[Goriders]

I think if you look back at the Flames drafting track record I wouldn’t put all my chips on trading players for draft picks only.

Flames hit percentage in the draft isn’t that good and you need someone to actually play. Unless you want to watch a last place team for a long time.

Who is currently on the team that the Flames drafted in the first two rounds. Backlund, Anderson, Dube? They are good players but probably not the calibre required to carry a team. The rest came through trades or free agent pick ups.

Of their past high draft picks Bennet was a supporting cast player, Monahan was a good player but injuries caught up with him and Tkachuk left for greener pastures. Of the three Tkachuk was probably the guy you could build a championship team around. So one player out of how many picks. The odds aren’t that high. Even for early picks in the first round. The draft is a crapshoot.

I get the infatuation with high draft picks but if the Flames are rebuilding their roster I think it’s going to be via a combination of drafting as well as trades and free agents for the immediate future.

Conroy is going to have his work cut out for him. Pretty much getting thrown into the fire right off the bat. The next month has the potential to set the course for the Flames for the next number of years. Good or bad.