Towards the end of the 2022/23 NHL season, some fans were calling for the Calgary Flames to push for the youth and potentially improve their draft standings, and after the team refused to do so, while missing the playoffs anyway, their chances of moving beyond No. 16 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft were slim to none.
On Monday night, the NHL held their draft lottery, and unsurprisingly, with less than a 2% chance of moving up, the Calgary Flames will now officially pick at No. 16 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, as they look to build around a solid veteran core with other young players coming through.
It's official - the #Flames will select 16th in this year's #NHLDraft 🔥
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) May 9, 2023
While all eyes heading into this draft were on Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and the incredible top few prospects, this years draft is quite deep, and after some great drafting over the past few years that landed Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier and Dustin Wolf among others, the Flames will need to do it again in 2023.
Before we get to the draft, the Flames still have plenty of questions to answer, but if they can land a game changer to go alongside their Calder Cup hopeful Calgary Wranglers fun young core, this team could be a genuine competitor going forward. For now, Flames fans can look to mock drafts and get excited about this pick, with the hope that new General Manager, a young first round pick, a fun Head Coach and a turnaround from their veteran group can push this team back to the playoffs once again in 2023/24.