Calgary Wins Draft Lottery, Reignites the Flame

[Calgary Flames]

In a series of fortunate events, the Calgary Flames hold the keys to a new era in the frozen tundra of Canada. The VHL Draft Lottery boasted a 7.5% chance of Calgary moving up in the draft to secure the top prize in the draft since Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby; Connor Bedard. Nobody expected luck to be back on the side of Calgary, a team who already boasts a strong top 6 and a solid core on the backend. The 2018 draft was the last time the Flames won the lottery, where they secured their franchise defensemen Rasmus Dahlin. Previous draft selections in the first round included Mitch Marner, Elias Pettersson, Mikhail Sergachev, and Brock Boesser. Calgary traded the 6th overall pick in 2019 to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jamie Benn (that pick turned into Vasili Podkolzin).

“This year was a disappointment for us. We felt that while we had some holes to fill going into the season and throughout the year, we could sneak into the playoffs. It’s the second straight season we missed the playoffs after being one period away from winning our first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Our fans want to get back to the playoffs, and so do we.”

Fast forward to the other night where a random dude decided to hijack the VHL discord and Facebook page and run the VHL Lottery. It turns out the league let a crazed fan run the lottery.

“I had zero idea it was happening. The guy who ran it looked like he pulled random names out of a hat, kind of like how Crazy Joe pulls off random trades while drinking a Sip-A-Sunshine.”

O’Leary walked us through his night during the lottery. He paced back and forth as the crazed fan announced the picks, and even forgot where they fell in the odds. When the 6th spot came up and Edmonton’s name was pulled, the Flames were guaranteed the 2nd or 1st overall.

“My mind raced. I kept pacing back and forth trying not to panic. I kept telling myself even securing the second pick was a win for us, and we would be fine.”

The moment of truth finally came. Calgary won the draft lottery and the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. “I’m still shook. Still hasn’t hit us yet that we have an opportunity at a player like this. We all know who Connor Bedard is and what he can be. That speaks for itself. If you look at our roster, we should have been in the playoffs this year. We should not be saying the Calgary Flames have the first overall pick. Yet here we are, and we are looking forward to the future.”

When asked about trading the pick, it would take a lot and something significant. Franchise players don’t grow on trees. Calgary also addresses the need for adding another center to play in front of, or behind, Petterson. They will have to secure one though for the 2024 season with Bedard not eligible to play until 2024-25. Looking ahead though, imagine a top 6 like this?

Laine-Bedard-Marner
Bertuzzi-Pettersson-Boesser

There’s plenty of excitement too in the farm system, as the Flames are really excited about Cutter Gauthier who carried Boston College in his freshmen year. He will be going back to BC for his sophomore season, but don’t be surprised if he goes pro relatively soon. Calgary can be patient with his development, along with Bedard’s and other prospects as well.

No news on the ongoing negotiations for Slavin. O’Leary stressed the importance of keeping Slavin long term. He also assured fans that they expect an agreement soon. It’s been reported that Slavin's representatives have been lost in a European brothel, we have been unable to confirm that. The Flames have approximately 21 million to spend this upcoming season, and a solid chunk of that space will go towards Slavin and Boesser (RFA). Calgary will also have to make a decision on Mikey Anderson, with reports saying that the defensemen will be retained by the Flames as well.

Projected outlook with Bedard:

Laine-Bedard-Marner
Bertuzzi-Pettersson-Boesser
Gauthier - Wolf - Wolf
Wolf - Wolf - Wolf

Dahlin - Slavin
Sergachev - Lyubushkin
Anderson - Wolf

Nedeljkovic
Wolf

[Boston Bruins]

[Buffalo Sabres]

excellent article Will. Thanks for that