Flames' Surge Complicates Tanking Hopes

0:00On March 29th, the Calgary flames came into the 2025-26 season, hyped after barely missing the playoffs last year, but it's been. A rough ride, they started with the worst record in team history, lost their spark, and General Manager Craig Conroy hit the reset button. He shipped out stars like Rasmus Anderson to Vegas, Mackenzie Weigart to Utah, and Nazem Codry back to Colorado, grabbing a pile of draft picks and prospects in return. Right after the trade deadline, the flames flipped the script with a seven winds, four losses, one overtime loss stretch over 12 games. That hot run makes sense when you look closer. They dominated at home, going six winds, zero losses, one overtime loss against tired or shaky teams, but struggled on the road. Things who wanted a full tear down to tank for a high draft pick are sweating now. This surge bumps them up the standings, messing with lottery odds for what could be a loaded draft. Conroy leaned into the rebuild like many demanded, but these winds are stirring anxiety

1:03for anyone chasing that top prospect. Looking ahead, their final nine games turn brutal. Three against Colorado, plus matchups with Vegas, Dallas, Anaheim, Utah, Seattle, and LA, mostly on. The road against playoffs contenders. The easy schedule lately set them up nice, but this gauntlet could drop points fast. Players like Blake Holman are straight up competitive, playing loose and hard no matter the plan. They kick off a six game road trip Monday against the avalanche, so buckle up. The real test starts now. Team coverage, powered by AI, this is Cal Reflames News today.