The NHL draft lottery is just a few days away, and the Calgary Flames know that they have a reasonable chance going in. However, a little further down in the first round, the Flames will pick again, thanks to the first obtained from the Noah Hanifin trade to Vegas two years ago.
Friday night’s 5-1 win over the Utah Mammoth saw the Knights progress in six games, securing a second-round tie against Anaheim. This win for the Knights doesn’t impact the Flames, as of yet, with it remaining between 24th and 27th overall. If they do progress from the tie against the Ducks, then the pick will fall to at least 28th.
There are some good talents available in the draft positions in the mid-twenties. These include Mathis Preston of the Vancouver Giants, Thomas Vandenberg from the Ottawa 67’s, and Liam Ruck from the Medicine Hat Tigers.
A Medicine Hat Reunion?
Should the Flames win the lottery and end up drafting Gavin McKenna at first overall, then Liam Ruck might be a good option. The pair currently play together in Medicine Hat, as did current Flames prospect Andrew Basha. Basha was drafted in 2024 by the Flames, selected 41st overall.
The Flames are already looking at building a young core. Dustin Wolf and Zayne Parekh are the two standouts in the lineup. As well as this, the Flames have the third-highest rated prospect pool in the NHL. Adding several youngsters who played together at the youth level could be key to their further development and rebuilding.
Of course, this is all dependent on what happens between the Knights and the Ducks. Anaheim showed that they were no pushovers, comfortably beating the Oilers in the first round.
An Overall Look at the Flames’ draft picks
As it stands, the Flames will head into the draft with eleven picks. The Flames will pick twice in the 1st round, and a further four times in the second, thanks to several trades. After that, there are two in the third, and one each in the fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.
This can obviously all change at the draft itself, and it has been known in the past for teams to draft multiple picks to move up in the draft. Arguably, the best example of this is how Vancouver ended up with the Sedin twins.
Could we see a possibility where the Flames trade their own two first-round picks to secure first overall? It’s unlikely, but not beyond the realms of possibility. One of the reasons for this is Gavin McKenna being a Calgary Flames fan. Craig Conroy has made it clear he only wants players who want to play for the Flames, and McKenna fits that description.
Then again, maybe we’ll win the lottery and not have to worry about it.