Speculation: Armchair GM 2024-25 Season, Craig Conroy's Can Do Calgary Flames

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Offer sheet Vilardi?

Vilardi is not going to be a centre at the NHL level

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Connor McDavid is a free agent in 2026.

 

[Figgy44]

2014-2015 got fans excited and we ended up not only trading for Hamilton which led to Lindholm and Hanifin but still got 3 NHL players in the draft. It was absolutely a success. There was no chance we were bad enough to finish top 5 (and besides hanifin went 5th overall).

Agreed, but the others weren't wrong.

14-15 loss of draft position to revive interest in the team was necessary. But it was also a double edged sword.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Agreed, but the others weren't wrong.

14-15 loss of draft position to revive interest in the team was necessary. But it was also a double edged sword.

Oh yeah for sure. I just think we squandered the 2014 draft very badly. We got a 2nd rounder for Berra and used it on what Hunter Smith when Brayden Point was available?

 

[Figgy44]

Oh yeah for sure. I just think we squandered the 2014 draft very badly. We got a 2nd rounder for Berra and used it on what Hunter Smith when Brayden Point was available?

Burke derailed that draft IMO. A different mandate could have put very valuable 2014 draft players into our prospect pool.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Burke derailed that draft IMO. A different mandate could have put very valuable 2014 draft players into our prospect pool.

Yeah like even if we just replaced Smith for Point it would have been a solid draft. The other lower round picks are a crapshoot.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

OK, I'm on the hype train now
Who is out there that is still useful, but overpaid? We could take a salary dump, gain a good pick, and still improve the team.
Guessing we could shore up C/D/G
If we're missing out on a top 10 pick, I would love to see us finish ahead of NJ

 

[Volica]

As we all predicted, first in the Pacific at American Thanksgiving.

 

[Anglesmith]

As we all predicted, first in the Pacific at American Thanksgiving.

Everyone remembers me saying all through the summer that we would be leading the division on November 24. Right?

 

[Khrox]

Everyone remembers me saying all through the summer that we would be leading the division on November 24. Right?

If I remember correctly, I don't think anyone predicted us lower than first in the division. Right guys? Right?

 

[The Gnome]

I just love this...All my Coiler fan friends can't even talk about hockey right now

 

[Volica]

If I remember correctly, I don't think anyone predicted us lower than first in the division. Right guys? Right?

This summer the talk of cup or bust was out of control here.

 

[Figgy44]

This summer the talk of cup or bust was out of control here.

Less joking for a moment, if we look at the division winners for the last few years, last year was the year we were supposed to trade Vegas for that Pacific Division winner position. If we're catching up this year for last year's weird Canucks/Oilers snafu... that's weird AF in terms of trends.

I expected maybe a Flames~esque dark horse bubble team type of scenario adding to the mediocrity this year, not a potential Pacific Division win. But if Flames wanna Flames... OK. Let's go all out and hope we middle finger Montreal with Flames/Panthers picks in the late teens/twenties.

The NJD pick is also confusing to me. If they draft just outside of top 10, we get that pick (seems likely), but if for whatever reason they crater again to injuries, is the 2026 pick completely unprotected? I can't find details on the 2026 pick if the 2025 one doesn't transfer.

Another funny possibility is that we could play well and draft late in this draft, but based on circumstances, it's possible that the Flames could just focus on playing well and suddenly find themselves with some top picks in 2026 courtesy of Vegas and NJD without intentionally tanking and factoring in their own pick? Weird possibility for 2026... Not as weird as the Monahan trade... but still weird.

 

[herashak]

This teams top two centers are both about 5 years away from retirement, they will be able to tank in the coming years

 

[FLAMESFAN]

This teams top two centers are both about 5 years away from retirement, they will be able to tank in the coming years

You mean when our young players & loads of picks are starting to hit their primes? Nope.
If we didn't tank this year, we ain't never going to.

 

[Anglesmith]

You mean when our young players & loads of picks are starting to hit their primes? Nope.
If we didn't tank this year, we ain't never going to.

I don't think that's necessarily true. The Flames in particular have a habit of having a sudden reversal of fortune from one season to the next, but realistically it's more common than we acknowledge league wide.

The Flames winning McKenna wouldn't be too dissimilar to the Avs winning Mackinnon.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

I don't think that's necessarily true. The Flames in particular have a habit of having a sudden reversal of fortune from one season to the next, but realistically it's more common than we acknowledge league wide.

The Flames winning McKenna wouldn't be too dissimilar to the Avs winning Mackinnon.

It would take some serious mismanagement to be in a tank position 5 years from now.
If Honzek, Parekh, and whoever we draft this year are busts, then it becomes more likely

 

[Anglesmith]

It would take some serious mismanagement to be in a tank position 5 years from now.
If Honzek, Parekh, and whoever we draft this year are busts, then it becomes more likely

I agree five years from now. But next year?

 

[Some Other Flame]

Assuming Conroy doesn't pull Treliving, it wouldn't be at all surprising if next year the team regresses. Honestly wouldn't even take that much; just Wolf having a so-so season, Andersson indicating he won't re-sign, while the vets (Backlund, Kadri, Coleman) start showing their age in a real way.

 

[SaintMorose]

The nice thing about Conroy is his ability to pull the trigger if a player isn't willing to re-sign, and depending on how early talks go with Rasmus, Backlund, Miro, Lomberg we could see 3 of them traded by this time next year, that level of rebuild might also trigger a trade request from Kadri and us being more open to retaining he could return something mid-season next year.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Vilardi is not going to be a centre at the NHL level

Vilardi played plenty of C in Junior, hes very recently started playing C for the Jets as well with some decent results (although a small sample size). I wouldn't completely write him off as an NHL C just yet.

 

[Bond]

You mean when our young players & loads of picks are starting to hit their primes? Nope.
If we didn't tank this year, we ain't never going to.

See the 2014/15 Flames to the 2015/16 Flames. This team is definitely ripe for a regression