over the next five years - He has the Flames slotted right in the mushy middle at 15.
No. 15 — Calgary Flames
The Flames were last year’s surprise team; they’d been expected to contend for Connor McDavid yet ended up making the second round of the playoffs. That makes them a prime candidate to regress, and some of the same stats that correctly predicted doom for last year’s Avs are sending up warning flares here. But after one of the best offseasons in the league, the Flames really do look like a team set up for long-term success.
The question is what kind of “success” that’s going to be. The Flames have made the jump from bottom-feeder to legitimate playoff contender, sure. But is there a path to a Stanley Cup here?
There could be. The team has one of the best blue lines in the league, and it’s one that’s locked up long-term. The forwards are young and could be very good. The farm system is reasonably strong. Goaltending is the one obvious issue, and it’s one that likely keeps them from any kind of serious Cup contention this season. But as we saw this summer, goaltenders can be found on the trade market, and they often come cheap.
So the future looks bright in Calgary. But again … how bright? It’s not hard to imagine the Flames making the playoffs in each season of our five-year window. But they’ll need to add more before they make that next step to Cup contender.
Odds of a Cup in five years: 17 percent
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/For what it's worth, he listed the Canucks at #28