It&#8217;s the Victoria Day weekend, folks, and that means we&#8217;re slowly but surely creeping closer and closer to the 2024 NHL Draft. As you would expect, our great readers have sent in many questions about the upcoming draft class and the Flames&#8217; off-season.
Let&#8217;s dive in!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Does markstrom garner the flames an additional first round pick in this 2024 draft and if so, which teams may be interested?
&mdash; Flamesfan142 (@Flamesfan142) <a href="https://twitter.com/Flamesfan142/status/1792247298547732966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
So here&#8217;s the deal with Jacob Markstrom. He has two years remaining on a deal that carries a $6 million cap hit and has a full no-move clause included. He also missed a good chunk of the 2023-24 season due to injury and he turned 34 at the end of January. He&#8217;s a really good goalie, but his game has been prone to big swings – he seems to be alternating between strong seasons and less-strong ones since signing with the Flames – and so there&#8217;s risk involved with acquiring him.
In short: I don&#8217;t know if he garners the Flames a first-round pick via a trade, if only because he has the potential to become a diminishing asset and (again) there are some risks involved. He&#8217;s good. He could really help a team in the right situation. But given his age and playing history, I wouldn&#8217;t expect him to be a saviour for whatever team acquires him.
That said: if a team&#8217;s looking to upgrade their goaltending, Markstrom is worth looking at. If I&#8217;m Toronto, New Jersey or Carolina, I might kick the tires and see if a deal can be figured out. But it depends on whether or not Markstrom wants to leave Calgary.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
will the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> make moves and go younger with their avg age going forward vs this years team?
&mdash; sportsssssssssssssssssssszyflames (@Sportscantweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportscantweets/status/1789716535411618149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I would expect the 2024-25 team to be about the same age as the 2023-24 edition. Depending what happens with Jacob Markstrom, perhaps they&#8217;re a little bit younger than last season, but not significantly so.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Why is Mang such a steady trade target?
&mdash; David Hutchinson (@780DaveHutch) <a href="https://twitter.com/780DaveHutch/status/1789709194737946734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
There are probably two reasons that Andrew Mangiapane seems to emerge in trade discussions from fans and media. One is supply, one is demand.
On the supply side, the Flames have a bunch of wingers on their roster or within their system that seem like they&#8217;re long-term fits – or at least longer-term fits than Mangiapane – like Jonathan Huberdeau, Blake Coleman, Matt Coronato, Martin Pospisil and Jakob Pelletier. As a result, it seems pretty smart to explore moving on from some of their pending 2025 unrestricted free agents like Andrei Kuzmenko, Yegor Sharangovich and Andrew Mangiapane.
On the demand side, Mangiapane&#8217;s a pretty good 200-foot hockey player. Even if he doesn&#8217;t bury all of his chances, he&#8217;s shown that he can play responsible hockey in all three zones, he forechecks hard and intelligently, and he can play on both sides of special teams. If you&#8217;re trying to get value from an expiring asset, you can easily see a team getting a bit excited about Mangiapane&#8217;s potential in a new environment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
What is your read on the Kylington extension. It seemed a matter of time a while ago but that time seems to be dragging on.
&mdash; Andi N (@aknuge85) <a href="https://twitter.com/aknuge85/status/1792303807906627837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As of right now, the Calgary Flames haven&#8217;t reached an agreement on a new deal for Oliver Kylington. That said, I wouldn&#8217;t worry about it all that much. Both Oliver Kylington and general manager Craig Conroy have expressed interest publicly in a new deal as recently as exit interview day last month. Flames management had their hands full with scouting the Under-18 World Championships and draft preparations, but now that their amateur scouting meetings have concluded, we wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if talks progressed quickly.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Hi Ryan, I&#39;m curious about the strength/depth of this year&#39;s draft class, relative to the 2023 class (which we were told was &#39;very deep.&#39;) The Flames drafted Samuel Honzek at 16 last year &#8211; where do you think he would likely have been ranked, if drafted this year?
&mdash; KM (@KMo21) <a href="https://twitter.com/KMo21/status/1792318422187229305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 2023 draft was described to me as having first-round quality players well into the late second round. The 2024 draft is less top-heavy – the &#8220;first-round quality players&#8221; arguably drop off after the top 20 players – but the second-round quality players stretch out for awhile. The primary depth is less than 2023, but the secondary depth is arguably a bit better.
In terms of Samuel Honzek, it&#8217;s hard to pinpoint where he&#8217;d slot in, but I&#8217;d eyeball him somewhere between 8th to 10th in the 2024 crop.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Aside from Tij Iginla, is this the year the Flames finally draft their game changing talent? Looking at other teams (EDM, Dal, Col, etc) it’s clear especially in Dallas that finding those high skill kids can propel a club forward pretty fast. We always seem to miss
&mdash; v5 Calgary Flames (@v5FlamesGM) <a href="https://twitter.com/v5FlamesGM/status/1792303532361814178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It&#8217;s hard to say, since the draft itself is often a bit of a crapshoot. But the reason for optimism is just the cheer amount of picks the Flames have this year, especially early in the draft. Barring some conditional picks breaking positively, the Flames have two picks in each of the first four rounds – that&#8217;s six picks in the top 100 – and hitting on early draft picks is the most reliable way to acquire future stars.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
<h2>The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda</h2>
Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.
Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at <a href="http://www.villagehonda.com/">www.villagehonda.com</a>.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116342" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag.jpg" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag.jpg 727w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag-300x167.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" />

