After several months of anticipation, Calgary Flames fans finally have a definitive answer on their odds heading into the draft lottery.
The goal of many Flames fans heading into the 2025-26 season was to finish at or near the bottom of the league standings in order to be in the running for the first-overall pick. That’s what made their result from their season finale on Thursday night quite hard to swallow.
The Flames, at least from a player standpoint, ended their regular season on a high Thursday night, defeating the LA Kings by a 3-1 final. With the win, the Flames have finished the 2025-26 season with a record of 34-39-9 for 77 points.
The reason this final win hurts is that it resulted in the Flames jumping ahead of the New York Rangers to finish the season 29th in league standings rather than 30th. That slight move in the standings could wind up altering the Flames’ draft situation drastically.
Tankathon
Had the Flames remained in 30th place, they would have had an 11.5 per cent chance of selecting first overall and a 30.5 per cent chance of selecting in the top three. Instead, they now have a 9.5 per cent chance of selecting first overall, while their odds of picking in the top three have dipped to 19.3 per cent.
The good news is that the Flames still have a strong shot at drafting in the top five, something they haven’t done in over a decade. Their last top-five selection came back in 2014, when they took Sam Bennett at fourth overall.
Now that the standings watch has concluded, Flames fans can sit back and wait for the draft lottery, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 5. The draft itself will be held on June 26 and 27 at Keybank Arena in Buffalo.
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