Times have been dark for the Calgary Flames lately. But with Calgary native Landon DuPont coming up in the 2027 draft, it may have been worth the wait for the Flames to potentially get their first No. draft pick in their history.
There's still a long way to go for the 2027 NHL draft. In fact, it hasn't even been two months since the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick of the 2026 draft.
Nevertheless, one player who seems to be a household name already for the 2027 draft class is Canadian defenseman Landon DuPont, who is projected to be the first overall pick.
The timing of DuPont's draft year couldn't be more convenient for his hometown team, the Calgary Flames, who would certainly be a club challenging for the first overall pick this coming season.
One fact about the Flames and the draft, they've never owned a first-overall pick in their 46-year history in Calgary. But with a Calgary native like DuPont approaching his draft year, it may be worth the wait for the Flames if they're able to get their hands on the young blueliner.
Think about the last several years of Flames hockey. They haven't seen the Stanley Cup playoffs for the past four seasons, and that drought is anticipated to continue for a few more years.
The last time Calgary was a competitive and exciting team was in 2021-22. They had three 40-goal scorers in Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm. On the back end were Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin.
Supporting that core were the likes of 35-goal scorer Andrew Mangiapane, Chris Tanev, Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, Nikita Zadorov, not to mention a goaltending tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar.
Furthermore, Gaudreau finished fourth for the Hart Trophy, Lindholm finished second for the Selke Trophy, and Markstrom finished second for the Vezina Trophy. They were truly a talented team that won the Pacific Division and saw the second round of the playoffs, which hadn't happened since 2014-15.
The 2021-22 campaign was the last in Calgary for Gaudreau and Tkachuk. Since then, not only has it been challenging for the Flames to be competitive, but they haven't been a destination to attract stars.
But with DuPont, a homegrown talent, it's less likely to see him want to part ways with the Flames for the reason of a change of scenery. That should be important to the Flames.
It would also be ideal for the team to have a star like DuPont as the organization enters a new era with a new Scotia Place arena coming for the 2027-28 season.
Indeed, it might be challenging for GM Craig Conroy to handle two young right-handed defensemen in Simon Nemec and Zayne Parekh in addition to potentially drafting DuPont, but that bridge will be crossed when and if they get there.
Any team in any season would love the luxury of having the first overall pick. But for Calgary, given the history of bad luck in the draft lottery and players moving on to different locations and situations, all the stars are aligning for a potential match for the Flames and DuPont.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
