The Calgary Flames have two picks in the first round of the NHL Draft for the first time in more than a decade, and if they play their cards right they may have even more. This draft may not feature multiple generational talents like years past, but there are a number of elite players that could shape the future of this team for the next generation.
That is if they pick right.
Embedded in every draft are players that simply do not live up to the hype or are more risk than they are worth. The Flames need to be particularly careful when they draft this year as this draft is being positioned as the start of a new era in Calgary.
While the top players in the draft are all good players, the key is to discern exactly what the Flames need and which players have the greatest chance to make an impact at the NHL level without being a major liability for the team.
Here are some players that the team should steer clear of in the first round.
Trevor Connelly
On the ice, Connelly is an outstanding player, with elite offensive abilities and a great shot. In any draft, he would be a top-10 selection. The challenge with Connelly is a history of not-great off-ice issues, including posing with blocks in the shape of a swastika.
There is a lot of talent available in this year’s draft, and taking a chance on Connelly is simply not worth the risk. These incidents are going to be part of conversations that happen on the draft floor and all the way through his development and career. Even more than that, organizational culture is built by having the right people in the room—even if he has apologized, is this the best person for the Flames to select?
Connelly could be available for either pick that the Flames have in the first round, but taking a chance on him in the first round is simply not worth it.
Zayne Parekh
This is a controversial take, but with their first selection, the Flames would be better suited to taking a different player than Parekh. Look, I’m a big fan of Parekh’s skillset and the player he looks to become, but the Flames have two players that project to play a very similar style of game as Parekh at the NHL level.
Both Jeremie Poirier and Hunter Brzustewicz boast a similar toolkit to Parekh, with the two both being offence-first defencemen who project to be power play quarterbacks at the NHL level. Both also struggled on defence in their own zone, just as Parekh does, although all three have taken major strides in this respect this season.
Parekh and Brzustewicz put up nearly the same numbers this season in the OHL, and while the latter is a year older, he was also playing on a far less good team than Parekh. The Saginaw Spirit’s defenceman won’t last long on draft day, but if he falls to the team with their first pick, they would be wise to select someone with a different skill set.
Aron Kiviharju
Kiviharju was once considered one of the top talents in this year’s draft but a nasty knee injury knocked him out for most of the year. For the last five years, he has been in the conversation as one of the top prospects in the entire draft, but after this season, there are question marks around what he is and what he may become.
The Finnish defenceman is incredibly smart with the puck and able to push the puck forward the right way. He has really good instincts and is a strong passer, both on breakouts and in the offensive zone. Not the flashiest of players, he has been adept at getting the job done at both ends of the ice.
He could be amazing or he could be fine—we simply do not know. The Flames need to hit with both their first and second first-round picks, and Kiviharju is too much of a risk in the first round. If he does fall to the second or third round, he may be worth considering.
Sacha Boisvert
Boisvert is going to be one of the names likely available when the Flames make their second pick in the first round and possesses a very well-rounded toolkit. He has a great shot and strong offensive abilities, which he couples with good skating and great passing.
The big risk with him is his skating, which is really not great for a player projected to be a first-round selection. The tools are there, but trying to fix skating is a tall order for a first-round pick. If he develops this area of his game, he likely becomes a middle-six guy, but if not, he likely is not a regular NHLer at all. That’s a big risk for a first-round pick. Definitely not worth a selection.
Nikita Artamonov
Another player who should be available with the Flames’ second first-round pick, Artamonov had an outstanding year in the KHL with Torpedo Nizhny Novogorod. The forward played nearly the entire season in the league as a 17-year-old, putting up 23 points in 54 games. This is very uncommon for draft-eligible players.
Artamonov adapted very quickly to the league and used his playmaking skills and vision to adapt to the faster and heavier play. He’s a very good passer and despite being not the biggest guy on the ice at 5’11”, he is someone who wins more than his fair share of battles along the boards.
The biggest challenge with him is that he’s simply not skilled enough to play the game at a higher level and he likes to play the heavier game, which he is not large enough to do. This may be his threshold right now, which does not bode well for teams looking for him to develop further. He has also signed a two-year extension in Russia, which raises the risk that he may not come to North America at all. This is too much of a gamble for a team that has not really selected out of Russia in the past.
What does it all come down to?
Look, when you are drafting a first-rounder—particularly in the top half of the draft—you are almost guaranteed to get an NHLer out of it. The problem is that the Flames are sold on a win-soon strategy that sees them being a competitive team in the next couple of years as opposed to in five or six as most rebuilding teams do. This is a draft that they just cannot miss on.
The challenge is that all of these players are ones that the Flames have a real reason to skip over. Whether it’s major warts in their game, off-ice issues, or simply not what the team needs right now, these are players the Flames should avoid. Of the five, Parekh would be the best of the group and would be far from a bad selection, but he is not what they need right now.
There are better selections for the team, and they should prioritize those players.
