Report: Calgary Flames willing to trade three first-round picks for the top overall pick

It's no surprise that the Calgary Flames want to shake up their roster. This point was made clear prior to the 2013 trade deadline when the Flames dealt Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues. Add in speculation that Miikka Kiprusoff is preparing to retire and you have a franchise ready to take on a new identity. 

The Flames are finally rebuilding after missing the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. It appears the club is even willing to go to drastic measures to get the rebuild rolling. A report from CBC's Elliotte Friedman indicates that the club is/was willing to deal all three of their first-round picks in exchange for Colorado's top overall pick.

Calgary GM Jay Feaster is dangling a pretty juicy offer in front of Colorado's nose. Specifically, Feaster is willing to give up the 6th, 22nd and 28th picks in the 2013 NHL Draft in exchange for the first selection. 

Why would the Flames offer up so much? According to The Fourth Period, the Flames are eager to get their hands on either defenseman Seth Jones or forward Nathan MacKinnon. It's obvious that both men will be drafted before the Flames have a chance to say either name in the first round, barring a trade. 

Not only is this news fascinating (trade talk is fun!), but it also signals that Calgary is willing to get nuts to take their team in a new direction. While it's nice to see the Flames trying to change up a losing formula, this is a pretty risky way to do it. At this stage it's imperative for the Flames to come out with victories in both the draft and in free agency. The franchise isn't in a position to take a big risk that might set them back another 3-5 years. The Flames need to improve and they need to do it soon. 

This report/rumor also reopens the discussion on whether Seth Jones is truly worthy of the overall pick. We've seen in the past how well defenseman have panned out when selected first overall (*Cough* Erik Johnson *Cough*). If the Flames were to deal for a higher pick with all three of their first-round picks, they would need an immediate return from that player. Is Jones that guy, or would the Flames (or any other team for that matter) be better off with someone else?

About David Rogers

Editor for The Comeback and Contributing Editor for Awful Announcing. Lover of hockey, soccer and all things pop culture.

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