How Flames – With 11 selections—including sixth overall and eight in the top 68—Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy says the team believes the NHL Draft’s top-end uncertainty could open real movement. Conroy insists the club’s priority is identifying the right play
CALGARY — The Calgary Flames walk into this week’s NHL Draft carrying 11 picks and more draft capital than the franchise has ever had, and general manager Craig Conroy doesn’t sound interested in treating any of it like a luxury.
“It gives us a lot of ammunition to either make picks, move them or make trades,” Conroy said in a wide-ranging Q and A.
Calgary’s haul includes the sixth overall selection, plus eight picks in the top 68. Conroy framed the situation as both opportunity and uncertainty: he believes the order in which top-tier talent comes off the board won’t be as clear as it sometimes is. and that could matter when draft-day decisions are made in minutes.
He pointed to past examples to explain why the Flames aren’t counting on a predictable hierarchy at the top. Conroy referenced the “Matthew Tkachuk year” in 2016. when Tkachuk was selected sixth overall by Calgary. as the one time he felt the way the draft played out didn’t match what people expected. He also mentioned the 2024 draft, when Beckett Sennecke went third overall despite questions that preceded the selection.
In Conroy’s view, this is the kind of year where “it won’t be set in stone.” He added that it wouldn’t be “crazy to see different names go in the top five,” even if the league’s draft talk often tries to force clean sorting onto players whose value can look different depending on what a team needs.
Asked whether the Flames have a sense of how the top six will shake out, Conroy said he doesn’t. Instead, he described the way teams project individual traits—each player bringing something that fits a club’s plan—rather than treating draft rankings as a simple ladder.
That uncertainty is also shaping how conversations with other teams are handled right now. before anyone is forced to make a call. Conroy said GMs aren’t telling him their plans early. but the discussions generally revolve around one key question: whether a team is willing to move the pick if its preferred player isn’t available.
“On draft day, they can say, ‘Hey, the guy we targeted is this. If he’s there, we’re making the pick. If not, we’re open to moving,’” Conroy said. He believes those talks start picking up as the draft nears.
Calgary’s path from its sixth-overall position is one of the focal points. Conroy was direct about the odds without pretending it’s easy. “You’re always looking to move up. ” he said. but noted that until draft day arrives. teams keep their cards close. Moving up becomes “especially tough” in the top five. and Conroy said Calgary is watching what it would cost rather than acting on rumors alone.
He also addressed what fans will likely wonder most: whether Calgary will really make all 11 selections. Conroy said they could, but he emphasized that the club will still examine scenarios where picks could be used differently. With their second pick at 30th overall. he said it’s possible Calgary could move up from there. or use trades depending on age-appropriate options—specifically targeting players in the 21-23 range—and even looking at young players who may need a “change of scenery.”.
What Conroy described next was a picture of constant phone activity as the draft approaches. He said as the club gets closer. he receives calls from teams that either don’t have a second- or third-round pick. or want to add one. With Calgary’s second-round picks arriving earlier than other teams, Conroy suggested those selections carry extra appeal.
“Having four of them definitely gives us a lot of different avenues,” he said.
There’s also the practical concern that comes with taking a large number of prospects: fitting them into an organization over time. Conroy acknowledged the challenge. If Calgary chose 11 players. he said. their development paths wouldn’t be identical—some would go to college. and depending on the route. there could be “up to four years” between when prospects are drafted and when decisions about their next steps are made.
He said the Flames “could easily make all 11 picks,” with selections spread out across different timelines. Still. the reality remains that if the right player isn’t available at a certain moment. the Flames want options—whether that means moving up. sticking and selecting. or pivoting to a trade when something changes.
Conroy’s comments also speak directly to the debate that typically intensifies around Calgary’s sixth-overall slot: the need for offensive punch. With Calgary being a lower-scoring team, speculation has pointed toward a forward as the priority.
Conroy said he understands why fans and media push that view. He also offered a reason the Flames may resist a simple positional answer.
“A lot of times your defence drives offence from the back,” he said, describing how defence can influence games through puck movement, joining rushes, and creating opportunities that lead to more scoring.
Conroy did not dismiss the goal of more goals—he said the logical approach is to “get a front-line forward that can score and put up 80 points”—but he insisted that player type isn’t easy to find.
Instead, he returned to a phrase that shaped his entire stance on the draft. “Come draft day, we want to make sure we take the right player for us,” he said. “I’m not going to the best player. I’m going to say the right player.”
When asked to elaborate, Conroy argued that judging who becomes the best player takes years. He pointed back again to high picks like Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Bennett—players Calgary chose early, when public talk sometimes suggested they weren’t the absolute highest ranked.
Conroy said Bennett’s later success is proof of how long-term outcomes can reshape what people think they knew at the time. He referenced Sam Bennett winning a Conn Smythe Trophy and questioned where he should have been placed on draft day—higher or lower—since the debate continues years later.
“For now, it always makes me laugh when people say you won or lost at the draft,” Conroy said. “Nobody’s played a game yet.”
The bottom line for Calgary. in Conroy’s telling. is simple: with 11 picks. including eight in the top 68 and the sixth-overall selection. the Flames believe this draft could be unpredictable enough to justify flexibility. If the board breaks a certain way. Conroy said movement—trades up. packaging picks. and targeting the right type of player—could be on the table.
And if it doesn’t? Calgary still has options built into its stockpile, as Conroy expects the Flames to stay dialled in on making selections while leaving room to go in different directions as the draft day approaches.
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