Calgary Flames’ moves keeping Tod Button and scouts busy

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The job hasn’t modified for Tod Button and the Calgary Flames scouting workers.

There’s simply form of … properly, there’s extra to do.

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With Flames GM Craig Conroy buying and selling away veteran gamers this season and constructing a treasure trove of draft picks that might outline the group’s foreseeable future, there’s going to be a variety of concentrate on Button, the group’s director of beginner scouting, and the blokes he works with.

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Hit with just a few picks and the Flames will probably be properly on their manner again in the direction of rivalry.

Miss, and it’s going to take lots longer.

“It actually hasn’t modified the job, as a result of we plan for each eventuality,” Button mentioned earlier this week in an interview earlier than he entered a rural rink for extra scouting. “Whether or not it’s getting extra picks, having much less picks, regardless of the case could also be, or buying and selling up or buying and selling down, what it does do is make us a bit extra hyper-focused so far as understanding that we’ve got an opportunity to essentially add to the group.

“It’s a giant draft for us, in order that half is thrilling.”

There are circumstances connected to a number of the picks, however it’s potential that the Flames could have as many as eight picks within the first 4 rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft. 4 of these might be within the first two rounds, too, so there’s potential for the group to fast-track their retool — or no matter we’re calling it lately — by including some high-end expertise in late June.

The Flames at present have the ninth-fewest factors in the whole NHL, with 71, and have just a few groups that might simply leapfrog them earlier than the season is thru. There are 4 groups inside seven factors of the Flames with 11 video games to go, in any case.

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That ought to imply good issues when the draft lottery comes round, reportedly within the first week of Might.

And whereas it’s not believed that this draft incorporates a generational famous person like final yr with Connor Bedard, Button likes what he sees from the 2024 class.

And additions to the scouting workers might make a giant distinction, too.

Button is feeling optimistic about what the draft might deliver.

“I’ll be sincere with you, at the beginning of the yr I used to be involved with how deep the draft was,” Button admitted. “However, as normally occurs, because the yr goes on guys emerge that you could be not have identified about or they develop a bit later.

“You all the time know who the highest guys are. We added a Russian scout, which we didn’t have. We relied lots on European scouts or InStat video, however we added Denis Grebeshkov this yr and he’s been great for us and now we’ve got a far more intensive checklist. We all know extra Russian gamers than I’d say we might have up to now.”

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So the Flames are going to have extra details about the gamers who is perhaps obtainable on June 28 and 29 in Las Vegas than ever earlier than. That may solely be factor.

And the group’s scouts are working day and night time to get the absolute best learn on as many prospects as potential.

Some groups might need the luxurious of shortening the pool of gamers they want to have a look at, however not the Flames.

If a group is aware of it’s going to be ending close to the highest of the standings, they’ll most likely skip out on scouting guys who’re going to be chosen within the prime 10.

When you’re the Flames and you understand you’ve a bunch of picks scattered all through the primary couple of rounds, you could attempt to get your eyes on everyone.

“Even in a yr the place we’ve got one choose, we nonetheless need to put the checklist so as, consider gamers, say who we predict goes to be NHL gamers and issues like that,” Button mentioned. “In order that doesn’t change, you continue to need to have your checklist, however all this does is make you conscious that extra picks are going to be obtainable for us and when you’ve extra picks you’ve extra probabilities to maneuver up, extra probabilities to maneuver down, so it provides some technique for positive and it’s important to know an even bigger pool of gamers.”

daustin@postmedia.com

X: @DannyAustin_9

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