You also need to look at where things are trending. The actual affects, and the intended parity, from the salary cap wasn't instantaneous. They took many years to come into effect, and we are just really seeing them in the last few years. Another issue is the new draft rules. Teams like Pittsburgh and Chicago do not exist anymore. Pittsburgh isn't drafting Crosby, Staal, Malkin, and Fleury in succession under the new rules.
If the Flames make it to the playoffs, I see no reason they couldn't take out teams like Vancouver, Florida, Winnipeg, NYR, etc..
This year especially we are going to see a lot of previously inconsistent teams at the top of the regular season standings. Coming in at 8th, means a likely matchup against Vancouver or Winnipeg in the first round, teams that the Flames could take down. The two best teams in the West are likely Colorado and Vegas, but they are both so inconsistent this year, they aren't even likely to finish at the top of the standings.
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