Flames season will be a complete waste without Gavin McKenna – Hockey Writers – Calgary Flames
With just three games remaining in the 2025-26 season, the Calgary Flames find themselves out of the playoff picture with a 32-38-9 record and just 73 points. That puts them 30th out of all 32 organizations in the league standings, which proves how much room for improvement there is for this team.
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That said, finishing near the bottom of the standings was not expected, as many felt the Flames would be in the draft lottery conversation before the 2025-26 season began. Many of their fans were hoping that situation would happen so they could get Gavin McKenna and the first pick in the upcoming draft.
Although McKenna was not the first overall pick throughout the season, many believe his name will be called first this June. Flames fans who were sick and tired of this team stuck in the top were praying to see him come to Calgary. Unfortunately, despite the fact that they need him more than any other team in the league, the chances of them getting him are not that good.
The Flames have a three-point lead over the Chicago Blackhawks, with only two games left in the season. Chances are, they’ll finish in a lowly 30th place, and have a chance to jump ahead of the 29th-place New York Rangers. The Vancouver Canucks, on the other hand, are guaranteed to finish 32nd as they have collected only 73 points.
Flames Need Talent Like McKenna
The reason the Flames have struggled in recent years is that they lack offensive talent on their roster. Young assets like Matt Coronato and Matvei Gridin are good pieces up front, though neither feels like they can develop into the true player this team hasn’t had in several years.
The proof is in the pudding, as the Flames scored the fewest goals of any NHL team this season with 200. That translates to a goals-per-game pace of just 2.53, just not enough to be a playoff-caliber team. It shows when you look at the Flames’ stats, as Matt Coronato leads the way with only 43 points.
Overall, the Flames aren’t as bad a team as the standings might indicate. As was the case in 2024-25, they are often in games until the end, and make life difficult for opposition teams. Unfortunately, they don’t have the scorers to come up with timely goals to lead them to victory.
Landing McKenna will go a long way toward changing that. While there will be an adjustment period when the transition to the NHL begins, there is a serious argument that he may still be the most offensively gifted player on this Flames roster. The organization has done a good job of adding prospects under general manager (GM) Craig Conroy, but they need a really big piece to get things going. McKenna offers just that.
If the Flames finish the season at No. 30, they will have an 11.5 percent chance of winning their first title. Their odds of getting the fourth overall pick are strong at 39.7 percent. Taking fourth place, while good for most teams, would be a disaster for the Flames.
While this draft should be good, it’s clear that McKenna is in a class of his own. With 51 points in 35 games for Penn State this season, he seems poised to break into the NHL and make an immediate impact. That result will be put to better use with the Flames, as they will be getting an offensive piece they don’t have, while McKenna joins an organization that appears to have a strong future up front.
The Flames will be back to Square One without McKenna
Again, it’s important to be clear that if the Flames were to acquire a third or fourth pick, they would be adding an incredible prospect. The problem is that a player in that position wouldn’t have the offensive support of McKenna, who is arguably the organization’s biggest need at this point.
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If the Flames don’t land McKenna, they will likely enter the 2026-27 season without their top offensive weapon again. That could lead to more struggles in the win column, and put them back in the same spot they currently find themselves in. While the odds may not be in their favor, they desperately need to pick first so this 2025-26 season isn’t a complete waste.
