Making sense of the Calgary Flames many, many draft picks after the Chris Tanev trade

Friends, the Calgary Flames have made a few trades this season, and they’ll likely make more trades before next Friday’s trade deadline. As a result of these trades, the club has a lot of draft picks in the next three drafts.

As we wait the further moves of the club, let’s sift through the many, many draft choices the club controls over the next three years.

Some underlying and simplifying assumptions:

• Calgary’s 1st-rounder in 2024 won’t be later than 19th overall, so Montreal won’t get the option to take it.
• Florida’s 1st-rounders in 2024 and 2025 won’t be in the top 10, so their 2024 pick goes to Philadelphia as part of the Claude Giroux trade and their 2025 pick goes to Calgary as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade.
• Calgary’s 1st-rounder in 2025 won’t be 1st overall.

2024 NHL Draft

The Flames control nine selections in the 2024 NHL Draft.

1st-round pick (Calgary)

1st-round pick (Vancouver) – acquired from the Canucks for Elias Lindholm.

2nd-round pick (Calgary)

2nd-round pick (Dallas) – acquired from the Stars for Chris Tanev.

3rd-round pick (Calgary)

4th-round pick (Calgary)

4th-round pick (New Jersey or Vancouver) – acquired from the Canucks for Elias Lindholm; the Flames will receive the better of the two picks (New Jersey’s or Vancouver’s) owned as of the trade; however, if the Canucks reach the 2024 Western Conference Final and Lindholm plays in half of their playoff games, then the pick upgrades to Vancouver’s 2024 3rd-round pick.

5th-round pick (Chicago or Calgary) – acquired from the Canucks for Nikita Zadorov; the conditions on a previously-acquired fifth-round pick Vancouver got from Chicago for Anthony Beauvillier – Vancouver gets the best pick Chicago has at the time of the draft – transfers to the Flames.

6th-round pick (Calgary)

2025 NHL Draft

The Flames control six selections in the 2025 NHL Draft.

1st-round pick (Calgary or Florida) – if the Flames’ 1st-round pick is in the top 10, Florida’s pick transfers to Montreal as part of the Sean Monahan trade; if the Flames’ 1st-round pick isn’t in the top 10, whichever pick is earlier (Calgary’s or Florida’s) goes to Montreal as part of the Monahan trade.

2nd-round pick (Calgary)

3rd-round pick (Calgary)

5th-round pick (Calgary)

6th-round pick (Calgary)

7th-round pick (Calgary)

2026 NHL Draft

The Flames control eight selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, and count add a ninth depending on how the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs unfold.

1st-round pick (Calgary)

2nd-round pick (Calgary)

3rd-round pick (Calgary)

3rd-round pick (Vancouver) – acquired from the Canucks for Nikita Zadorov.

3rd-round pick (Dallas) – conditional – transfers to the Flames only if Dallas reaches the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

4th-round pick (Calgary)

5th-round pick (Calgary)

6th-round pick (Calgary)

7th-round pick (Calgary)

If you’re somebody who wants to root for the best possible draft picks for the Flames via the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a Vancouver/Dallas Western Conference Final with the Stars advancing to the Final would produce that outcome.