Can They Do It? Will They Do It?

 

 

The Calgary Flames don’t have the greatest prospects here in Los Angeles ahead of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.  With no first or second round pick, many of the top players will have passed the team by before they draft for the first time in the third round.  So will the Calgary Flames make a move to get themselves into the top 60 picks?  Or the better question is, CAN the Flames get themselves into the top 60 picks?

Nobody knows whether the Flames will make a move, especially with GM Darryl Sutter not tipping his hand in the media when it comes to these types of things.  However, the question as to whether the Flames can make a deal is a completely different story.  Do they have assets to move into the second round?  I think there’s no question they do.  Do they have the assets to move into the first round?  Yeah, they do, but I doubt they’d be willing to move them…but let’s break it down a little.

Good players can be had in the second round, there’s no question about it.  In fact, this years draft is very, very deep.  No you’re not going to find Taylor Hall in the second round.  No, the high end talent isn’t the deepest in this draft…instead, you’ll see an impressive number of players with real solid NHL hopes.  First liners?  Maybe not, but quality players that can play on your team for years to come.  As we see with the current roster assembled in Calgary, that’s nothing to scoff at .

Honestly, I really like the first round of this draft, but I just don’t see the Flames moving into the opening 30 picks.  That’s not to say they couldn’t, but anything Calgary has to offer for a first round pick would be an impact player currently on the team.  While Sutter may not be very forthcoming in terms of telling us what he’s going to do, I think we are all pretty clear on his direction for this team.  The Flames are not taking steps backward for next season, nor are they thinking about a "rebuild mode" currently.  The goal heading into next season is the same it has been since the lockout ended in 2005.  Because of that, I don’t think Calgary is going to be willing to part with anything important on their current team for a player that could yield them an important player down the road.

But the second round is a different story.  It’s not going to take a "core" guy to move into the 31-60 range, and Calgary will be able to find some pretty good value with players lurking around there.  Key players drop, and hidden gems stay around waiting to be snatched up by a waiting team.  I’ve heard plenty of rumours concerning who the Flames could trade to move into the second round, and none of them are substantial.  But in talking to a prominent media person who’s hooked in to the Flames scene, it would be a complete shock if the Flames didn’t improve their draft position, even if it’s only by 10 or 15 places.

One person told me it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Calgary will move up, however, nobody seems to think the first round is a good possibility, nor do they think it’s in the best interests of the Flames.  Darryl said on Thursday he prefers making moves at the draft as opposed to July 1st, and that may hold true this year as well.  However, it may not be the blockbuster deal that yields a Mike Cammalleri or Alex Tanguay…instead, it might be a much more smaller in stature, yet still helpful for the team.

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