Draft Notebook - 27.06.24

LAS VEGAS – In previous drafts, the very notion of dealing picks at the top end was virtually unheard of.

For some, to try and pry one away was tantamount to sacrilege.

This year?

More than 24 hours out from the first round, a notable one has already transpired – with chatter of more to come.

“Everybody has different players on their draft board,” said Flames GM Craig Conroy. “I might have a player at 5 on their list, where somebody else might have them at 15 and vice-versa.

“Last year, I could've told you the first three and in what order, and probably a pretty good percentage after that. This year, if you need a forward, defence ... It's really all over the place. It’s really what’s created this willingness to move because they’re like, 'Oh, we really like this guy and this number.'

“Last year, you made those calls and the response you got was, 'No. We're going to make our pick.'

“You never saw it.

“Now, you already have.”

The Canucks and Blackhawks consummated the first trade of draft week on Wednesday, when Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty were dealt to the Windy City in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2027.

But then the action picked up on Thursday when the Sharks – who assuredly have Macklin Celebrini in their crosshairs at first overall – moved up from 14 to 11, at the cost of 42nd overall to the Buffalo Sabres.

Business, clearly, is picking up.

And Conroy could very well be a player in the next day or so.

“I think you'll see more movement,” he said of the marketplace, league wide.

The Flames currently have nine picks in the coffers, including a pair of first-rounders and eight, overall, in their first four swings through the rotation.

That’s a lot of draft capital and as Conroy says, they’re certainly open to the possibility of spending it – perhaps, even, on moving up at either spot in the first round.

“Everybody on draft day wants to add some draft capital. In years past, we haven't had a lot of picks,” Conroy said. “We moved down in the (Connor) Zary draft a couple times to grab some picks. But moving forward into tomorrow, I've had a lot more conversations this year than last year about the possibility of, 'Hey, would you be willing ...? We're at 28 ... If we ...?' They're open to it. And that's nice.”

Free Agency Looms

The Stanley Cup was awarded only a few days ago, so this might be hard to believe, but: July 1 is right around the corner.

The Flames got a big piece of their off-season business taken care of last week when they traded goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils – opening the door for Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar to stake their claim as the new No.-1 guy in Calgary.

Depth in the crease will be one of Conroy’s priorities in the free-agent market.

“We want to try and find someone to try and support the guys we have here,” he said.

He’ll also try and add some depth on defence to help bolster this young brigade, following the mid-season trades of Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin.

“I don't think we're going to be in the six- or seven-year market,” Conroy said. “We're looking for high-quality individuals maybe on shorter-term deals that can come in and give us some help. Because the one thing we've talked about - we've made some trades and brought in some young guys. But we don't want to rush those young guys. We want to make sure they develop at the right speed and not put them in over their head right away. If we can do shorter-term deals to help the team and kind of help our younger guys that are in the lineup, that's going to be the key for us going into free agency.”

Contract Talks

Oliver Kylington is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. 

Conroy said there’s been open dialogue between the two parties, but an agreement is not yet in place.

“No updates yet,” Conroy said. “We've talked to his representation and are working through (it).

“It's never easy or as quick as you'd like.”