Entering Friday’s games, the Flames are nine points out of a playoff spot with a 10-22-3 road record. While their 68 points means they aren’t eliminated yet, they have the fourth-fewest points in the league and will likely finish in the bottom five.

Their opponent this Saturday is another team in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks’ 21-42-8 record leaves them with just 50 points, by far the most in the league. They haven’t officially clinched the best odds for the first overall pick, but barring an improbable winning streak, they pretty much will get the best odds.

In this edition of Flashback Friday, we’ll look at all the Flames’ top 10 picks over the years.

Cory Stillman

The Flames’ first top pick came over a decade after they moved to Alberta. With the sixth overall selection in the 1992 draft, they selected Cory Stillman from the Windsor Spitfires.

Stillman played parts of seven seasons with the Flames, totalling 109 goals and 235 points in 393 games. The highlight came when he scored back-to-back 27 goal seasons in 1997-98 and 1998-99, but just two years later, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues.

That turned out to be a good trade for both teams, because in return, the Flames received current general manager Craig Conroy. Following the 2000-01 season, Stillman reached the 20+ goal mark another four times in his career, winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and again with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

Daniel Tkaczuk

Their next sixth overall pick, Daniel Tkaczuk, didn’t pan out quite as well as Stillman. Drafted sixth overall in the 1997 draft from the Barrie Colts, the Toronto product played in just 19 games with the Flames in 2000-01, scoring four goals and 11 points.

He never got another crack in the NHL, playing the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons in the American Hockey League, before departing for Europe for a handful of seasons. Tkaczuk returned to North America for the 2009-10 season, playing mainly in the ECHL, but playing 12 AHL games with three different teams. Following his retirement in 2010-11, Tkaczuk served as an assistant and associate coach at the Ontario Hockey League, AHL, and NHL level.

In 2023-24-, he was the interim head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, leading them to an 18-29-3 record.

Rico Fata

The Flames picked sixth overall the following draft, using it to select London Knights forward Rico Fata. Born in Sault Ste Marie, Fata had a far more successful career than Tkaczuk, but not nearly as much as Stillman.

He made his debut as an 18-year-old in 1998-99, picking up an assist. Over his next two seasons, he played just seven games, ending his Flames’ tenure playing only 27 games. Fata was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers before the 2001-02 season and ended up scoring seven goals and 19 points between the Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

By far his best season came with the Penguins in 2003-04, scoring 16 goals and 34 points in 73 games. That was the height of his career, as Fata played 41 games in 2005-06 with the Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, and Washington Capitals. His final season in the NHL was with the Capitals in 2006-07, before finishing out his career in Europe.

Brent Krahn

Their next top 10 selection, Brett Kahn was drafted ninth overall in 2000 and played just one NHL game. It wasn’t even with the Flames, as he played the majority of his career in the AHL. In 2008-09 with the Dallas Stars, he appeared in a game for 20 minutes, stopping six of nine shots, before returning to the AHL to finish his career in 2010-11.

Eric Nystrom

In the early naughties, the Flames had two top 10 picks. The first was in 2002, as they used the 10th overall pick to select Michigan’s Eric Nystrom. Following the 2005-06 season, Nystrom played just two games in the NHL, before just 12 games in the AHL in 2006-07.

He became a regular with the Flames in 2007-08, scoring 19 goals and 39 points in 202 games from 2007-08 until 2009-10. Nystrom signed with the Minnesota Wild for the 2010-11 season, scoring four goals and 12 points in 2010-11. Traded to the Stars for future consideration, Nystrom scored a career-best 16 goals and 21 points in 74 games.

During the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, Nystrom scored seven goals and 11 points, followed by 15 goals and 21 points in 79 games after departing for the Nashville Predators in 2013-14. Nystrom played two more seasons with the Predators, scoring 14 goals and 19 points in 106 games before retiring after the conclusion of the 2015-16 season.

Dion Phaneuf

The Flames’ ninth overall pick in the 2003 draft had a far more notable career, as it was used to select Dion Phaneuf. He returned to junior for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons, but immediately made an impact in his rookie campaign, scoring 20 goals and 49 points.

While he never reached the 20-goal plateau in the NHL following his rookie season, he added 17 goals in the next two seasons, scoring a career-high 60 points in 2007-08. In 2008-09, the left-shot defenceman scored 11 goals and 47 points in 80 games. The 2009-10 season saw Phaneuf score 10 goals and 22 points with the Flames.

But on Jan. 31, 2010, the Flames traded the Edmonton product to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Over seven seasons in the centre of the universe, Phaneuf scored 45 goals and 196 points in 423 games, serving as their captain and earning his third All-Star nomination in 2011-12. Phaneuf was eventually traded to the Ottawa Senators, playing parts of three seasons there, before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Kings.

Sean Monahan

The Flames often picked in the 20s following the 2003 draft, with their next top 10 pick coming 10 drafts later. We’re now at the active player stage, as the Flames drafted Sean Monahan sixth overall.

Born in Brampton, the former Ottawa 67’s forward played nine seasons with the Flames, scoring 212 goals and 426 points in 656 games. His career-year came in 2018-19, as he scored 34 goals and 82 points.

Monahan’s production dropped off in his final two seasons with the team, forcing them to attach a first-round pick to him to move off his salary during the 2022 off-season. He found his game once again in 2023-24, scoring 26 goals and 59 points while splitting his time between the Montréal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets.

Following the 2023-24 season, he signed a five-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he remains to this day.

Sam Bennett

The Flames’ highest overall pick came in the following draft, using it to select Sam Bennett. He had some somewhat productive years with the Albertan team, including scoring 18 goals and 36 points in his rookie campaign in 2015-16. However, he didn’t live up to the expectations of a fourth overall pick with the Flames.

They eventually traded him to the Florida Panthers, where he has since flourished. His first season saw him score 28 goals and 49 points in 71 games, and he’s hit the 20-goal mark in three of the next four seasons, including 25 goals and a career-best 54 points in the ongoing season.

Bennett’s most notable achievement by far is winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 2025 post-season, scoring 15 goals and 22 points in 23 games as the Panthers knocked off the Edmonton Oilers for the second consecutive season.

Matthew Tkachuk

Hey look, another top 10 pick who was traded to the Florida Panthers. For the fourth time in franchise history, the Flames picked sixth overall, using the 2016 selection to draft Matthew Tkachuk in 2016.

Tkachuk found immediate success in the NHL, scoring 13 goals and 48 points in his rookie campaign. He followed that up with 24 goals and 49 points in 2017-18 and 34 goals and 77 points in 2018-19. He dropped back down to 23 goals and 61 points in 2019-20, but the season was cut short. During the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 season, Tkachuk scored 16 goals and 43 points in 56 games.

His best year as a Flame came in his final season, as he scored 42 goals and 104 points in 82 games, as the Flames finished first in the Pacific Division. Unfortunately, Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a 2025 first which was later used to select Cullen Potter.

Like Bennett, Tkachuk was a part of the team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Even in the season where they didn’t win the Cup, Tkachuk scored 40 goals and a career-best 109 points as the Panthers made the Stanley Cup Finals as the eighth-seed in 2023.

A big reason why they won three-peat is because Tkachuk has missed most of this season, playing 24 games with 10 goals and 25 points.

Zayne Parekh

The Flames’ most recent top 10 pick is currently on their roster, as Zayne Parekh is their defenceman of the future. After posting back-to-back 30-goal seasons in the OHL, Parekh made his NHL debut in 2024-25, scoring a goal.

Unfortunately, he’s been out for much of the 2025-26 season, scoring a goal and four points in 27 games, but the future is bright for the right-shot defenceman.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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