Flames

Not good enough to be a playoff team, and nowhere near bad enough to get a high draft pick or good lottery odds. It's one of the worst spots for a team to be in ...

The Predators and Canucks meanwhile both have more playoff series wins and playoff wins than the Flames over that span, and more recent trips to the final. At least the Wild will likely be in the playoffs this season while the Flames will once again be in the 9 to 11 range. They also all have more playoff wins and more playoff series wins than the Flames over that span. The Blackhawks despite winning three Stanley Cups since 2000 and having the second most playoff series wins and fourth most playoff wins have also picked in the top three four times. [Nathan Mackinnon](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mackina01.html), [Gabe Landeskog](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/landega01.html) and [Cale Makar](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/makarca01.html) in the top three, all three of which played massive roles in their recent cup win. Since that run 19 years ago, the Flames have won a total of just two playoff series, one in 2014-15 and one last year in 2021-22. The Flames have frequently finished just outside of the playoffs, but when they get in do they at least go deep? If we don’t include the Jets who only have 12 seasons to work with, the Flames are third worst ahead of only Minnesota and Arizona. So they’re not experiencing a ton of playoff success and also not picking high in the draft. If it weren’t for the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes, the Flames would claim the title of most finishes in no man’s land since the turn of the century. The Stars have made a trip to the second round six times during the same span, have been to the Conference Finals twice, and the Stanley Cup Finals once. As mentioned the Flames have a long history of finishing outside the playoffs but not low enough for a high draft pick, otherwise known as no man’s land in the standings.