lockout has advanced further in the playoffs than the Flames. Given where the team is right now, don’t count on them surpassing their five-win total in the playoffs anytime soon.

The Buffalo Sabers, meanwhile, have two conference finals appearances since 2005, and have made it to game seven of the conference finals since the last time the Flames played a conference finals match. For further context, the Tampa Bay Lightning lead the NHL with six conference finals appearances since 2005, while 20 teams have had at least two appearances.

Top five draft picks

Finally, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum. A top-five draft pick isn’t what a team wants to achieve, but they certainly bring a jolt of excitement and hope to an organization. If you don’t make the playoffs, you have to land a top five draft pick, right? Not exactly.

Shocker, the Flames can’t even be good bad either. Despite ranking near the bottom of the NHL in playoff wins, playoff series wins and conference finals appearances since the lockout, the Flames also rank second-to-last when it comes to top five draft picks. The only team worse is the Vegas Golden Knights, who have only been around for eight years and have had a slew of playoff success, including four conference finals trips and a Stanley Cup.

Tied with Calgary with just one top-five draft pick in the past 20 years are the Wild, Stars and Red Wings. The Red Wings have a Stanley Cup and twelve series wins since the lockout, so their lack of top five picks is largely due to success. The Stars are in a similar situation; they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 2005, but have posted 12 playoff series wins in that span, along with three conference finals trips. They were also one of the NHL’s top teams in the 2020s.

The only team that can claim as much pain as the Flames is the Wild, who also have just one top-five draft pick since 2005 and limited playoff success. That said, they are currently poised to be one of the league’s top teams for at least a few seasons, with Quinn Hughes now in the mix.

The Flames’ only pick in the top five was, of course, Sam Bennett, who managed just 26 playoff games in Calgary and has since played in three straight Stanley Cup Finals with another franchise, including two Stanley Cup victories.

The Sabres, who are trying to avoid the Flames, have been ranked in the top five a total of four times since 2005. Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart are those four players. Not bad!

The Blue Jackets, Oilers, Blackhawks, Canadiens, Wild and Mammoth/Coyotes all rank first with six top-five picks since 2005. The Seattle Kraken, who have only been around for four years, have two top-five draft picks, one more than the Flames have in their entire 45-year existence.

The Flames are the Sabers of the West

If we take the average ranking for each team in playoff wins, series wins, conference finals appearances and top-five draft picks and average them out, the Flames rank last on average (31st out of 31 teams) compared to the rest of the league. The Sabers, meanwhile, are ranked 23rd in the league.

Since the lockout, the Flames are the only organization in the NHL to rank in the bottom three in playoff wins, series wins, conference finals appearances and top five picks. Yep, not even the Sabers have experienced this much ineptitude since the lockout.

It may be time for the organization to stop using the Sabers as cops because they haven’t rebuilt properly. You’re already the Sabres, in fact, you’re worse.

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