You’re never going to bat 1.000, but it’s absolutely crucial for the Flames to connect on some of these swings
They embarked on this retool over the winter, a process that started with difficult decisions, future-focused trades and a willingness to endure some short-term pain in exchange for long-term gain.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy has been properly praised for taking those important first steps.
The thing is, the speed and success of this sort of overhaul ultimately will be determined by what happens in the summer, specifically at the NHL draft. You can tinker with trades and fill holes in free agency, but contending teams typically find their foundational pillars at the annual prospect pick ’em.
“We just know how important and it’s not just this draft … Really the next three drafts are going to set the franchise up,” Conroy told Flames TV in Sin City.
It’s a must.
The Flames arrived on the Las Vegas Strip with a stash of nine selections in the 2024 NHL draft, highlighted by a pair of picks in Friday’s first round, plus two apiece in each of the second, third and fourth.
“At Nos. 9 and 28, when you have first-round picks, that’s really good for the fans and the media,” said Tod Button, Calgary’s longtime director of amateur scouting, in an interview with Flames TV. “But for us, it’s all the picks. All the picks matter. We want to make all the picks count.”
You’re never going to bat 1.000, but it’s absolutely crucial for the Flames to connect on some of these swings.
That is a tough feat to replicate since all are cornerstone pieces. But if the Flames could find three future full-timers, that would be a strong haul.
Other up-the-middle options at No. 9 could include Berkly Catton or Konsta Helenius.
Heck, they could use both first-rounders on forwards or both on blueliners.
They just need to get it right. Because in the retool recipe, there’s really no replacement ingredient for success at the draft.
They realize that.
“You know, this is when it’s real fun,” a grinning Conroy told Flames TV. “The pressure is on and you’re making picks … It’s kind of like playing again.”
It has been a while since Conroy’s own playing days. He is now 13 drafts deep as an executive. Heck, his best buddy’s son is now a 17-year-old prospect.
“I knew Conroy growing up quite a bit,” Tij Iginla told reporters in Las Vegas. “We would always go to his house on Christmas Eve. He had some good little get-togethers there.
“So it was kind of funny, going into the combine interview and he’s asking me questions and I’m thinking back to when I was a little kid and we’d do the Santa Tracker there at his house in the basement.
“Kind of a funny connection there.”
It’s late June and it’s 100-and-some Fahrenheit in Las Vegas, so the Santa Tracker is switched off.
But for the Flames and their fanbase, this feels a little bit like Christmas Eve.
They need a few of these gifts to turn out to be good ones.