Fn Weekend Open Thread – Coaches, free agents and draft picks, oh my!

 

 

So now that the dual topics of potential Iginla and Kipper trade returns have been beaten into submission, FlamesNation can shift its collective focus to other matters of concern this off-season.

Ryan Pike has been doing a good job tracking coaching candidates for the last couple of weeks. His initial list came out at the start of the month and he has looked at both Troy Ward and Mike Sullivan in depth more recently.

One gets the feeling the Flames won’t be making any decisions on the bench boss until some time in June when the season is over and every possible candidate is available to be interviewed. For now, it’s left to us to speculate in comment sections. Add your own thoughts on the front runners or suggest your own preference for Calgary’s new coach.

Remember, though, the team may look very different for the new guy a couple of seasons down the road versus what it looks like currently. An bility to "work well with Jarome", for instance, could be entirely moot later in his tenure.

Calgary has a lot pending free agents, both of the UFA and RFA kind. We will begin to profile those players here starting next week, but for now take a look at who is up for a new contract and discuss who should be back and at what price. Keep in mind the Flames roster hole when you do.

FN will again be sending a representative to the draft this year, so expect a lot of material on potential 14th overall picks leading up to June 22. This particular draft is top heavy with quality defenders, although a few notable forwards should be available when the Flames take the podium in the first round. The 14th pick is currently the Flames only choice in the top-60 so they’ll really need to make it count (assuming nothing changes in the interim).

Add your preferences for their pick below and we’ll make sure to preview those players in detail.If you need some help, check out Corey Pronman’s on-going series on the top-100 prospects at hockey Prospectus.