Panic Meter Rising for Flames, Kings and Sharks

It’s so early into the season, but how worried should the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks be?

Apr 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings goaltender David Rittich (31) makes a shop off a shot by Calgary Flames left wing Dryden Hunt (15) in the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Is it time to panic yet for the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings or San Jose Sharks? Three Pacific Division combatants are each struggling out of the gate this season, leaving them in the basement of their division and the Western Conference.

It’s so early into the 2025-2026 season, but how worried should the Flames, Kings and Sharks be? Let’s dive into an early panic assessment for these three organizations.

Flames Fizzling

Here’s the headline in Calgary: the Flames are in danger of fizzling out before fully catching fire. The Flames went on an impressive end of the year run to conclude the 2024-2025 campaign, but matching that energy and desperation has proved to be a challenge to begin this season. They are 1-5-0 as a result, sitting tied for last place in the entire NHL standings.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf has looked like a shell of himself, and it’s largely due to the incompetent defense in front of him. They are tied with the Sharks for most goals allowed through the first two weeks of the season.

What is even more concerning is the still looming lack of top-end forward talent. Jonathan Huberdeau is set to make his season debut in their next contest, but there is still a sizable hole in their top-six. Until they secure that top-line center, it will be an absolute dog fight to make the playoffs.

The Flames should be pressing the panic button very shortly.

Oct 14, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) guards his net against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images / Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

A Kings’ Ransom

The Kings were one of the most confusing offseasons to evaluate. After another first-round playoff exit, the team named a new general manager and focused on veteran additions to strengthen the lineup, highlighted by signing defenders Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin and wingers Corey Perry and Joel Armia.

The problem is that these additions have only made their team defense worse. The defensive pairing of Ceci and Dumoulin have been absolutely caved in while in the defensive zone, and their forwards are doing a terrible job of backchecking to assist.

The good news for this group is that they have a group of forwards that can put the puck in the net and a proven netminder in Darcy Kuemper. Even with captain Anze Kopitar set to miss time, they have an offensive group that can make up the difference.

I’ll give them some grace as they figure things out with a new roster, but the threat of a lost season is looming.

Sharks Treading Water

Look, the Sharks were not going to make the postseason this season. It’s all about getting another valuable year of experience for players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and goaltender Yaroslav Askarov and introducing rookies like Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson.

Still, their first games have been quite miserable. They are 0-3-2 and have been thoroughly destroyed in almost every game.

If you were anticipating a huge leap from this young group, it’s definitely time to panic. If you’re enjoying the slow build in San Jose, there’s no need to panic at all. It’s all part of the plan.

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