The 2024–25 NHL season officially concluded last week with the Edmonton Oilers losing their second straight Stanley Cup to the Florida Panthers. It’s a bittersweet end for Calgary Flames fans, as their biggest rival fell short at the hands of multiple former Flames now playing in Sunrise.
The Oilers defeating the Flames in five games during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs effectively dismantled the core of that Flames team and initiated a dynasty in Florida, heavily credited to the acquisition of Matthew Tkachuk.
Although Florida and Edmonton have had tremendous success the last three seasons, the Flames have had to reset their franchise and look towards the future. With the upcoming draft, Calgary has an opportunity to continue bolstering its young core. With the New Jersey Devils’ pick at 18th overall and Florida’s at 32nd overall, could the Flames look to trade up for an opportunity to draft a more impactful prospect? We asked, you answered.
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Trade Up?
We presented the below poll to our readers:
Yes, the Flames should trade into the top 10
Trading up into the top 10 of the upcoming draft finished second in this week’s poll, collecting just over 30% of votes. Most draft boards have a solid consensus top three of Matthew Schaefer, James Hagen, and Michael Misa. Outside of that, things aren’t so clear-cut.
If the Flames do move up, you’d assume a centre is their primary target. Our Consolidated 2025 NHL draft rankings have two centre prospects between five and 10: Caleb Desnoyers at eighth and Jake O’Brien at 10. Both players would be a big help to their prospect pipeline at the centre position.
Yes, the Flames should trade into the top five
This would be an incredible result for the Flames if they are able to get a pick in this range. This would likely mean one of Misa, Hagens, or Anton Frondell would be a Flame. All three players can play centre, but the two who would likely be most comfortable in the centre position would be Frondell and Hagens. Despite that, Misa has the highest ceiling in my opinion. Either way, any three of these players would give the Flames exactly what they need in a high-potential elite prospect down the middle.
Yes, the Flames should trade into the top three
One can dream, however, I can’t help but think about what the price for this would be. The three teams that hold these spots in the draft are the New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks. There have been some rumblings that the Blackhawks might be open to trading their third overall pick, but they would definitely want a hefty return to try to give a big jump to their roster so they can start competing.
For a pick of this magnitude, the Flames would likely be looking at trading Rasmus Andersson, a young promising piece like a Connor Zary or Matt Coronato, and another first-round draft pick as just the base. If Calgary can put something together that makes sense for their timeline, I think they should consider a trade, but it may not be realistic.
No, the Flames should not trade up
At the end of the day, this year’s draft just may not be the draft to trade up in. Outside of the top four picks, there is a good level of uncertainty regarding the draft order. It’s not as deep as 2026 and 2027, and there are much higher-ceiling players in those drafts. This may not be the year to pay up to acquire talent, and Calgary may just be better off trading players to stockpile assets for future drafts.
Conroy needs to decide
Craig Conroy says he has a plan for the franchise, but he needs to decide how to approach this draft. It’s only a matter of time before Andersson is traded, and Conroy is open to offers. Does he decide to trade him in a package to move up in this year’s draft? Conroy needs to determine a way to address the centre position for the team, and Andersson may just be the key to addressing this need.
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