Doing it like Ditka: Would you be in favour of an epic deal for Nathan MacKinnon?

[devo22]

Originally Posted by BACKCHECK!!!

Go back through some drafts from the last 15 years or so.

Look at all the players the Flames drafted in each year. Then look at the kid on the cover of the Hockey News draft preview. And ask yourself who you would rather have.

Patrik Kane, or Mikael Backlund, Kieth Aulie, John Negrin, Mickey Renaud, and CJ Severyn?

The vast majority of the time, NHL teams draft one quality NHLer, and a bunch of scrubs every year.

All your picks for 1st overall? Most of the time, that will end up being trading one quality NHLer and a bunch of scrubs for an All-Star.

I'd do it every year, rather than pretend that we're realistically going to draft multiple impact players that are so good they cant be had via UFA.

yeah, maybe. You're right about that Kane example, but in my opinion this doesn't work every year. For example, I surely wouldn't take Ryan Nugent-Hopkins over Sven Baertschi, Tyler Wotherspoon, Markus Granlund, Johnny Gaudreau and Laurent Brossoit.

[BACKCHECK!!!]

And just for reference, in 2005 Calgary picked Matt Pelech, Gord Baldwin, JD Watt, Matt Keetley, Brett Sutter, and Mike Tweten.

Totally worth more than Sydney Crosby. For sure.

[BACKCHECK!!!]

Originally Posted by devo22

yeah, maybe. You're right about that Kane example, but in my opinion this doesn't work every year. For example, I surely wouldn't take Ryan Nugent-Hopkins over Sven Baertschi, Tyler Wotherspoon, Markus Granlund, Johnny Gaudreau and Laurent Brossoit.

Well, I never said it would work every year, just that it would usually work out.

And I'd wait until Wotherspoon, Granlund, Gaudreau, or Brossoit ever played an NHL game between them before I made any claims about that year.

RNH has had one bad year, while injured, as a 19 year old, on the Oilers. I wouldn't write him off just yet as a potential #1C.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by BACKCHECK!!!

Well, I never said it would work every year, just that it would usually work out.

And I'd wait until Wotherspoon, Granlund, Gaudreau, or Brossoit ever played an NHL game between them before I made any claims about that year.

RNH has had one bad year, while injured, as a 19 year old, on the Oilers. I wouldn't write him off just yet as a potential #1C.

oh, I'm not writing him off. I'm just saying that I prefer the group of the 5 guys that we drafted. RNH could turn into a legit #1 C, but at the same time, most of our 5 picks could turn into very valuable players. I think you can justify doing that kind of trade if it's a generational talent, but in a "normal" year like 2011, I don't see the appeal, especially if your cupboards are bare like the Flames' were 2 years ago. The Isles tried to do that last year and offered all their picks to move up from 4 to 2, and they got ripped for that ... also by a lot of people on CP.

[Alberta_Beef]

No NHL team would ever accept a trade like that. On one side it's way too much to give up, on the other it's too many picks coming one way. The reason it's too much coming back for the team acquiring the picks is with the 50 contract limit and only having 2 years to sign your picks, they would probably have to let 1/3 of them go without contract offers.

[bubbsy]

considering the small percentage of non-first round picks that ever make it, i'm sort of surprised people in this thread are so against this idea.

Particularly when you look at the team's full year of draft picks going back 10 years.

1 superstar >>> a good player and hopefully some avg depth players, which is what you typically hope for in the later rounds.

i'd be willing to trade the flames 1-7th round picks each year, to get the team into the top 10, let alone the top 5.

The only reason it wouldn't happen is that no team would actually be accepting of this, and be willing to part with that high a pick for quantity.

we've seen the flames wiht half a dozen 20 goal scorers, yet still not be able ot achieve anything. Quality over Quantity people.

[FlameZilla]

A) The Avs love Seth Jones & Seth Jones loves the Avs. I'd bet my life savings on him going to Colorado, 1st overall.

B) Mackinnon would be an excellent fit for the Flames, and Florida is a club that might be keen to make a deal. I don't think it would cost nearly that much, however. The 6th overall & another 1st rounder is a very attractive package. Historically it hasn't cost that much to acquire the #2 overall pick (a good article covers a few trades for high picks here: http://crashingthegoalie.com/2009/06...-fleury-trade/ )

C) With 3 selections in the 1st round we are in a very rare position to restock the cupboards with good talent. I like the look of a lot of the prospects ranked in the 25 to 45 range. At #6 we could pick up a very talented center & keep the later picks to grab a good D, winger or (I'm gonna say it) goalie prospect.

