Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving sat down with TSN's Pierre LeBrun for a lengthy interview from the draft combine in Buffalo.
Treliving touched on a wide array of topics including the No. 16 pick, adding a top-4 defenseman, goaltending plans and more.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Treliving hinted moving up during the draft is probably unrealistic due to the lack of picks (the Flames have no second or third rounders). He didn't completely rule out moving up, or down, but suggested it's likely the Flames will stay where they are.
In a perfect world, it'd be nice to land someone like Nick Suzuki at 16. He was the most efficient even-strength point producer in the entire draft class and is a really smart, talented player.
- Again, Treliving noted keeping the pick is most likely but that it *could* be in play for the right player. Treliving won't move it for an older player, nor someone with limited term and/or control, but if it fetched him someone like Nino Niederreiter (RFA), a 24-year-old coming off a 57-point campaign, or a top-4 defenseman from an expansion troubled team, I'm sure he'd be open to it.
- When talking about the team's goaltending prospects, Treliving noted Parsons just completed his junior career. He is still eligible to return to London but it would seem the plan is for him to turn pro this fall. I don't doubt he's ready for the next step but it'll be interesting to see how the Flames clear room for him with the likes of Jon Gillies, David Rittich, and Mason McDonald already playing pro. The latter isn't so much a worry -- he spent last season in the ECHL -- but there is only so much playing time to go around.
- Vegas will be selecting 30 players in the expansion draft, a few of which will be goaltenders. They can only keep 23 on the roster, obviously, so there will be some players selected and then traded in short order. Treliving didn't rule out Vegas selecting a goaltender -- perhaps Antti Raanta, for example -- and then flipping him to another team in need of one (like Calgary).
- Treliving said he has had discussions with Michael Stone's reps about bringing him back but, to me, it sounded like he'll probably test free agency.
- Treliving said the Flames would like to add a top-4 defenseman and that expansion could provide some interesting possibilities with some teams forced to make moves (like Anaheim and Minnesota). In saying that, Treliving noted the Flames will likely be a 7/3/1 protection team and adding a defenseman prior to the draft could be difficult as a result.
If they were to acquire a top-4 guy prior to expansion, they'd have to go with the 4/4/1 plan and leave the likes of Micheal Ferland and Curtis Lazar exposed. Ferland is a very underrated player and, while I'm not overly high on Lazar, losing him after four games would be a tough pill to swallow considering what they gave up to get him.
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