The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery was potentially a franchise changing event for the Calgary Flames, but unfortunately, luck was not on their side, as the Flames ended up dropping not one, but two spots to the No. 6 overall selection.
Sixth pick is ours! pic.twitter.com/KGd2zSR181
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) May 5, 2026
Obviously, the reactions on social media were doom and gloom, especially with the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the lottery, moving to No. 1 to take their choice of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg in that spot. That's completely understandable, as the Flames will now enter the final season of the ScotiaBank Saddledome without a top-three pick in franchise history.
Fortunately, it's not the end of the world for the Flames despite the immediate feeling of disappointment, and there's several reasons for that.
Firstly, the Flames still have the opportunity to draft a great player still, as they have not been in the top-six since back in 2016, and in that year, they landed superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk. The lack of lottery will will see them miss out on both Stenberg and McKenna, with Caleb Malhotra likely to be off the board as well, but beyond that, one of Viggo Bjorck, Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff and Carson Carels will be available.
"We're going to get a good player."#Flames GM Craig Conroy speaks on the results of the #NHLDraft Lottery. pic.twitter.com/qej6nEKBvU
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) May 6, 2026
Sure, they aren't billed as franchise changing players, but the Flames aren't ready to contend yet, so getting another player that can develop over the next year or two fits the current timeline, with GM Craig Conroy optimistic about a player that will be available at No. 6.
Secondly, the Flames also have the Vegas Golden Knights first-round pick this season, and if that falls in the mid to late 20's, there will be another future NHLer available, if that's the way Calgary choose to go. That, or the team can look to pair that with one or multiple of their second round picks (currently own No. 35, 36, 51 and 55) to move back into the lottery with their eyes on landing a LHD as well as a C, potentially fulfilling not one, but two needs in the draft.
On top of that, the team can decide to use those picks to acquire a young player with NHL experience, with the likes of Olen Zellwegger, Shane Wright and Kent Johnson players that may intrigue the Flames.
Finally, the 2027 NHL Draft is expected to be much, much stronger than this season, both at the Flames biggest position of need and overall talent, and with most of the Flames top prospects still in the NCAA, Europe or the CHL, this will allow them another year to push for a top pick. Then, they could head into the first year of a new arena in 2027/28 with an NHL ready draft pick along with Wyttenbach, Reschny, Potter and whoever they draft in 2027 ready to compete as a young core of the future.
Ultimately, it would have been great if the Flames could have landed the No. 1 or 2 pick with a franchise changing forward as the prize, but with the idea of building a team deep with talent that can compete in the long-term, things are still on track for this team. Sure, they will eventually need to have some lottery luck, but with promising players at each position, if Craig Conroy plays the next 12 months right, this team could be set up for some long-term success.
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