Flames 2026 NHL Draft preview: Expect more wheeling and dealing

CALGARY — It has been apparent for months that the Calgary Flames will wield their significant draft capital to make a big splash at this year’s NHL Draft.

On Tuesday, GM Craig Conroy provided the first glimpse of exactly how aggressive he’s prepared to be.

By shipping two conditional first-round picks and a second-rounder as part of a six-piece deal to acquire Simon Nemec, the Flames landed the sort of young cornerstone defenceman organizations spend years trying to draft and develop.

And the Flames are not done.

Far from it.

The acquisition immediately changes the complexion of the Flames' draft plans heading into Friday night, as the sixth-overall selection they’ll make appeared destined to be on one of several highly regarded blue-liners Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels or Alberts Smits.

Not anymore.

With Nemec joining a young defensive core that is suddenly becoming one of the organization’s strengths, Calgary now has the luxury of focusing its attention where it is needed most: up front.

The Flames finished last in NHL scoring last season and desperately need game-breaking offensive talent. Whether that means selecting one of the top centres available, such as Caleb Malhotra or Viggo Bjorck, or packaging assets to move higher in the draft order, the emphasis is now squarely on finding difference-makers who can generate offence.

Conroy reinforced that philosophy Tuesday, telling Sportsnet the organization’s rebuilding efforts continue to revolve around adding centres and defencemen. The latter is becoming a crowded position within the system, making centre an increasingly logical destination for the sixth-overall pick.

And with a franchise-record 10 draft picks, including seven among the first 68 selections, the Flames possess more ammunition than almost any team in the league.

Their late first-round pick (30th) is particularly intriguing when you factor in their trio of second-round selections they could use to move up in the opening round, or to acquire an NHL-ready player in the 21-to-23-year-old range who better fits the club’s timeline.

Either way, expect the Flames to be among the busiest teams on draft weekend.

With Scotia Place set to open in the fall of 2027, the timing couldn’t be more important.

The Flames need stars. They need excitement. They need players capable of selling jerseys, filling seats and changing games.

And with the assets in hand, Conroy appears determined to make this draft the moment his rebuild truly gains momentum.

“I think we're always trying to come away from the draft and have that good feeling as an organization,” said Conroy.

“At the end, you want people to be excited, especially our fan base. Whether it's making the picks, moving up, making trades, whatever it might be, you want people to come out of that two-day period and say, 'Wow, I think the Flames have gotten better, and they're moving in the right direction.'”      

Draft picks

Potential Round 1 options

Caleb Malhotra, C, 6-foot-2, 182 pounds, Brantford 

There is plenty of debate over whether the draft’s highest-ranked centre will last past the third-overall pick, when the team his father is the new head coach for — Vancouver — will pick. If the Canucks opt to avoid the complications such a father-son pairing could present, many believe Malhotra won’t get past the five-spot, where the Rangers select.

Malhotra is unlikely to be around when the Flames pick, but so was Matthew Tkachuk when he fell to sixth in 2016.

Viggo Bjorck, C, 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, Djurgarden  

The shifty mighty mite made a big splash at the world championships to continue his progression up the ranks, to the point some have him now ranked higher than Malhotra. His size comes with concerns up the middle, but his skillset and playmaking abilities are elite.

Keaton Verhoeff, RD, 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, North Dakota

At one point he surpassed Gavin McKenna atop some early draft rankings, and has everything you’re looking for in a defenceman. He also has Calgary connections, as he’s besties with last year’s top Flames pick, Cole Reschny. He also spent two years living with, and learning from, Flames legend/advisor Jarome Iginla in Kelowna. “It would be cool to kind of go into the next level with (Iginla),” he told me at the Stanley Cup final.

Carson Carels, LD, 6-foot-2, 189 pounds, Prince George 

The talented farmer from Manitoba is armed with a work ethic and character that made him a hit during a combine interview with the Flames in which he said farming was the main topic. “I've been to Calgary quite a lot, so it would be pretty special," he said. "Obviously, I've had some good talks, so it'd be pretty cool.”

Last year's top pick

Cole Reschny, 18th overall

The five-foot-11, 183-pound centre had a productive freshman year at North Dakota, where the former Victoria Royals star had six goal 29 assists in 36 games. He also had four goals and an assist with Team Canada at the world juniors, where the underaged middleman impressed as a depth forward who stepped up. 

Reschny and the Flames discussed the possibility of him jumping to pro after his college season ended, but it was determined he’d be best-suited to return for one more season there before joining the Flames next spring.

One bold prediction: The Flames corner the Ruck market

The Flames are one of a small number of teams that have the draft capital to land the twins who took the Western Hockey League by storm this season as the league’s top scorers.

Most teams respect the fact Medicine Hat’s Liam and Markus Ruck want to remain teammates as they progress to the pros, and are expected to be more productive that way, making it likely that whoever drafts Liam late in the first round will want to grab his sibling soon thereafter.

The Flames select 30th and 36th but have lots of picks to bundle together to move up, so they could reunite Flames prospect Andrew Basha with his two Tigers’ linemates.