Calgary Flames and the NHL Draft

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI)

2008 saw the Flames grab a center that, combined with Backlund, have the potential to be a top one-two punch for the Flames. Greg Nemisz had a great run to the Memorial Cup Championship with the Spitfires and will try for a spot with the big club this season, but a year or two in the AHL could work wonders for this talented player.

Mitch Wahl from Spokane was taken in the second round. A little undersized at 5'11 and 170 lbs, he is a talented forward that could have a bright future.

There.

There is Darryl Sutter's entire history at the draft with the Calgary Flames. The picture is quite a bit brighter now than it was when he took over.

What happens at this years draft is going to be interesting, because of what the team has in the system now.

Sutter's plan of just getting hold of as many NHL players through the draft was a modest success. There are young role players splattered throughout the Wranglers, Heat and Flames, and they are cheaper than signing a veteran. A few, such as Boyd and Pardy, have some potential to be better than third line, third pairing guys, and as such, Sutter achieved his goals.

Sutter then went forward with his second plan, to start drafting stars and by need at positions. First came the goalie, with Irving. Secondly, the defense with Pelech, Negrin, and Aulie, not to mention Phaneuf already being there. Third, the centres, with Backlund, Nemisz and Wahl. 

Five of the past six teams to win the Stanley Cup have had good goaltending, great defence and two great centres, the formula it appears Sutter is working on. Tampa Bay had Richards and Lecavalier, Carolina had Staal and Brindamour, Detroit has Zetterburg and Datsyuk and Pittsburgh has Crosby and Malkin.

So now that the potential pieces are in place, what do the Flames do?

1) They can stay the course—draft players by position. Get some wingers, some pluggers, and work from there.

2)They can draft on need—the Flames will need players for those centres to get the pucks to. Goal scoring wingers would be great.

3)They can draft on talent—forget the position, take the most talented player on the board.

4) They can draft on insurance—sure the potential is there, but more centres and more defensemen would sure make the plan more foolproof

5)They can go back to square one—draft players that will play in the NHL. Homegrown pluggers keep the costs down.

The Flames need to pick the fifth option.

This seems counter-intuitive. Why go backwards when the system is stocked and talent is starting to flow again?

Because success comes at a cost—draft positioning. The better a team does, the worse they pick. By picking players that will make the show, and not much else, it gives the team options.

If a player becomes good or great, that is wonderful. If not, not much cost. But these players are what allow a team to make trades, either trading these young players or trading established, more expensive players for talent, and filling the holes with the young guns.

This gives the team the flexibility in a cap world to keep the core together, and be like Detroit or Pittsburgh—more than one-year wonders.

Drafting based on just talent is what killed the Flames for years. Talent doesn't mean they will be a surefire NHL player. When one talent busts, not a problem.

However, when two or three or four first rounders start to all fail, and a few picks are traded, can quickly cause a franchise to head downhill fast. By making sure that the players at least won't be busts, the team can keep chugging away, and be closer to the Cup than the Draft Lottery.

The Flames don't have many picks this year, and don't have a first rounder next season. A bust would kill two years of drafting. Using a baseball analogy, swinging for the fences might be a bad idea when only a single scores a run.

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