The Calgary Flames may finish near the bottom of the standings in the upcoming season, but one thing is for certain: the current regime has built up a strong pool of prospects and made the organization’s future bright.

One of the key members of the management team, and one who was brought in rather recently, is Hall of Fame player and Flames legend Jarome Iginla.

It has been just over a year since Iginla was announced as the “special advisor to the general manager,” and he has taken the role in stride. He says that Conroy has “shown him the ropes” and is in contact with him pretty consistently to ask Iginla his opinions on plenty of topics.

Over the last year, Craig Conroy and his staff have made some rather wholesale changes to the lineup, including shipping off some big names in return for big-name prospects and plenty of draft picks. He had tons to sort through during his first season at the helm, and to Iginla, Conroy did the job as well as any fan of the club might expect him to do. But where Iginla really seemed to find his stride was through the draft. Before and during the draft, he consulted with plenty of different people and continued to learn the ropes, just as he did during the entirety of the season in his position.

“It’s been great to work with our scouting staff and see how they do it and what they’re looking for,” Iginla said recently to Flames.com writer Chris Wahl. Now I’ve gotten to be at two Drafts, and now you get to kind of build a little bit and see where guys are going.

When it comes to the 2024 draft specifically, there is plenty to enjoy about the players the Flames selected. Plenty of people have called it one of the best draft classes the club has ever seen, not just because of the value at the top but also because of the value the Flames found in the middle and late rounds.

“Obviously, we’re very happy with the players that we got,” Iginla said. “There are lots of guys to be really excited about who are talented and skilled.”

And even though there are some players who are seen as more “raw” talents that need to be refined and worked on as the year progresses, whether that be in Russia, in the AHL, or back with their respective junior teams, there’s confidence from Iginla that the development staff and those around the organizations these young players will be returning to have the right mindset to make their players better for the future.

“Our development guys will work with them, (they will) keep trying to get better and build on the expectations,” Iginla said. “It’s exciting; as fans, I think there’ll be some really good young guys for the next while to watch grow.”

What Iginla says in the last sentence of that quote is true. Fans have plenty to be excited about during the season, even if the team ends up sitting closer to the bottom of the standings than the top. All of this is meant to build toward a higher likelihood of Stanley Cup contention in the future, which is what the Flames fanbase has deserved. They had some chances to make their mark in the postseason not too long ago, but now there’s a new core being put into place, and hopefully, for everyone with a vested interest, it’s one that can bring Lord Stanley back to the Sea of Red for the first time since the 1988-89 season.