While the 2024-25 season may be difficult, the Calgary Flames are in a great spot as an organization.
The Flames have completely changed direction after the hiring of general manager Craig Conroy last offseason, opting for more of a rebuild direction following the trades of several top players including goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
This was a necessary step for the organization to take to establish itself as a contender moving forward, and so far, it is going to plan. They were able to add prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, a defenceman who is coming off of a 92-point season in the OHL, as part of the package received in the Elias Lindholm deal.
The Flames also hit big at this year’s draft, picking up a potentially elite defenceman, Zayne Parekh, along with an intriguing forward prospect Matvei Gridin late in the first round. All three mentioned help form what looks like a bright future in Calgary.
More top-end prospects should be added to the fold soon, as the Flames currently have two first-round picks for the 2025 draft. That isn’t all the organization has going for them, either.
The Flames, who had a rather quiet free agency, boast nearly $20 million in cap space, as per Puckpedia. With the next few seasons expected to be a bit of a struggle, they could use all that space they’ve wisely obtained to their benefit.
As we have seen in recent years, perhaps most notably from Bill Armstrong in years past with the Arizona Coyotes, additional compensation can be received from other teams who are desperate to offload players on bad contracts, as well as players who appear to be facing career-ending injuries.
While the Flames could need to carefully think things out before taking on such deals, going this route could help them add to their already outstanding amount of draft picks coming up.
The Flames currently own a combined 17 picks over the next two drafts. Being able to add even more to that already impressive stockpile would further help them in their goal of being a Stanley Cup contender in the years to come.
- You might also like:
- Flames reveal new Sportsnet play-by-play broadcaster