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The 1st round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft goes tonight and the Calgary Flames are a hot topic of conversation on many fronts.
Searching for a No. 1
We know the Calgary Flames need a No. 1 goaltender and they are set on taking care of that sooner than later.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Ben Bishop, Semyon Varlamov and Brian Elliott, among others, have been linked to the Flames and it seems likely one of those guys will be a Flame by the end of the night.
I think Bishop is probably the most likely candidates of that bunch. Bishop seems to be the Flames' top target and Lightning probably have to trade him due to expected contract demands and next summer's expansion draft.
If the Flames are going to trade for a goaltender I think Elliott would be the way to go. His numbers have been excellent yet he'd come much cheaper than, say, Bishop.
That said, I believe signing James Reimer and retaining all assets is probably the best course of action.
I doubt that is what the Flames do, though.
Is Dougie Hamilton in play?
Just a year after the Flames acquired Hamilton for pennies on the dollar they appear willing to part ways with him if the price is right.
GM Brad Treliving and co. fancy another top-6 pick and may be prepared to move Hamilton to get it done, according to Bob McKenzie (
transcription via TodaysSlapshot.com)
Now, having said that, I get conflicting reports. What I hear in Calgary is Dougie Hamilton is not available. Other people think he is. So we’ll see how that plays out.
But the mere fact that Calgary and Edmonton might be talking (laughs) is extraordinary on one level, and especially situated so closely in the draft. But I could see a scenario where Calgary would love to be able to have the 4th and the 6th pick, and be able to walk away with a Matthew Tkachuk and an Olli Juolevi to go with the young players they’ve got, like Gaudreau and Monahan and Bennett and those sorts of things."
Personally I wouldn't move Hamilton - Juolevi turning into an equal caliber player is probably the best case scenario - but it seems like the Flames might be. I'm sure their cap situation would factor into that as well.
This is definitely a story worth following.
What happens with 6th overall?
The Flames draft based on the best player available and, assuming nobody in the top-5 slips, it sounds like they believe Olli Juolevi is that guy.
I have Alex Nylander ranked higher and think he fills a position of need, too, but signs point towards the Flames going in a different direction.
Whether Hamilton is moved or not we shouldn't be too surprised if Juolevi is the pick at 6.
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