With the high level of parity that we see in today's NHL it's almost impossible for a team to have success year-after-year unless there's a steady stream of young, cheap talent working its way into the lineup on an annual basis.
The good news for the Calgary Flames is that, on top of a strong core to build around, they also have a very good prospect system with several high-end players on the way.
Their system is headlined by recent 6th overall pick Matthew Tkachuk but also includes a plethora of promising players such as Andrew Mangiapane, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington and Jon Gillies, among others.
As a result of the Flames' strong drafting in recent years they own the NHL's 9th best prospect system, according to ESPN's Corey Pronman.
I recommend checking out the full piece (paywall) but here is Pronman's short summary of the system.
9. Calgary Flames Previous rank: 9Calgary's system is anchored heavily by 2016 first-rounder Matthew Tkachuk at the top, and while it falls off sharply after him, it is a fairly deep system with talent at every position.
The Flames didn't make a pick in the 1st round of the 2015 draft - they parted with it in the Dougie Hamilton trade - so naturally the 2016 6th overall pick, who could potentially make the team out of camp, is a couple steps above the rest of the crowd.
With a (mostly) young core that features the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano as well as a top-10 prospect system there is certainly reason to be optimistic about the Flames moving forward.
Recent posts: Gaudreau wants, deserves more money than Monahan