The Flames’ 2026 offseason put Craig Conroy right in the middle of a rebuild that suddenly feels a lot more real. Calgary had the sixth overall pick, its highest selection since it took Matthew Tkachuk sixth overall ten years ago, and the front office used the summer to keep leaning hard into youth.
That meant adding 2022 second-overall pick Simon Nemec, drafting Carson Carels and Jack Hextall, and moving on from Blake Coleman. Once the draft and free agency were in the books, the question was simple: how did Conroy do? Readers weighed in, and the results painted a fairly clear picture.
The strongest support came for an A grade, and it’s easy to see why. Nemec brings elite offensive upside, and that kind of ceiling is exactly what Calgary has been missing.
With New Jersey crowded on the blue line, the thinking is that the Flames might be able to give him the minutes needed to unlock more of that potential. Then there’s Carels, the sixth overall pick, a high-end two-way defenceman who could fit beside Parekh or Nemec.
The back end is where this rebuild is being built first, and the idea is that Calgary could end up with the best young defensive group in the league.
That same group of voters also pointed to the way Conroy kept adding draft capital. Even after sending out picks for Nemec, Calgary still came away with more selections by dealing Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta.
Conroy turned two veterans into a 2029 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick, and a 2028 fourth-round pick. The message from that camp was straightforward: if you think the Flames should not rush the rebuild, this was a strong summer.
The B crowd had a more measured read. They liked the commitment to youth, but they questioned the price tag on Nemec and whether Coleman was moved for enough in return. They also pointed to the bigger-picture issue that keeps hanging over these summers: Calgary still hasn’t landed that first-line centre of the future.
Nemec’s upside is undeniable, but the argument against the move is rooted in what he has done so far, not what he might become. The source of the debate is his potential, and that’s part of the gamble when you’re dealing with a former second overall pick.
Coleman, meanwhile, was viewed as one of Calgary’s better players, but on a contender he profiles more as a depth piece. That made the return a fair point of discussion.
The draft itself also drew scrutiny. Conroy had said repeatedly that he would take the best player available, and outside of McKenna and Stenberg, the gap between the top forward options and Carels didn’t seem especially wide.
Viggo Bjorck came up in that conversation as another name in the mix. Even so, the final judgment there is still years away.
Very few readers landed on a C or D. The general feeling was that it’s tough to hammer Conroy for this offseason, especially when he stayed committed to the plan. He has not drifted from the goal of building a team that can contend for years, and the willingness to trade veterans for younger players with real upside has left the prospect cupboard looking stronger.
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