In the last few years, how many Flames draft picks were not signed and their rights relinquished?
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FlamesNation Mailbag: Less than two weeks until the 2026 NHL Draft
Photo credit: Mike Gould
Pals, next Friday is the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. Next Saturday is rounds two through seven of the 2026 NHL Draft. Then qualifying offers are due on the following Monday, and then it’s time for free agency to open on Wednesday. The Calgary Flames could look a lot different over the next 14 days.
As we prepare for the chaos to come, let’s check in with our readers in the mailbag!
Since the 2020 NHL Draft, the Flames have lost the rights to Jake Boltmann (2020), Ryan Francis (2020), Cole Huckins (2021), Cameron Whynot (2021), Cole Jordan (2021), Jack Beck (2021), Topi Ronni (2022) and Hunter Laing (2024). (The Flames retain the rights to 2020 pick Daniil Chechelev indefinitely due to the NHL not having a transfer agreement with Russia, otherwise his rights would have lapsed, too.) They’ve ended up signing far more players than they’ve let walk.
Hey, If both Verheoff and Bjrock would be available at number 6. Who do you think the flames like more?
I’m feeling it comes down to Verhoeff or Viggo. I think they will go for Keaton. Do you agree?
It feels like Carson Carels probably is gone before sixth overall, so it probably would be between Keaton Verhoeff and Viggo Bjorck.
I think they would lean Verhoeff over Bjorck for a few reasons:
- Verhoeff is physically larger than Bjorck and the Flames just saw Zayne Parekh get physically pushed around for a full NHL season – and Parekh is considerably larger than Bjorck.
- Verhoeff has played with Cole Reschny for two seasons in two different levels of hockey, so Flames scouts likely feel like they know a lot about Verhoeff’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Verhoeff lived with Jarome and Kara Iginla for a year in Kelowna.
- If you draft Verhoeff, he can play on more of a tough-minutes/shutdown pairing and Parekh’s pairing can be skewed more towards generating offence. It makes the Flames a tougher team to match up against potentially.
Bjorck is a really good player, but his size creates more boom/bust possibilities than exist with Verhoeff.
There is a lot of talk about the d core and the possibility of drafting another right shot defensemen. What does the franchise think about Hunter Brzustewicz? Seems to me he will always be a solid top 4 defenseman.
At this point, on the right side, Zayne Parekh is a lock on the blueline. After that, long-term it’s up in the air and we’ll see if Hunter Brzustewicz and Henry Mews can distinguish themselves over the next few years – Brzustewicz definitely has the inside track since he’s been able to play pro hockey for two seasons already and looked pretty impressive. The big question: if you’re the Flames, can you upgrade your blueline to the point where you can bump Brzustewicz from the second to third pairing.
We’ll see how it unfolds.
Do you think the Flames move into the top 4?
Nope.
I don’t think Toronto wants to move the first pick.
San Jose really needs a strong young blueliner and I think, for them, just taking Chase Reid is better than whatever else they would get offered for the second pick.
Vancouver probably doesn’t want to move a pick in-division, especially with the Flames, and I don’t think the Flames would have good enough assets to move the needle for them.
And I don’t think Chicago or New York look seriously at moving the fourth or fifth picks, respectively, because of where they’re at in their progression.
How many of the 2nd round picks do you think they’ll actually use to select players?
How many of the Flames picks in the first 2 rounds do they end ups making? What percentage would you give each pick being made by them in those rounds?
My official prediction: the Flames consolidate their four second-round picks and two second-round picks into three picks, total. I just don’t think the Flames really want to make eight picks in the first three rounds. Five picks feels a lot more realistic.
What does the system look like if the Flames can’t package their picks to move up and have to make all their selections? How bad will the development log jam be in 2-3 years when all these prospects start pushing for ice time
The Flames have made 24 picks in the past three drafts under Craig Conroy. That number could get up to 35 if they make all of their picks in this year’s draft. That’s too many, and you end up having a developmental logjam where everyone gets a little bit less ice time than would be optimal for each player, and it becomes harder to create a feasible, tangible plan for each player.
On draft eligible players I would put more weight to Europeans playing pro against men followed by NCAA and then the CHL. Am I wrong and if not wouldn’t Stenberg, Bjorck and Smits be top 5 picks? I believe McKenna would have had over 100 points in the Hat. Your thoughts?
I think the challenge for scouts is the difference in play style, role and the size of the rinks in North America and Europe. In Canadian major junior and college you need to play a bit more of a physical style because of the smaller ice surface and react to things a bit quicker. You’re also potentially playing a bigger role in those leagues, whereas in Europe, often times teenagers are playing smaller roles and not facing the pressure of being “the man” on their teams the way North American prospects are.
It’s not all about offensive production, is my point. There’s some nuance in there regarding how players play the game and how translatable the things they’re good at can be to the pro game on the smaller ice.
Curious about which of the players we’ve drafted but who are not yet regulars do you feel will be in the opening night lineup for the first game in the new building
Contenders to be regulars when Scotia Place has its first NHL game in October 2027 include Tyson Gross, Sam Morton, Cole Reschny, Ethan Wyttenbach and Cullen Potter. (I’m bullish on some of these young forwards.)
Why do so many think Shane Wright is a good target for the flames? There’s a reason he dropped in his draft year and has been underwhelming as a pro… So what is a realistic offer for him and expectation?
Shane Wright is a 22-year-old right shot centre who has not been anything special yet for Seattle. He feels like a buy-low candidate. But if I’m Seattle, because of his position, his handedness and his draft pedigree, I am not giving him away for a price that would qualify as buying low. I want a second-round pick, possibly more, for him. I don’t know if a lot of teams are rushing to make that trade.
For the hell of it, would the Flames make a trade offer on McDavid?
I don’t think the Flames would have the assets to make a serious offer to Edmonton for Connor McDavid, nor do I think Edmonton would trade him to Calgary, nor do I think McDavid would waive his no-trade protection to go to Calgary.
What’s the possibility Coleman gets traded at the draft, summer, or next years trade deadline?
The Flames don’t have a salary retention slot open up until July 1, so I think Blake Coleman is not traded until July 1. He’ll definitely be traded before the trade deadline. I would suspect that we could see a trade before the end of Stampede, as teams that didn’t find their missing piece in the free agency market circle back to the Flames on Coleman.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan.Pike [at] BetterCollective.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
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