How Would the Flames Handle a 2016 Top 3 Pick Next Season?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Laine is a LW who shoots right like James Neal and Alex Ovechkin.

I'd still take him at #2. He's a right shooting winger with size, skill, strength, shot, and skating. We don't have have any of those players.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

You have to give up something to get something and if the Flames don't trade for a starter their only other option is to sign a guy like Reimer. There is no doubt Bishop is better than Reimer or any available UFA goaltender so.....

You have to give to get, but massively overpaying for Bishop is an excellent way to stall a rebuild entirely. Neverminding that to get Drouin as well, we would be giving up that 1st rounder + something good.

Given the odds it will be a top three pick, we'd already be guaranteed a prospect of a pick with as much more more upside than Drouin anyway.

It's a bad move.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

You have to give up something to get something and if the Flames don't trade for a starter their only other option is to sign a guy like Reimer. There is no doubt Bishop is better than Reimer or any available UFA goaltender so.....

...so go get him. Just do it for a lot less than a top-ten draft pick. Ben Bishop is NOT a 26-year-old Cory Schneider.

There are likely to be at least a few of emerging starting goalies on the market this summer and next year. I would much prefer the Flames focus their efforts to acquire one of Andersen, Murray, Hutchinson, Raanta, Campbell, et al.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Yeah I would definitely target Andersen first. They are likely to part with him this offseason as they pass the mantle to Gibson.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

You have to give to get, but massively overpaying for Bishop is an excellent way to stall a rebuild entirely. Neverminding that to get Drouin as well, we would be giving up that 1st rounder + something good.

Given the odds it will be a top three pick, we'd already be guaranteed a prospect of a pick with as much more more upside than Drouin anyway.

It's a bad move.

If yo go back I said if they drop out of the top 3 they should consider trading the pick for a package of Druin and Bishop. I don't see that Nylander or Tkachuk kid being better players than Druin and like I said before you aren't going to get a goaltender like Bishop for junk.

[zukes]

I have seen much more of Tkachuk than anyone else in this draft. The guy has grown even since the start of the year. Sure he is playing with two NHL drafted guys, but many believe he is the guy driving that line. He can be nasty, without being stupid. So many guys have dropped their gloves trying to get him to fight and Tkachuk usually just skates away. Didn't we just have a thread about how we need a jerk? How about a jerk that can play all aspects of the game?

OHL scoring by the way:

Kevin Labanc - Barrie - 57GP - 36G - 80A - 116P - 64PIM
Christian Dvorak - London - 51GP - 47G - 62A - 109P - 25PIM
Mitchell Marner - London - 49GP - 38G - 67A - 105P - 58PIM
Matthew Tkachuk - London 49GP - 24G - 71A (leads OHL) - 95P - 78 PIM

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Yeah I would definitely target Andersen first. They are likely to part with him this offseason as they pass the mantle to Gibson.

Flames with will have to overpay for Andersen and that's "if" the Ducks are even willing to trade him in the division. I see that as a difficult deal but I agree Andersen would be preferable to a guy like Bishop. One good thing about Bishop is tha he's a very solid placeholder for Gillies.

[GoJetsGo]

RE: Top OHL Scorers -

Not quite top 5 but interesting to note that Andrew Mangiapane is not to far off with GP52 G44 A42 Pts86

Got a good feeling about that kid.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by zukes

I have seen much more of Tkachuk than anyone else in this draft. The guy has grown even since the start of the year. Sure he is playing with two NHL drafted guys, but many believe he is the guy driving that line. He can be nasty, without being stupid. So many guys have dropped their gloves trying to get him to fight and Tkachuk usually just skates away. Didn't we just have a thread about how we need a jerk? How about a jerk that can play all aspects of the game?

OHL scoring by the way:

Kevin Labanc - Barrie - 57GP - 36G - 80A - 116P - 64PIM
Christian Dvorak - London - 51GP - 47G - 62A - 109P - 25PIM
Mitchell Marner - London - 49GP - 38G - 67A - 105P - 58PIM
Matthew Tkachuk - London 49GP - 24G - 71A (leads OHL) - 95P - 78 PIM

IMO he's got as much chance at being the next Marc-Antoine Pouliot as he does a top 6 NHL forward. Way too many assist for my liking as his point totals are way inflated by playing with Marner.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

If yo go back I said if they drop out of the top 3 they should consider trading the pick for a package of Druin and Bishop. I don't see that Nylander or Tkachuk kid being better players than Druin and like I said before you aren't going to get a goaltender like Bishop for junk.

