2021 NHL Draft: C Zachary Dean
Zachary Dean was originally a draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, but unsurprisingly, as most do, he was traded by the organization, ending up with the St. Louis Blues. Since then, he's appeared in 9 games at the NHL level, but it's down in the AHL that he's made himself a regular with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Unfortunately, he's struggled to develop offensively the way the team would have hoped, with just 32 points spanning 96 games over the past three seasons. At 23-years-old, there's still time for Dean to become a consistent NHLer, but until he can take the leap that the Blues hoped for when they dealt Ivan Barbashev for him, he may be seen as a very poor choice from the Golden Knights at the time.
2020 NHL Draft: C Mavrik Bourque
The 2020 NHL Draft saw a familiar name to Calgary Flames fans picked, as it's potential offer sheet/trade candidate Mavrik Bourque, who has shown potential with the Dallas Stars. Bourque started his pro career on fire with the AHL's Texas Stars, posting 26 goals and 77 points in 71 games back in 2023/24, and now he's looking to take the leap in the NHL.
He showed flashes in 2025/26, posting 20 goals and 41 points in 82 games, and despite the criticisms of his size at 5-foot-11, the 24-year-old could be a very good player over the next 5-6 years. If he takes another step forward in 2026/27, Bourque could end up being the best player on this list, and while the Flames may want a player like that in the draft, they could still target Bourque himself in the summer.
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