The Calgary Flames are ready to begin building their new core in this year's draft

The Calgary Flames currently have no core.

Yes, they have solid veteran players. They also have great young prospects. But they lack the foundational pieces that every opposing team in the National Hockey League has built.

Not long ago, the Flames had a core and was one of the strongest in the league. A top line of Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm, along with a capable two-way defense group and a star goaltender in Jacob Markstrom, have made the Flames a formidable team in the Western Conference.

All three of those strikers are now gone. Also, defenders Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. Markstrom could soon follow after being named in constant trade rumors leading up to this year's deadline.

The last two seasons of Flames hockey have seen a sharp exodus of talent, and players like Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Vigar, Egor Sharangovic and Rasmus Andersson all have their chances, but none are in the upper echelon. players are in place. Markstrom may be, but he can only do so much.

For most of his first year on the job, Flames general manager Craig Conroy has chosen to describe the team's current transition as a “rebuild” rather than a “rebuild,” according to the leadership of general manager John Bean, which he infamously said last spring. the word “reconstruction” is not allowed in that work.

The Flames have long been resistant to participating in a lengthy rebuilding period — at least not by choice. In the early 2010s, the organization had to go that route after losing Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff and Jay Bouwmeester in quick succession. During a long playoff drought, the Flames drafted Tkachuk and Sean Monahan with high picks.

But even if the Flames finish outside the play-off picture, they are unlikely to make history at the bottom of the league table. They are one of only two active clubs in the NHL without a top-three pick, the other being the Vegas Golden Knights, and they are currently on track to pick eighth overall in this year's draft. (They were never picked in the lottery).

The Flames' attempts to stay competitive over the past two seasons have failed. They have lost a few games this year and are nowhere near the playoff picture. They are basically at a stage where they have to accept their fate. This means recognizing that reconstruction, not retool.

The Pittsburgh Penguins rebuilt in the mid-2010s after consistently struggling to get past the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Boston Bruins did the same when they missed the playoffs entirely in back-to-back seasons. The Penguins reworked their existing core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang; Boston changed their pitching staff, keeping Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Brad Marchand.

An alternate scenario would be the Flames trying to build a contender around the likes of Huberdeau, Kadri and Vigar. The problem is, that's exactly what they've been trying to do for the past two years. These are not prop parts that don't work. It is the “core” itself, because it is not the core.

Kadri won the Stanley Cup in 2022 as the No. 2 center for the Colorado Avalanche. Huberdeau has not been seen as a first-line forward during his tenure in Calgary. Vigar is a solid two-way player in the midst of a career year, but he's not on the same level as the best guards in the league.

These are three good parts. If the Flames have their way, they'll get some nice spare pieces from their existing prospects and young players. Connor Zary, Hunter Brustevich, Dustin Wolf and Matt Coronato all have legitimate righties. But the Flames don't have a future No. 1 center or a No. 1 defenseman, and they don't have a high-end winger prospect.

Most of the other teams in this year's draft lottery have blue chips at the forefront of their systems. Columbus has Adam Fantilly; Montreal has Juraj Slafkovsky; San Jose has Will Smith; Arizona has Logan Cooley; Anaheim has Leo Karlsson; Chicago has Connor Bedard. The Flames won't do that, and they'll probably have to pick in the top three to get one. Barring a surprise lottery win, they won't be picking that range this year.

So this year is just the beginning of what will most likely be a long process for these flames. Barring any other trades, they come into this year's draft with two first-round picks: Vancouver's (acquired in the Lindholm trade) and their own. Drafted by Sean Monahan in 2013, the Torches ushered in a new era in Calgary; Whether they win the Macklin Celebrini lottery or settle for someone else, their choice this year will mark another new beginning.

What if that player was Tij Iginla? Who better to write the next chapter in Calgary than the son of a franchise icon? Iginla Jr. moved up the draft board throughout the season and had eight goals and 11 points in six games in the WHL playoffs with the Kelowna Rockets. If the Flames don't win the lottery, Teague could be at the top of their list.

Either way, you can bet the Flames will be a lottery team again in 2025 — and for a year or two after that. After making a total of nine picks between the 2022 and 2023 drafts, they need quantity and quality. They had to give up the top pick in 2022 for Pete (and rightly so).

The Flames are also incentivized to finish in the bottom 10 of the 2024-25 NHL standings — if they don't, they'll face the Montreal Canadiens in the 2025 first round. 2022 Sean Monahan trade. If the flames to do If they finish in the bottom 10, they'll keep their top pick and trade Florida's 2025 first-round pick — acquired in the Tkachuk/Huberdeau deal — to the Canadiens instead. This outcome would be ideal for everyone in Calgary.

Additionally, the Flames can't add the full value of key players to a single draft. Look at the Avs as an example — they took Matt Duchene at No. 3 in 2009, Gabriel Landeskog at No. 2 in 2011 and Nathan MacKinnon at No. 1 in 2013. It takes time. If the flames try to get out of the inevitable situation, this can prolong the process.

Conroy made some good moves. He was like a pirate selling Lindholm for five pieces (including Bryustevich, Andriy Kuzmenko and the first). For Sharangovic, hitting Tyler Toffoli and third looks like a stroke of genius today. In the Hanifin deal with Vegas, they acquired another first-rounder in Daniil Miromanov, who is also a solid defenseman.

But for the Flames, it's important to understand that the answers aren't in the room. For recycling groups, they are often; In the Flames' case, they don't. Perhaps players like Kadri and Sharangovic still won't be around when the Flames return to the top of the Pacific Division. The guys who will be on this team are probably not even in the organization now.

George Harrison said it best: it takes time. A year or two of high picks won't be enough to pull the Flames out of their hole — but it won't be long before the team and its fans start reaping the rewards. Either way, the Flames should make it a point to watch. With any luck, they could be a growing force when they move to a new arena in 2027.

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