Well as a Flames fan pretty easy grades as they were relatively quiet.
Flames stuck with the tired and true, size over skill. Leaving arguably better players on the board to go with the safe pick.
Flames Draft
Grade: C+:
Honzek 6'3" LW. He was the safe pick at when the flames were on the clock at 16. Honzek projects as a bubble top line most likely 2nd line LW. In a deep draft His size and skill set does add a bit of intrigue that there is a potential higher ceiling if they can unlock it. He had some injuries so he didnt get to show case himself as much as most scouts wish. Additionally If he can transition to a C/LW he will continue to be intriguing. but as it stands bubble top line 2 way forward.
Etienn Morin 6'0" LHD projects as a offensive defenseman. He has talent on the offensive side and decent skating . However the knock is on him, is his defensive play and whether or not he will be able to defend at an NHL level. He projects as a sheltered offensive Dman who can quarterback a powerplay. Since Wideman flames haven't really had a true offensive defenceman to quarterback the power play so it is an intriguing pick.
Aydar Suniev 6'2" LW is a creative offensive winger. He projects to a bottom / top 9 winger. While he shows he can be dangerous with his passing and shot, he has next to no value when he is not with the puck.
Jayden Lipinski 6'4" C Is a big center with poor skating ability. Some offense to him. Has a good work ethic but his speed and hockey IQ are his weak points.
Yegor Yegorov: 6'3" G. Later round pick and goalies are a bit of a enigma. Especially for the flames with very little drafted goalies coming out of this organization able to make an impact at the nhl level. We will see....
Alex Hurtig: 6'3" LHD. Big tough Dman, almost no offense and nothing to get you out of your seat. Just a steady big man. Will need to get his skating fixed or he wont be in the pros.
Flames Free agency
Grade: D
In all fairness, newly appointed GM Craig Conroy the NHL's "Ted Lasso" acquired a mess. Mins after the announcement of his promotion he took the stage and promised Flames fans proper asset management.
However a week later Toffoli demanded a trade stating that the flames had not talked to him and he felt that they had no interest in having him with the organization anymore. Conroy was quick to ship him out for a underwhelming return. Hopes were high that after a 73 pt season in a bad year for the flames his return would be alot higher.
Another knock on his tenure so far is the flames had waited too long on dealing with Gaudreau and Tkachuck and missed golden opportunities to get value back. Conroy vowed that wouldn't happen any more. However the flames have made an offer to Lindholm nearly 2 weeks ago. Now still waiting for an answer the Flames have potentially missed out on opportunities to better their club at the draft and in the early stages of free agency before teams have capped themselves out reducing the amount of potential suitors.
Meanwhile the exodus continues as disgruntled top AHL player Matthew phillips and Connor Mackey have left the organization, along with nhl vets, Lucic, Lewis, Stetcher, while their only outside add is depth Defenceman Jordan Oesterle.
We shall see what happens but so far this offseason has not been reassuring.