Flames GM Treliving hasn't "given much thought" to trading first-round pick
Brad Treliving hasn’t determined whether or not the Calgary Flames will be buyers or sit idle ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft Deadline.
He hasn’t put their first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft in play, either, according to the GM.
So don’t bet on it being moved before March 3.
“I haven’t given much thought to moving a first-round pick right now,” Treliving told Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia.
The Flames currently hold five picks in the seven-round draft slated for June, including a first-rounder, second-rounder, fourth-rounder, and sixth- and seventh-rounders.
Should Treliving make a move with their opening-round pick, it’d surely be lottery protected because, in reality, the selection could be one of 16 combinations drawn in the NHL Draft Lottery.
The Flames, ninth in the Western Conference and 16th overall in the NHL standings, awoke Thursday on the outside of the playoff picture looking in at the Minnesota Wild. Calgary trails the Wild by two points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the West with Minnesota holding a game at hand.
It puts the GM in an interesting spot, with the trade deadline rapidly approaching.
“You’re hoping you get to a better position before (March) 3rd that gives you more clarity,” Treliving said. “But it is what it is. I think we’re prepared for all the different scenarios and we’ll just continue to have discussions and monitor.
The Flames have a 78.4% chance of qualifying for the playoffs, according to MoneyPuck.
They’ve been in the market for a top-nine winger and depth defenceman.
“I think our group could use another forward,” Treliving told NHL.com earlier this month. “Is there other pieces we’d like to tweak? Sure. It’s all sort of wrapped up in the same question in ‘how far can you chase this’ where we’re currently at right now.
“I look at our team and what they’re capable of from an individual standpoint, and we’re not there yet. That gives you hope that there’s another level or two we can raise that’s going to help us have some more team success.”
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