All but one second round series has been decided as the Edmonton Oilers forced a game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night with a 5-1 win. With the Playoffs almost halfway complete, the NHL Draft looms closer and closer.
The draft lottery was held last Tuesday, May 7th and unfortunately the Flames 5% chance at the first overall pick didn’t pay off. Calgary currently holds the 9th overall selection in Vegas on June 28th with a second first round selection from the Canucks that will be determined at the end of the playoffs.
Outside of Macklin Celebrini as the consensus number one overall prospect, the rest of first round projections are largely undecided. With a multitude of defensive talent and some intriguing forward prospects in the first round, the Flames have a lot of options.
GM Craig Conroy has two first round selections in his arsenal this draft and many have wondered whether or not the team will look to move up or down in the first round.
We wanted to know what fans want the team to do with their ninth overall selection. We asked, you answered.
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Should the Flames move up, down or hold tight at the draft?
We presented the below poll to our readers: Considering the prospects in the draft and where the Flames are drafting, what should they do with their first-round pick? The options being trade up, stay put, or trade down.
Trade Up
28% of our respondents want the Flames to try and trade up from their current ninth overall selection. With nine picks in this years draft and four in the first two rounds, there is a potential for the team to move higher into the top ten. But, at what cost and for what reward?
With a prospect pool so close in scouted talent and little to no chance of obtaining the first overall selection, the Flames might lose more than they would gain by attempting to acquire a pick even in the 6-8 range. Utah, Ottawa and Seattle all sit both above the Flames in the draft order but outside the top 5.
Utah’s move from Phoenix likely means new owner Ryan Smith wants to hold onto his first ever draft pick. The Ottawa Senators opted to retain their 2024 first round selection as the team needs to forfeit one first round pick in either 2024, 2025 or 2026 as penalty for their part in the embarrassing illegal Evgeni Dadonov trade between Vegas and Anaheim. Ottawa will most certainly want to pick at 7 or higher with their team in desperate need of adding talent. The Seattle Kraken have a solid young core and will be in a similar situation to the Flames, looking to return to the playoffs next season.
If the Flames do really love a prospect a few spots higher then nine, it would likely cost them a second or the Vancouver first to move up, if not more. When looking at the top 5 spots, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the the Sharks, Blackhawks, Ducks, Blue Jackets, or Canadiens to be interested in trading out of their respective positions. If they did, it’d cost a healthy return of established players and picks. Moving up in the NHL Draft is rare and expensive, although the rewards can be tantalizing the payoff might not be there with this prospect pool.
Stay Put
The leading response this week with 67% of the vote was to stay put at ninth overall. The last time the Flames selected within the top 10 they took Matthew Tkachuk in 2016 and that paid off very well. This faction of fans are hopeful that a year of Craig Conroy and his scouting staff will make the right decision come June 28th.
Another aspect of the Flames maintaining their current draft position is the ability to retain assets. As previously mentioned, moving higher into the top 10 is a pricey endeavour. GM Craig Conroy said after the draft lottery the team needed to “dial in” on their draft selections, “especially in the second, third, fourth round”. Although Conroy did go on to discuss the opportunity of moving up to get a player “they really like”, he also discussed the importance of taking “the best available player” at ninth overall.
It seems the sophomore GM will begin his second season by maintaining at-least his first, first round pick.
The Flames are in a “best available player” situation in my, and most fans opinion. Trading away half the defensive core and replenishing only part of the already thinning prospect pool means the Flames just need to make good choices this year and not get too hungry.
The talent is there, you just have to make the right choice when your name is called. Conroy has further eluded to this in his post season media availability discussing how Dallas has executed on their later round draft picks exceptionally well in recent years and are a model for the franchises new direction.
After a year at the head of the table the majority of Flames fans seem to trust Craig Conroy to make the right decisions in the upcoming draft.
Trade Down
Only 5% of fans polled this week want the team to move down in the upcoming draft from ninth overall. As previously discussed, assets are important, but the Flames would have to receive a healthy offer to consider moving out of the top 10.
Once again, you have to consider the motivation of other teams as well. With a weaker first round prospect pool compared to last/next seasons draft classes, there may not be anyone interested in obtaining the ninth overall pick at the price Conroy would want in return.
It’s interesting to imagine what the offers the team could tender for their top ten selection, their franchise history is at play as well. With top ten selections a rarity in Calgary, I’d imagine they want to make right with their pick in this pivotal draft.
Draft Day
Whether the Flames trade up, stay put, or trade down from ninth overall in the upcoming draft, it will be a highly criticized decision. Craig Conroy has a lot weighing on his shoulders this draft after executing a solid return for his gaggle of pending UFA’s this season.
The Flames are looking towards the future and nothing is more important to that than the draft. Although it’s Conroy’s second draft, it’s his first with a full season in charge of scouting.
Craig Conroy’s star crossed love with Dallas is warranted as the Stars just advanced to the Western Conference Finals on the backs of their draft picks from the last 5 years. If he can replicate the recipe Dallas has had, the 2024 Draft could be the first of many great building blocks to the future of the Calgary Flames.
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