I wouldn't do that deal.

[icarus]

Well if nothing else it is a fun thought experiment.

Say Colorado was so enamoured with Vinny Lecavalier in 1998 that they pulled something similar. Knowing what you know know would you have traded Alex Tanguay, Martin Skoula, Robyn Regehr, Scott Parker, Ramzi Abid, Phillippe Sauve, Steve Moore, Evgeny Lazarev, K.C. Timmons, and Alexander Riazantsev for Vinny Lecavalier? I suppose the Stanley Cup tally favours keeping all your picks but of course the Avs and the Bolts both won the cup with a lot of help from players not selected in 1998!

[icarus]

Originally Posted by BACKCHECK!!!

And just for reference, in 2005 Calgary picked Matt Pelech, Gord Baldwin, JD Watt, Matt Keetley, Brett Sutter, and Mike Tweten.

Really? I feel like I have never heard this name before.

[Mass_nerder]

I would say no...putting all your eggs in one basket like that is incredibly risky.
hopefully picking up 3 quality players in the first round (plus whatever comes in later rounds) insulates us a bit against busts.
Not saying I think MacKinnon will bust, but it's nice to have a little insurance in the stream of talent.

[Resolute 14]

[Fighting Banana Slug]

No. Just no. Ask me again in 2015, when we'll need a catchy "lose for McDavid" meme.

[Rapidfire999]

Lol hells no...

[PeteMoss]

As a fan of the Washington football team (that routinely gave away draft picks) - trust me this is a bad idea. Yes in some cases the players picked will suck and the top guy would end up being worth it but you completely lose all depth in your organization - which is basically what has happened to the Flames anyways through crummy drafting in the Sutter years.

If you look at good teams for the most part they are full of draft picks - take the Blackhawks for example:

1st Round
Kane
Toews
Seabrook

2nd Round
Keith
Saad
Bickell
Bolland
Crawford

3rd Round or later
Shaw
Kruger
Hjalmarsson
Bollig (undrafted free agent)

And they have a decent pool of prospects in the minors who can fill in - Pirri, Morin, Hayes, Clendaning, etc

[Imported_Aussie]

I would rather see them bundle the two other firsts together and move into the high teens if they see a guy they like start to slide. MacKinnon is above Lindholm/Monahan, but I don't know if he is worth all those other picks. Best I would dangle, if its just picks, is next years 2nd and 3rd with our 6th overall, since there is a whole year to recoup those picks in trades. Now, if he slid to 3rd, because Florida wanted Drouin, then you could see if Tampa would want to slide to the 6 spot to add a veteran as well, seeing as that team was expected to contend much sooner.
6th overall + Player for 3rd overall + cap dump?

[albertGQ]

People still think this scenario involves all our picks in the draft

It is not. Read the OP again. It's all the picks except the Blues one.

People have been saying how we couldn't move into the top three with our pick, the Blues and Pens picks but now if we added our picks in round 3 and later, we couldn't get the #1 pick? And some even exclude the Blues pick and still think we're overpaying

The above Avs example in 1998 is a bad example because the Avs had four first rounders that year while in this scenario we're only giving up two first rounders and zero second rounders.

I'd do this trade every year like some are suggesting

[Jason14h]

In reality it is the 6th overall, 27-30th overall, and 96th overall for the 1st overall pick (We have o 2nd rounder)

The 4-7th picks are pointless in reality and hold little to no value.

I'd say it's actually a pretty close trade.

[Sakari]

We have the 6th overall pick and I believe that we will get a 1st line piece out of it.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by FAN

No way. But I would move Pittsburgh's and St. Louis' 1st rounder and all other picks (while keeping our 1st) for the #1 overall pick. Colorado won't do it though.

I was going to suggest that package for the #2 pick.

But I doubt that Florida does it.

[Dorkmaster]

For sure would package all non-first round picks for Mackinnon. Would rather have one good player then a bunch of other mishmash pieces. Probably would also throw in the Pitsburgh first as well.

Pretty much no brainer for me. Most of the time you'd be even lucky to get an NHL player out of them, nevermind a productive one.