To say the Calgary Flames had a good weekend, would be a huge understatement. First, the Flames pulled off a surprise move, acquiring defenseman Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins.
While Hamilton’s name was being floated around in trade rumors, it seemed improbable the club was actually going to move their best young defenseman. But, this is the Bruins after all, and with GM Don Sweeney apparently afraid other teams, like the Edmonton Oilers, were going to offersheet the 6’5″ rearguard, they acted quickly and traded him to the Western Conference at a discounted rate.
The cost was minuscule compared to the return. A mid first round pick and two second round picks was all it took to get him – which is baffling considering he’s 22 years-old and already a top pairing defenseman.
What’s frightening is how Hamilton could impact Calgary’s D-group. T.J Brodie and captain Mark Giordano are already among the best in the league, so adding Hamilton means the rich get richer. While Brian Burke has publicly stated his distaste for analytics, he has three guys that are high impact possession players.
(Stats via War On Ice)
If acquiring Hamilton wasn’t enough, what Calgary did in the actual draft was equally as impressive. Without a first round pick, the Flames had to be creative.
They took a bit of home run swing by drafting Swedish defensemen Rasmus Andersson with the 53rd overall pick. The Barrie Colts defenseman was reported to having one of the hardest shots in the draft, and had plenty of upside as an offensive defenseman.
(Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Here’s what Elite Prospects had to say about him.
An offensively active defenceman who works a power dynamic; he is able to win battles against larger opponents through outworking them, and is able to skate with the speediest of smaller opponents. Responsible defensively, but decision making does need some work. All-in-all, an intelligent, hard-working defenceman that is constantly alert in all three zones and willing to do battle with any and all opponents.
More impressively was who they selected after Andersson.
One of the drafts biggest fallers was Oliver Kylington. The Swedish defenseman was a consensus first round talent by scouts, but his stock slid more and more as the draft approached. Towards the end of the second round, his name still hadn’t been called. The Flames acted quickly, and traded two third round picks for the last pick in the second round (60th overall) and selected the 17-year-old. That’s a damn fine move.
SUNRISE, FL – JUNE 27: Oliver Kylington reacts after being selected 60th overall by the Calgary Flames during the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 27, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Here’s what TSN’s Craig Button said about him.
Arguably one of the very best skaters in the draft, Oliver dances on his blades with equally high-end speed, quickness and agility and makes it look incredibly effortless. His confidence seemed to falter at times and affect his productivity but a turnaround in this could eventually see him, being one of the draft’s best defencemen.
One of the draft’s best defenseman falling to the last pick in the second round simply doesn’t happen, and the fact Calgary orchestrated a move to take a chance on Kylington shows that Burke and general manger Jim Treliving really know what they are doing.
In one day, the Flames built on both the present and the future, adding Hamilton, Andersson and Kylington for draft picks, which is impressive asset management. While Andersson and Kylington are not sure things, it’s a promising start. Calgary’s defence 3-5 years from now could be scary good. Heck, it’s already pretty darn good.
The Flames, pardon the pun, were pure fire on draft day.
