Things are going from bad to worse for the Calgary Flames.
After consecutive losses to divisional opponents in the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes the Flames dropped another game to a division rival on Saturday night as they fell to the San Jose Sharks 5-2 in the Shark Tank.
The Flames were out chanced significantly (25-16) in the first two periods and didn't belong on the same ice as the Sharks when the game was remotely close.
As poorly as Pacific Division teams have played to date the Flames will have to go 33-18-7 the rest of the way to have a 60% chance of making the playoffs, according to SportsClubStats.
That may seem doable but it's important to remember that the Flames have won just eight of their first 24 games, and are tied for last place in the NHL, despite playing in the league's worst division. That's a .333 winning percentage so winning 56% of their games the rest of the way isn't exactly a small ask.
There may be plenty of hockey to play but realistically this season is a lost cause for the Flames.
At this point it's time for GM Brad Treliving to think about the future. Jiri Hudler and Kris Russell don't figure to be in Treliving's plans and should be sold to the highest bidder when the trade deadline comes around.
Treliving also has to figure out what to do in goal long-term. Jonas Hiller is a pretty good goaltender but he's probably not capable of winning a Stanley Cup unless the team in front of him is near flawless. Karri Ramo is at best a below average starter. Jon Gillies' future looks bright but he's not ready and Mason McDonald is still several years away from sniffing the NHL.
In Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett, Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie and Dougie Hamilton, among others, Treliving has put together a good core but there's plenty of work to do around it.
The rest of the season should be used to figure out which pieces work best around those guys in the long-term because the Flames are not going anywhere in the short-term
In today's NHL it's hard to rule out a team in November but it's necessary in this case. The Flames dug themselves a big hole in the early going and they're not going to get out of it.
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