Only one team has waited longer than Flames to pick first at the draft

Since their relocation to Calgary almost 45 years ago, the Flames have never had the opportunity to select first overall at the NHL Draft.

With a 5% chance to do so, Flames fans anxiously watched yesterday’s draft lottery praying their fortunes would change. It wasn’t meant to be, however, and they will instead select ninth this June.

Never picking first isn’t all bad, as receiving the first-overall pick means you’ve finished near the bottom, if not at the bottom of the league standings. The problem for the Flames, however, is that while they haven’t quite been low enough to get a first-overall selection to help turn their franchise around, they often haven’t been all that good, either.

It is quite crazy when thinking about it that the Flames have never selected first overall. Their provincial rival Edmonton Oilers did so four times from 2010 to 2015. That said, another team has had even worse luck when it comes to adding a first-overall pick to their roster.

Another big Flames rival, the Vancouver Canucks, have never picked first in their 54 years of existence. That marks the longest run in the NHL.

What the Canucks have had, however, that the Flames haven’t, is a top-three pick. That’s right. In Flames history, they have never selected top three at a draft. Their highest pick came at fourth back in 2014, where they selected Sam Bennett, now a member of the Florida Panthers.

Proving just how unlucky the Flames have been at the draft is the fact that the only other NHL team never to pick top three is the Vegas Golden Knights, who have only been in the league for seven seasons.

Given the current retooling stage the Flames find themselves in, being in the draft lottery next year and possibly even the year after isn’t out of the question. General manager Craig Conroy will be hoping for better luck if that winds up being the case, as landing a top-three selection would go a long way in helping speed up their path to success.

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