Calgary Flames Suffer Brutal Injury Blow To Their Stanley Cup Playoff Hopes

No one quite expected the Calgary Flames to compete for a playoff spot in 2024/25, but with a month left in the season, they find themselves in a tight battle with the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately, in a matchup with the Canucks, the team lost captain Mikael Backlund with an upper-body injury, and now, the team have confirmed that he will be out week-to-week moving forward.

While his numbers don't look as good as recent years (11 goals, 24 points in 64 games played), the long-time Flame has been a crucial part of this team and their defensive prowess this season, and a loss given the teams lack of centre depth is the last thing they needed.

This comes on the heels of another centre in Connor Zary copping a two-game suspension, and as a result, the front office has recalled Dryden Hunt from the AHL's Calgary Wranglers to potentially fill a role on the third line down the middle for the Flames.

With a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot in sight, the Flames embark on a tough stretch of games against the Avalanche, Maple Leafs, Rangers and Devils, and with these injuries, it's going to be very tough for them to compete.

Ultimately though, they've done it on the back of Dustin Wolf all season long, and if that play continues they have a shot, but without Backlund and Zary in the lineup, things get much, much harder for Calgary.