Weaknesses
Malhotra's skating may have improved throughout the season, but with the Pacific Division hosting Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Leo Carlsson and Macklin Celebrini as 1C's for the years to come, it's not quite as strong as you would hope for a player you may be spending a massive draft pick on.
Defensively though, he's a very strong player, but his biggest weakness is the lack of flashy, high-end offensive skills, and as a result, he's likely to cap out at the NHL level as a good to great two-way, 70-point player, unless something changes over the next few years.
Comparison
Obviously, given that his father played in the NHL, it's no surprise that Manny will always be a comparison, but in the modern day NHL, it's often the duo of Anton Lundell or Nick Suzuki that are brought up as comparables for Malhotra.
On paper, if the Flames could get a Suzuki like player at No. 6 overall, it would be an incredible home run for the organization, but given the defensive responsibility, it's more likely than not that Lundell is the optimal outcome for Malhotra.
Fit with the Flames
Realistically, Malhotra is not only the perfect fit within the Flames organization, but he's the exact type of player they often look for in a top-six centre, and with Reschny, Potter and the likes of Morgan Frost all down the middle, he'd fit the timeline with the rest of their core as well.
Given the fact that the Flames also have high end offensive skill elsewhere in the lineup with Matvei Gridin, Zayne Parekh and others, his responsible, two-way play make him a fantastic pick for the organization if they were to get the chance.
Will he be available for the Flames to draft?
As of right now, Malhotra is seen as the top centre in the entire draft, and while McKenna and Stenberg are seen as the two best overall players, it's expected that at least Vancouver and New York would be prime candidates to draft him.
What that will end up meaning is that unless the Flames trade up, Malhotra likely isn't going to be available, and given that they can find just as good a player at No. 6, he's more likely than not going to end up elsewhere.
Verdict
While the offensive upside isn't as high as other forwards in the draft, Malhotra fills a need for Calgary with good size, responsible play and an NHL ready skillset, but unless a team ahead of them make a shocking pick, he's not going to be the player the team leave with in the first round, as many have him as a top-three pick.
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