Nearly every Calgary Flames fan has dreams of general manager (GM) Craig Conroy and his scouting staff walking up to the NHL Draft stage and saying those famous words: “With the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Calgary Flames select…” However, Calgary should focus on making the playoffs and not tanking.
Having a generational talent join the Flames organization would be huge. We see with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs how having a top prospect changes a franchise. The Flames have talent. As Conroy started shipping older players out, the youngsters shined. It showed during their recent four-game homestand sweep.
Related: 20 Years of 1st Overall Draft Picks – Power Rankings
Coming into their four-game homestand, the expectations were for them to achieve a split. The schedule had them against the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild to finish off, which many weren’t expecting good results for the Flames out of. By the grace of the hockey wizards, Calgary pulled off four straight wins, two in a shootout, and are 6-1-0 in seven home games this month.
For some reason, tanking was the best result for anyone outside Scotiabank Saddledome. Fans have wanted this team to sell off big contracts, old agers, and anyone not scoring at a 50-goal-per-game rate. Since Conroy has started to make his moves, the young players fans wanted to see a few years ago are proving they’re much better than expected.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf is loudly putting together a solid rookie season. He’s sitting with an 8-2-1 record. His save percentage is an astounding .926 percent, which ranks him second among goalies with a minimum of 10 starts. Fellow counterpart, Dan Vladar is 4-4-2 but has faced tougher challenges.
Forwards Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, and Martin Pospisil are proving their time in the American Hockey League has paid off. All three are legitimate NHL stars, creating chances and showing off much-needed speed the Flames have been missing.
With the likes of forwards Yegor Sharangovich and Andrei Kuzmenko, Calgary’s mix of rookies and youthful vets is propelling them to early-season success.
How Do Flames Rebuild While Making the Postseason?
Conroy must decide what to do with defenseman Rasmus Andersson around the 2025 Trade deadline. The stare-down king has one year left on his deal with a $4.5 million annual average value (AAV). It’s a tasty deal for playoff-hungry general managers who want a shutdown defenseman for their realistic run. But will it be worth it for the Flames to ship Andersson away? Even if they get a decent haul back, can they guarantee they’ll get a similar-calibre defenseman back, whether in the draft or free agency (for cheap?) Flames Nation’s Robert Munnich goes into further detail regarding trading Andersson.
Calgary has a couple of first-round picks which could help them determine how quickly they want to rebuild, and it what fashion. Now, the draft picks have lots of conditions on them, but long story short: they’ll get two almost guaranteed. These could be packaged up nicely and sent to a team in dire need like the Chicago Blackhawks or Pittsburgh Penguins. The question is would either team be willing to give up a young center if both selections are deep in the first round?
The Flames GM also has to figure out what forward Nazem Kadri is worth within the next few months. Kadri is a guy on many GMs’ radars as he has a Stanley Cup and lots of playoff experience. But if he gets traded to a playoff contender, what value is Calgary getting back? Kadri is later in his career and certainly won’t bring in three top prospects and a first-round selection. He also has four years left on his deal with a $7 million AAV. He also has a no-movement clause in his deal so if he determines his best shot at another Cup is elsewhere, he can waive it.
If Calgary determines their current roster is good enough to make the postseason, they’ll need to decide if Andersson and/or Kadri are worth keeping around. But this team is good enough to make the playoffs while continuing to rebuild without needing the coveted first pick in any draft.
