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The Calgary Flames continue to prioritize premium positions in the draft.
They kicked things off
taking competitive two-way center Connor Zary in the first round. With their second pick, they moved to defense taking Yan Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov is a rangy, 6'4' defenseman best known for his competitiveness and defensive ability. He is smart and skates well, which allows him to maintain good positioning while defending the blueline and in his defensive zone.
He doesn't have high-end puck skills and is not somebody who you're going to see dancing around opposing players. He's built on smarts, skating, and stability.
Kuznetsov ranked 32nd overall in
HockeyProspect.com's draft guide.
The Flames do value size and competitiveness, and they're losing a lot of organization depth on defense, so I'm not surprised with this selection.
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GM Brad Treliving is putting on a clinic.
I fully believe the Flames would have been comfortable taking Connor Zary at 19th overall. They moved down a couple slots, picked up pick 72, and landed an absolute steal with that in Jeremie Poirier.
He put up 20 goals and 54 points in 63 games with Saint John in 2019-20. He has dynamic puck skills and is one of the best offensive talents in this class.
Many experts gave him 1st round grades. Bob McKenzie had him 33 on his list. And the Flames snagged him at 72, a pick they gained for essentially nothing.
Will Poirier pan out? Who knows. It's not as if he is a flawless, perfect prospect. There are concerns about his skating and, at times, decision making. But he has 1st round talent and the Flames landed him in the middle of the 3rd. This is the kind of gamble you make every single time it presents itself.
There is no risk – it was a free pick! – and the reward might very well be a top-4, offensive defenseman in just a few years time.
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With the 80th overall pick, which the Flames also picked up by moving down on Tuesday night, the Flames selected a third consecutive defenseman in Jake Boltmann.
Admittedly, I don't know much about him. HockeyProspect did not have him ranked, however, they gave him above average grades in skating and compete level.
The Flames do like competitive players – see recent picks like Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane, Rasmus Andersson, Jakob Pelletier, Connor Zary, etc. – so it is hardly surprising to see that trait pop up once again in Boltmann.
I'm not sure how high the ceiling is, though. A very different pick than Poirier.
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