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Calgary Flames have stockpiled ridiculous number of 2026 draft picks

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Mar 5 2026, 7:03 pm
Calgary Flames have stockpiled ridiculous number of 2026 draft picks
Calgary Flames

It’s going to take some time to fully turn things around, but the Calgary Flames appear to be on the right track.

Since taking over as GM of the Flames ahead of the 2023-24 season, Craig Conroy has sent several veterans packing in exchange for prospects and/or draft picks. That’s continued in 2025-26, as he shipped out Rasmus Andersson in mid-January, before shocking many on Wednesday by trading MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth.

The Andersson trade saw the Flames bring in Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2027 conditional second-round pick, and prospect Abram Wiebe. As for Weegar, the return included Olli Maatta, three 2026 second-round picks, and prospect Jonathan Castagna.

What you’ll notice in both is a number of draft picks headed the Flames’ way. That’s been a key emphasis for Conroy on several deals he’s made. In fact, thanks to these two most recent deals, the Flames now have a ridiculous 26 picks over the next three drafts.

Making matters all the more exciting is that eight of those picks will come in the first three rounds of the 2026 draft this June. They may not be done there, either.

The Flames still have a number of other players who could be headed out the door prior to Friday’s trade deadline, including two who would net a significant return in Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri.

These picks won’t matter much if the right selections aren’t made, though, based on what we’ve seen from the Flames’ scouting staff lately, that won’t be an issue.

Under Conroy’s guidance, this team has hit on plenty of picks as of late. Take Matvei Gridin, who was selected 28th overall in 2024 and is already taking big strides at the pro level. An even more recent example is 2025 fifth-round pick Ethan Wyttenbach, who is already regarded as the steal of his draft class.

It’s hard not to be giddy over all of this if you’re a Flames fan. Though there’s still plenty of work to be done, there appears to be a clear road to success in place after years of perpetual mediocrity.

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