Never let it be said that Brad Treliving doesn’t give the fans what they want. A year removed from a 2019 NHL Draft that was a disappointment from a trade standpoint – Philadelphia traded down and that was it – Treliving’s Calgary Flames did their level best to have their cake and eat it, too.

Treliving swung two trades during the first round, adding a pair of third round selections and grabbing the player he had his eye on in Kamloops forward Connor Zary.

“It was a busy night,” reflected Treliving in his post-draft chat with the media. “We had our board set and we got to 19 and we talked to all the teams above and below us leading into it and you had a sense of who would be willing to do either. We got to 19, we had a group of players on a ledge with us and, Connor being at the top of that list, felt that we could get to 22, pick up an asset, and then do it again and give ourselves a couple of third round picks.”

The added picks give the Flames some added flexibility heading into the second day of the draft. The Flames have a second round pick, two or three third round picks (depending on if Edmonton elects to give the Flames their 2020 or 2021 pick from the Milan Lucic trade), and single picks in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

While Treliving didn’t show the media his cards – he obviously wouldn’t disclose if these added assets were part of a grander trade scheme – he did note now the Flames may have the flexibility to trade up if needed. If not, undoubtedly the scouting and development staff would be happy to add to the prospect pool.

As for the player the Flames selected at 24th overall? Well, Treliving’s pretty pleased with getting Zary: