The Calgary Flames are heading into Vancouver next weekend for the 2019 NHL Draft with five picks at their disposal. The good news is that they still have a selection in the fourth round because, during Tod Button’s tenure, they’ve been pretty effective at finding NHLers in that round.
The lean years
Things started out rough for Button’s scouting staff regarding their fourths:
- in 2002 the Flames drafted Yuri Artemenkov (112th overall), who never left Russia.
- In 2003 they selected Jamie Tardif at 112th; he never signed, but he ended up playing pro for awhile and played two NHL games with Boston one season.