Expansion Draft Preview: Calgary Flames
Things weren’t easy for the Calgary Flames this season.
They fired head coach Geoff Ward mid-season and brought Darryl Sutter back behind the bench for his second go-around. The two-time Stanley Cup winner wasn’t able to turn the Flames around and they finished outside the playoff picture with a 25-27-3 record.
It looks like there might be some major changes in Calgary this off-season as both Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have appeared in trade rumours. Before that, though, the Flames have to get through the Expansion Draft. They have a fairly simple situation to deal with, save for a tough decision to make on the blueline involving their captain.
Eligible Forwards
@Matthew Tkachuk, @Johnny Gaudreau, @Sean Monahan, @Mikael Backlund, @Milan Lucic (NMC), @Elias Lindholm, @Derek Ryan, @Andrew Mangiapane, @Josh Leivo, @Dillon Dube, @Matthew Phillips, @Byron Froese, @Buddy Robinson, @Glenn Gawdin, @Dominik Simon, @Joakim Nordstrom
Eligible Defencemen
@Mark Giordano, @Noah Hanifin, @Rasmus Andersson, @Chris Tanev, @Oliver Kylington, @Nikita Nesterov, @Michael Stone
Eligible Goaltenders
@Jacob Markstrom (NMC), @Tyler Parsons, @Louis Domingue
Exempt Players
@Connor Zary, @Mathias Emilio Pettersen, Jakob Pelletier, @Luke Philp, @Eetu Tuulola, @Adam Ruzicka, @Martin Pospisil, @Yan Kuznetsov, @Ilya Solovyov, @Dustin Wolf
What should they do?
The Flames would have been in for a difficult decision with their forwards but Milan Lucic opting to waive his no-movement clause makes Brad Treliving’s life much easier. Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, Lindholm, Backlund, Mangiapane, and Dube are all easy decisions to protect.
Speaking of no-movement clauses, goaltender Jacob Markstrom must be protected from Seattle, but that obviously would have been Calgary’s decision regardless. Moving along…
On the blueline, the Flames have five defenders worth protecting and only three slots. Hanifin and Andersson, two 24-year-olds who appear to be the future of the team’s blueline, are obvious choices. For the final spot, the Flames have to pick between captain Mark Giordano, another quality veteran in Chris Tanev, and a former first-round pick in Oliver Kylington.
Given Giordano’s age, the Flames could probably get away with leaving him exposed, but there’s some risk that Seattle might snag him and make the former Norris Trophy winner their captain. Kylington hasn’t yet established himself as a consistent NHL player, so he’s likely the one Calgary exposes, and, if that’s the case, he’s likely the one Seattle selects.