2023 NHL Draft: LW Bradly Nadeau
Unlike Emery, the Carolina Hurricanes took a chance on Bradly Nadeau's offensive upside back in 2023, with the New Brunswick native showing immense flashes, posting 113 points in 54 BCHL games in his draft year. Then, he followed that up with 46 points in 37 games at the University of Maine, and since then, he's gone on to play 15 NHL games in Carolina, scoring 3 goals in 12 regular season games during the 2025/26 regular season.
For the most part however, Nadeau has settled into the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, posting a combined 59 goals and 114 points over the past two seasons, but in 2026/27, the hope is that the 21-year-old can take the full-time leap to the NHL. Thankfully for the Flames, they have the time to be patient, and if they could land a dominant AHLer like Nadeau that has the opportunity to become an impactful player in the NHL for years, they'd consider the 2026 NHL Draft a win.
2022 NHL Draft: C Brad Lambert
Centre is the Calgary Flames biggest need in the 2026 NHL Draft, and the last player at the position to be drafted No. 30 overall is talented Winnipeg Jets prospect Brad Lambert, who has been flirting with a full-time NHL role for a number of years now. While that hasn't happened, he's shown potential when given a chance, with the 22-year-old posting 3 goals and 6 points in 25 games played in 2025/26.
Next year will potentially be make or break for Lambert and the Jets, but with good size at 6-foot-1 and solid production at the pro level in Finland before being drafted, it's easy to see why this was the obvious pick for the Jets. Unfortunately, not all picks, even in the first round are guarantees, so while the Flames will be looking to hit a home run, there's a chance they may find a good AHLer with solid NHL potential like Lambert.
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