logo
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Would the Canucks consider swapping first round picks with the Flames?
alt
Photo credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
May 29, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: May 29, 2026, 02:43 EDT
Comments
Our colleagues at FlamesNation.com have explored the idea of the Calgary Flames moving up in next month’s NHL Draft. They have detailed a report suggesting Calgary has expressed a desire to boost its draft position, and they have also examined the cost of such a move.
As it stands at the moment, the Flames are set to select sixth overall in the first round of the draft on June 26th. Among the five teams slated to pick ahead of them are the Vancouver Canucks, which begs the question: should the Canucks consider swapping draft slots with their division rivals?
On the surface, the Canucks need to be open to any and all discussions that could present ways to bolster their prospect pool or add to their draft capital. And certainly dropping down three spots would have to come at an attractive price — almost an offer too good to refuse kind of price. 
So new general manager Ryan Johnson should certainly hear his Cowtown counterpart Craig Conroy out if he picks up the phone to inquire about a deal. The Flames have their own pick as well as a first-rounder from Vegas picked up in the Noah Hanafin deal. The Flames also have four second-round selections, including four picks in the top 36 of the draft. So they are armed with a bevy of assets and sound like they are prepared to use some of them to move closer to the top of this year’s draft.
If the Flames are willing to significantly overpay to climb the draft ladder, sure, the Canucks should be all ears. The FlamesNation article suggests Calgary would have to throw in its second first-round pick, along with one of its later second-rounders, just to flip picks three and six. Now that kind of offer would certainly make things interesting.
But if the idea is that the Canucks could make that deal with the Flames and still land coveted centre Caleb Malhotra in the sixth slot, they’re probably dreaming. It seems unlikely that Malhotra will slip past the Rangers with the fifth pick, if not the Chicago Blackhawks at four. Or perhaps the Brantford forward is the player the Flames have their eyes on if they can get the third overall selection.
Malhotra to the Rangers just makes too much sense and would present an incredible full-circle hockey moment, considering Manny Malhotra was a top-10 pick (seventh overall) by the Blueshirts in 1998. Once top prospects Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Malhotra are off the board, the Canucks would be looking at reaching with any of Viggo Bjorck, Tynan Lawrence or Wyatt Cullen with the sixth overall selection if they were intent on grabbing a forward with their first swing in this year’s draft.
From a Canucks standpoint, it doesn’t seem to make much sense to allow a rival and a team also going through a similar rebuild to move ahead of you in the draft to land the best available talent. The Flames need an offensive injection as badly as the Canucks do, and you have to believe they’ll use their first pick – wherever it falls – on a forward. So why would you willingly allow Calgary to move up to nab a better player than the Canucks will likely get if they went through with this swap?
The other part of the equation is that after the season that was and all the losing that went along with it, it feels like trading out of the top five would be a massive disappointment for a Canucks fan base that has endured an awful lot over the past eight months. It wasn’t that long ago Canucks fans held out hope of seeing the team win the lottery and pick first overall for the first time in franchise history. Dropping to third was a massive disappointment, so tumbling even further must seem unthinkable to many.
So the Calgary Flames may be hot and heavy to move up in the draft, and who knows, maybe they’ll find a way. But unless they’re willing to make a ridiculous offer to do so, the Canucks probably ought to take a pass on this idea.
Sponsored by bet365
Editorials
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News