Chychrun will be a better player than Drouin. And I disagree about Tkachuk. At this point I think it is fair to question whether Drouin will be a very high impact NHL player at all. He sure hasn't looked very good this year. I wouldn't be willing to gamble a blue chip prospect on the hope that a 21-year-old middling NHL player with entitlement issues will meet his potential. It's just too big of a risk.

Of course you aren't going to get a player like Bishop for nothing, but a player at his level could probably be acquired for a package of depth players/prospects + a first round pick in the #15–25 range. Recent history suggests that goalies as a rule just do not command a big return in trades.

[Bourque's Twin]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

IMO he's got as much chance at being the next Marc-Antoine Pouliot as he does a top 6 NHL forward. Way too many assist for my liking as his point totals are way inflated by playing with Marner.

I always view guys with a lot of assists higher than I do guys with lots of goals. I feel like the guys with true skill put up more A than G. Even Iginla, who's as much of a pure goal scorer as almost anyone has more career A than G.

I think a big part of the Flames downward spiral after 2004 was going for the 20+ goal scorers who didn't really have the skill to make plays and generate assists. Hagman, Kobasew, Moss, Kotalik, Bourque, etc.

I'm happy to see Tkachuk doesn't have more G than A, because I would see it as him banging in goals from really skilled players' passes. Instead it looks like he's the one who's creating a lot of offence.

[cannon7]

I would try to pair Matthews with Bennett. Let them battle it out for C, loser plays LW. Matthews probably has a higher ceiling than Monahan, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's #1 in a year or two.

I would slot Laine right onto the Gaudreau/Monahan line. Laine adds a ton of size to that line, but isn't terribly physical. Even so, his amazing hands would only enhance that duo.

On the other hand, I would protect Puljujarvi a bit more. He is arguably the more complete player, but isn't playing an elite offensive game like Laine yet. So I slot him where he's most likely to succeed, either 2nd/3rd line RW. Maybe pair him with Bennett as his C.

[TheOnlyBilko]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

All the top 5 picks are NHL ready I think.
.

Is Chychrun in that top 5? Is he ready to play in the NHL next season if Calgary drafts him? Just curious what you think..

[TheOnlyBilko]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I'm so sad we're having this conversation instead of potential playoff matchups :'(

The Flames have sucked from 1995 to 2003, then from 2006 to 2013. Shouldn't we be good by now?!

Yup we should be but we never ever get the high draft picks. You look at the last 7 years of Stanley Cup champions and every single one of them have drafted a player either 1st or 2nd overall. In the past 7 years of Cup Champions, that player or players that were drafted by the cup Champion 1st or 2nd overall, played a huge role with the team winning the Cup. The only exception of Tyler Seguin who was a rookie when Boston won the Cup.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I think the top 6 are NHL-ready for the most part - or should be with the off-season and training camps.

Mathews, Laine, Puljujarvi, Tkachuk, Chychrun and Dubois I feel could all potentially step into an NHL lineup next season.

Nylander, Gauthier, Juolevi, Sergachev, Jones, Bean, etc.. - I think they all require more development before stepping in next season.

Just what I think anyways. There could very well be some surprises. One of these kids could take a big step and arrive ahead of schedule, another kid who I think could step in has some injury that impairs his off-season training and sets him back, or is drafted by a team going strictly by BPA and is already pretty set at that certain position.

The more I see Dubois, the more I see an NHL-ready prospect. He has the size, 2-way game, and speed that can help him adjust quickly to the NHL.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by TheOnlyBilko

Is Chychrun in that top 5? Is he ready to play in the NHL next season if Calgary drafts him? Just curious what you think..

I haven't seen him much but from everything I've read it sounds like he's NHL ready. Don't think more junior is going to help him, he's physically ready and has NHL size, skating, and skill.

[Roof-Daddy]

I don't know how the Flames would handle a 2016 top 3 pick next season, but I sure as hell hope we get to find out. Especially Matthews.

[dammage79]

Dubois is on one hell of a line in CB. Svechnikov-Lazarev-Dubois. Thats a lot of firepower.
Is Lazarev drafted? Might be worth a shot with a mid round pick.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I don't know how the Flames would handle a 2016 top 3 pick next season, but I sure as hell hope we get to find out. Especially Matthews.

Indeed. I hope this becomes a problem we need to address

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Dubois is on one hell of a line in CB. Svechnikov-Lazarev-Dubois. Thats a lot of firepower.
Is Lazarev drafted? Might be worth a shot with a mid round pick.

Just a quick note, Dubios is the center there, Lazarev the right winger.