Due to the Flames’ trip to China, they’ve had the luxury of keeping much of their final NHL roster together early on in preseason. The reverse has been a boon for the team, as well: with such a prospect-heavy group dressing in early games, hopeful rookies have had the chance to stand out.
A couple of them have already done so in a big way: 2016 second round picks Dillon Dube and Tyler Parsons.
Dube and Parsons joined the organization through nearly identical means: not just by being drafted in the second round, not just by being drafted nearly back-to-back (Parsons was selected 54th overall, Dube 56th), but by the fact the picks used to bring them into the fold were not originally the Flames’.