It's the Victoria Day weekend, folks, and that means we're slowly but surely creeping closer and closer to the 2024 NHL Draft. As you would expect, our great readers have sent in many questions about the upcoming draft class and the Flames' off-season.

Let's dive in!

https://twitter.com/Flamesfan142/status/1792247298547732966

So here's the deal with Jacob Markstrom. He has two years remaining on a deal that carries a $6 million cap hit and has a full no-move clause included. He also missed a good chunk of the 2023-24 season due to injury and he turned 34 at the end of January. He's a really good goalie, but his game has been prone to big swings – he seems to be alternating between strong seasons and less-strong ones since signing with the Flames – and so there's risk involved with acquiring him.

In short: I don't know if he garners the Flames a first-round pick via a trade, if only because he has the potential to become a diminishing asset and (again) there are some risks involved. He's good. He could really help a team in the right situation. But given his age and playing history, I wouldn't expect him to be a saviour for whatever team acquires him.

That said: if a team's looking to upgrade their goaltending, Markstrom is worth looking at. If I'm Toronto, New Jersey or Carolina, I might kick the tires and see if a deal can be figured out. But it depends on whether or not Markstrom wants to leave Calgary.

https://twitter.com/Sportscantweets/status/1789716535411618149

I would expect the 2024-25 team to be about the same age as the 2023-24 edition. Depending what happens with Jacob Markstrom, perhaps they're a little bit younger than last season, but not significantly so.

https://twitter.com/780DaveHutch/status/1789709194737946734

There are probably two reasons that Andrew Mangiapane seems to emerge in trade discussions from fans and media. One is supply, one is demand.

On the supply side, the Flames have a bunch of wingers on their roster or within their system that seem like they're long-term fits – or at least longer-term fits than Mangiapane – like Jonathan Huberdeau, Blake Coleman, Matt Coronato, Martin Pospisil and Jakob Pelletier. As a result, it seems pretty smart to explore moving on from some of their pending 2025 unrestricted free agents like Andrei Kuzmenko, Yegor Sharangovich and Andrew Mangiapane.

On the demand side, Mangiapane's a pretty good 200-foot hockey player. Even if he doesn't bury all of his chances, he's shown that he can play responsible hockey in all three zones, he forechecks hard and intelligently, and he can play on both sides of special teams. If you're trying to get value from an expiring asset, you can easily see a team getting a bit excited about Mangiapane's potential in a new environment.

https://twitter.com/aknuge85/status/1792303807906627837

As of right now, the Calgary Flames haven't reached an agreement on a new deal for Oliver Kylington. That said, I wouldn't worry about it all that much. Both Oliver Kylington and general manager Craig Conroy have expressed interest publicly in a new deal as recently as exit interview day last month. Flames management had their hands full with scouting the Under-18 World Championships and draft preparations, but now that their amateur scouting meetings have concluded, we wouldn't be surprised if talks progressed quickly.

https://twitter.com/KMo21/status/1792318422187229305

The 2023 draft was described to me as having first-round quality players well into the late second round. The 2024 draft is less top-heavy – the "first-round quality players" arguably drop off after the top 20 players – but the second-round quality players stretch out for awhile. The primary depth is less than 2023, but the secondary depth is arguably a bit better.

In terms of Samuel Honzek, it's hard to pinpoint where he'd slot in, but I'd eyeball him somewhere between 8th to 10th in the 2024 crop.

https://twitter.com/v5FlamesGM/status/1792303532361814178

It's hard to say, since the draft itself is often a bit of a crapshoot. But the reason for optimism is just the cheer amount of picks the Flames have this year, especially early in the draft. Barring some conditional picks breaking positively, the Flames have two picks in each of the first four rounds – that's six picks in the top 100 – and hitting on early draft picks is the most reliable way to acquire future stars.

Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/X at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
<h2>The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda</h2>
Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.

Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at <a href="http://www.villagehonda.com/">www.villagehonda.com</a>.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-116342" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/Village-Honda-for-Monday-Mailbag.jpg" alt="" width="727" height="404" />

FlamesNation Mailbag: Closing out the long weekend with reader questions about the draft and the off-season

Recent articles from Ryan Pike

Breaking News