Here's what Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy said about the upcoming draft
With the Calgary Flames’ 2025-26 season coming to a close, the fan base is now turning their collective sights to the upcoming draft.
The Flames finished 29th in NHL standings this season, giving them a 9.5 per cent shot at landing the first-overall pick. Many in Calgary have been praying for that outcome since the season first began, as it would give GM Craig Conroy and his staff the opportunity to, more likely than not, select Gavin McKenna.
Tankathon
With that said, there’s also the possibility the Flames drop down as low as sixth overall. Though that would seem like a major disappointment to some, Conroy has a much different outlook.
“The draft lottery is an exciting time,” Conroy said. “Everybody wants the first overall pick. Everybody in that draft lottery wants it. Just like we want to make the playoffs, we want to win every night, we want to win the draft lottery. That’s the way we’re built. We’re going to get a very good player [picks] one through six.
“I’ve been out scouting. I’m very excited about the top six players, because I know we’re going to get one of those. I don’t know who they’ll be because you don’t know who the other teams like, but if we get one of the top six players in that draft I’m going to be very happy, and I think the people here are going to be very happy.”
It’s not just the draft itself that’s exciting for the organization and its fan base, either. Thanks to some tidy work from Conroy, the Flames have eight picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft. While never a guarantee, it’s possible one or more of those selections could be traded.
“Right now, it’s hard to say if we’re going to make all the picks,” Conroy explained. “Right now, today we’re going to make all the picks, but as we get to the draft, can we move up? Is there an opportunity to make a trade for a player that we feel is someone that can help us now and in the future? We’re going to look at all those options, for sure. But right now there’s not all those names out there.”
And, while the odds of the Flames trading the first of their two first-round picks may not be high, Conroy wasn’t willing to rule anything out.
“We’re not going to force it … whatever pick we are, 1-6, we’re not giving that up. I say that, but if the right player was there, ya we would, but that would be for the long term.”
The excitement in Conroy’s voice was clear throughout, and if you’ve been paying attention to this team as of late, you can certainly understand why.
On top of all their draft pick capital, they also boast plenty of NHL-calibre prospects along with several young pieces who made positive impacts for the Flames this season. They’ll be adding to that even further June as they look to continue building towards the future.
- You might also like:
- Calgary Flames' draft lottery odds are set