Four teams the Calgary Flames could trade up in the first round with
As expected, the Calgary Flames landed the No. 9 pick in the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft, and with that pick, they believed they can land a franchise altering player. With the rebuild (or re-tool if the other word still isn’t allowed in Calgary) well and truly underway, the question instead becomes, why have just one lottery pick?
With so much talent at the top end of this draft, there’s been an expectation that several teams are looking to move up in the draft, and with Vancouver’s first-round pick at their disposal, no teams are set up to do it better than the Flames. It’s been rumoured that the Flames are looking to move Jacob Markstrom, and with many teams needing a No. 1 goaltender moving forward, the chance will be there to pair these two assets to move up in the draft.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the 2024 NHL Draft, and four teams that the Flames could look to deal with in order to move up in the draft to pick up yet another top piece.
Utah NHL
The Utah NHL team remains so new that they are still yet to confirm a name and an identity, but with a new team coming into the league, they will almost always look to make an immediate impact and push for a playoff spot. With young names like Clayton Keller, Josh Doan, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and so many others, the future is incredibly bright, but after years of improving, it’s time for them to make a playoff push.
Utah holds the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, and as such the Flames may need to part with another asset on top of Markstrom/Vancouver first, but it would certainly be a way for them to land a win-now asset. With Markstrom in net, Utah would have the ability to steal plenty of games that they have no right winning, and the confidence that would bring would be a game changer for a franchise that’s about to step into a major spotlight.
At No. 6, Utah could add a solid player that may help them down the line, but if Ryan Smith and this front office want to go for it, there’s no better player for them to chase than Jacob Markstrom, while also having a late first-round pick to take a chance on.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a team that have been on the verge of playoffs in their mind for years now, but unfortunately the results on the ice just haven’t been there, as they’re yet to get stellar play in net. Jacob Markstrom could change all of that, and with the connections to new Head Coach Travis Green, it makes more and more sense, especially if they believe their skaters are good enough to carry them into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Like Utah, they may be a little too high in the first round to accept just a player+Vancouver pick for their selection, but given how unpredictable the first round of the playoffs is shaping up to be, if the Flames want their choice of top prospects, they should be looking to be aggressive to make a deal with Ottawa.
Buffalo Sabres
For years now, we’ve heard about the talented young core of the Buffalo Sabres and how they were ready to break out, and after a promising 2022-23 campaign, they once again took a step back last season. While Devon Levi is expected to be a key piece of their future, like all goaltenders, he needs plenty of time to grow, so what better opportunity than to play behind Jacob Markstrom for the final two years of his career as they look to break an NHL record 14 year playoff drought.
While the Sabres hold the No. 11 pick, the last thing they need is another talented prospect, as they would much prefer a veteran piece to help them moving forward. With a late round pick from Vancouver, the Sabres would have the chance to land another talented player, but if the Flames dangled Markstrom, the late first and another potential veteran like Andrew Mangiapane, it would be a no-brainer for both parties.
New Jersey Devils
The Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils appeared destined to do business together at the trade deadline, but after the front office nixed a deal to chase a playoff spot, the veteran goaltenders season fell apart. With the team clearly accepting that a rebuild is the way after a missed playoff result again in 2023-24, the front office may be much more open to the idea, and with the Devils looking to push for a Stanley Cup, Markstrom could be the right option.
Like many other teams, the Devils are on the verge of a genuine Stanley Cup push, and it’s unlikely that the No. 10 overall pick could help them as much as Markstrom, so pairing him with a late first-rounder makes perfect sense for both parties. It’s unclear whether or not the front office getting involved in the original deal has effected New Jersey’s willingness to talk to Calgary, but if there’s still interest there, this is a deal that would be considered a home run for both teams with where their franchises are currently sitting.