The Calgary Flames were expected to have a very busy 2023 NHL Draft, but the first round produced a very quiet result. Outside of trading Tyler Toffoli the day before the draft, the Flames only did one thing by drafting Samuel Honzek with the 16th overall selection.
Not the fireworks that were expected. In fact, no trades were made on Day 1 at all by any team.
That being said, the Flames could have lots of magic to come. Here is everything you need to know and expect from the team entering Day 2.
Calgary’s remaning draft picks
After selecting Honzek, the Flames have five picks remaining that are set to be made today, barring any changes. All of these picks are in fact their own. The missing fifth-round pick (144th selection) was used to acquire Toffoli from the Canadiens prior to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. With Calgary placing 16th, their Day 2 picks are as follows.
- Round 2 – 48th selection
- Round 3 – 80th selection
- Round 4 – 112th selection
- Round 6 – 176th selection
- Round 7 – 208th selection
With how deep of a draft this is, there are a number of good players the Flames can take to fill out their prospect system. The team will most likely look to add to the number of picks they have, as most teams do during Day 2.
In terms of filling team needs, they’ll want to add speed to the prospect pool, as well as restock on defencemen if they happen to be the best available pick. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Flames specifically target at least one or two defenders.
Potential draft floor trades
For the first time since 2007, there were no trades make during the first round of the draft. That will change today for sure. The team has Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Mikael Backlund, Dan Vladar, and Nikita Zadorov on the block. All of whom are high calibre players that could fetch a large haul of future picks and prospects.
I would expect at least one deal to go down, even if it is just moving back for an additional selection. Which team will work with Craig Conroy today? We’ll find out soon enough.
Looking ahead for the Flames
Today doesn’t end the Flames business as free agency is just a few days away. Still lots of decisions to be made, but the team is at least slowly getting into the groove of making changes.
