It has certainly been a whirlwind of a past couple of years for the Calgary Flames. From being looked as legit Stanley Cup Contenders in 2022, to having a drop off so bad that the team has been virtually forced into a rebuild, it has been less than ideal circumstances to say the least since the 2021-22 season ended.
As fans of the team, we want them to succeed, it is apart of all our DNA’s, especially considering the team’s provincial rival just made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. As hard as it can be to agree or accept it, the team having some extremely poor seasons will be the best way forward for the future and to get back to contending status.
Franchise altering players in the upcoming drafts
The only way back to the top for team’s in the NHL is building through the NHL draft, unless you are the Vegas Golden Knights, but that is a whole different circumstance. When you look at most of the Stanley Cup Champions over the past ten or so years, there’s a trend, all of them went through a rebuild at some point to get to where they got to go.
The Florida Panthers drafted both Jonathan Huberdeau and Alex Barkov in the top three of their respective draft classes, Huberdeau led to them getting Matthew Tkachuk who was a massive piece to their win, so that is why I include him in there. The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted and developed Steven Stamkos and Victor Headman who went at picks 1 and 2. The Pittsburgh Penguins obviously drafted Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at picks 1 and 2 as well. When it comes to building a championship team, it starts with drafting franchise altering talent at the top of the draft.
When looking at the the next three drafts, there are going to be some players that can absolutely change the trajectory of a team. in 2025, there are a handful of forwards that are projected to be game changers at the NHL level. The consensus top pick James Hagens could be the next Jack Hughes in terms of player type and others including Anton Frondell, Porter Martone, Michael Misa, and Ivan Ryabkin project to be high end elite top line NHL forwards. Something the Flames severely lack.
Looking at 2026, there is one player that stands head and shoulders above the rest, that being Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Looked at as the next generational forward and already drawing comparisons to the likes of Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard, McKenna has the potential to not only turn a franchise around, but to be one of the best players in the league one day. So, if you plan on tanking, 2026 will be the year to do it. The Flames have not had a player like since probably Jarome Iginla.
Finally in 2027, yes that is three years, but there is already a player that is projected a game breaker from the backend and that is Landon DuPont who was recently granted Exceptional Player Status to enter the CHL as a 15-year-old. We still have yet to see DuPont play a game of Major Junior hockey, but from what we have seen from him, we could be looking at another Cale Makar on our hands. Just to throw it out there, DuPont was born in Calgary, by the way.
Being mediocre will not get the Flames anywhere
The tale as old as time, the Flames have been mediocre for years. Never good enough to contend but never bad enough to get a top pick. If the Flames continue on that path, this rebuild will never get to where us fans want it to go.
The good thing is that GM Craig Conroy has acknowledged and he has learned from the many mistakes left by the previous GM Brad Treliving. It looks like he has the support of ownership behind him to tear down this team and build it through the draft. Which is a very nice change of pace from what we experienced under Treliving, it is Conroy’s team now, and he knows what he has to do to get it turned around.
Many teams have done it quickly, I look at the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers in particular. Both team obviously had incredibly luck in the draft lottery as both teams landed a first-overall pick during their rebuilds, and they were able to attract high-end free agents like John Tavares and Artemi Panarin to sign with them, but they both sold off major assets to build through the draft. Neither team, especially the Leafs, have not had any playoff success, but I don’t think it would surprise anyone if either team won a cup anytime soon (ok maybe not Toronto, but you see the point).
There will be pain
There without a doubt be pain throughout the next few years. Take it from me, I hate watching the Flames lose, for a majority of last season I felt like I was one of the few people who wanted to see them sneak into the playoffs somehow knowing they would probably get slaughtered in the playoffs. Watching them play every night knowing they will probably lose very much ruins my night.
At the end of the day, we know if they get into the playoffs it will most likely not lead to them winning a Stanley Cup and their draft pick will be in the mid pack of the picking order. As long as the team is competitive on most nights and they put up a fight, that is a team I can get behind as they continue to bring young players into the lineup.
Obviously, high draft picks do not automatically lead to success, ask the Buffalo Sabres and their fans how that has been going for them, but if the Flames can get a few high draft picks over the next two or three years and hit on other picks in the later rounds, the rebuild can be quicker then most of us may have anticipated.
Mr. Conroy, we believe in you to get this right.
