The Calgary Flames certainly got Bruce Boudreau's attention.

After his Anaheim Ducks eliminated the Flames with a Game 5 win Sunday, the Ducks head coach admitted Calgary was anything but an easy out, despite the 4-1 second-round series result.

"They’re difficult," Boudreau said. "Every game. Two overtimes of the five. They score with 20 seconds to go (in Game 3). They’re resilient as all get out. You give that big line a chance and they put it in. (Johnny) Gaudreau scares you every time he touches the puck.

"You could tell that they’ve got great character. They didn’t have a lot left, but they were giving it everything they had," he added. "In the future, that’s a team that’ll be very, very good."

While the Flames certainly bucked the analytics trend this season, qualifying for the playoffs despite a 28th-ranked Corsi rating of 44.5, they simply wouldn't go away while impressing many along the way.

Whether Boudreau's assessment in on point will be proven (or disproven) in the years to come, but there's more reason for optimism now than at the beginning of the season.