In the 1978 Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler,” the singer croons about the importance of knowing when to hold ’em and knowing when to fold ’em. It’s a song about priorities.

It could also be a song about Swedish hockey players.

Nilsson’s entire saga with the Flames – how his ran began, unfolded and ended – is pretty wild, and showcases the insane brilliance of longtime general manager Cliff Fletcher through his persistent pursuit of Nilsson… and then his decision to cut bait.

The actual selection of Nilsson is a wacky story. So in 1974-75, Nilsson was over a point-per-game player in the Swedish elite league and appeared for their national team. Sweden wasn’t heavily scouted yet, and the Flames had a part-time scout there who recommended that they draft Nilsson.

But because the NHL had no central agency overseeing the draft yet – the Central Scouting Service was established the following year – getting reliable information to confirm player ages and eligibility was sometimes tough, especially dealing with European sources. So when the Flames went to draft Nilsson in the 1975 NHL Draft… they drafted the wrong one, because Kent Nilsson (of the Swedish national team) was too young to be selected in 1975, but Torbjorn Nilsson (also of the Swedish national team) was. Whoops.

A year later, the Flames selected (Kent) Nilsson for reals, but were thrown another curveball when he stayed in Sweden for another season and then headed to the World Hockey Association to join his fellow Swedes Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson with the Winnipeg Jets. When the Jets merged into the NHL in 1979, the Flames jumped at the opportunity to retain Nilsson’s NHL rights, and he finally joined the club for their final season in Atlanta, 1979-80.

So here’s the thing with Nilsson: he was nicknamed “The Magic Man,” and it fit like a glove in two specific ways.

Offensively, holy cow, the guy was a dynamo. He put up four of the best offensive seasons in the Flames franchise’s history to that point, posting seasons of 93, 99, 104 and 131 points. He never had a season with the Flames where he produced at below a point-per-game pace, with 1.17 points-per-game being his rock-bottom. His 131-point performance in 1980-81, the club’s first year in Calgary, still stands as a franchise record. He received Hart Trophy votes twice and Lady Byng votes three times.

However, in defensive situations, Nilsson disappeared. Early in his run with the Flames, the team really needed his dynamic offensive mojo and so his defensive shortcomings were tolerated (and worked around by the club’s coaching staff). But as the Flames became a more well-rounded team, and new head coach Bob Johnson demanded more complete games from his players, Nilsson stood out like a sore thumb – especially against tight-checking teams or in the playoffs.

Want an example? Here are Nilsson’s final three playoff years with the Flames:

Fletcher decided to cut bait with Nilsson in 1985, trading him to the Minnesota North Stars for a 1985 second-round pick and 1987 second-round pick. The 1985 pick became Joe Nieuwendyk, and that asset chain eventually continued to include Jarome Iginla. The 1987 pick became Stephane Matteau.

Nilsson left the Flames as its all-time leader in points; through 425 games with the club, he posted 562 points. (And a minus-34 rating.) The Flames reached their first Stanley Cup Final the year after they traded him to the North Stars.

Know when to hold ’em, and know when to fold ’em, indeed.

(For way more about Nilsson’s acquisition and time with the Flames, there’s an entire chapter about the saga in my book, On The Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Calgary Flames at the NHL Draft.)

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