Pacific Notes: Calgary’s Draft Picks, Ward, Neal

The Flames have explored trying to get back into the first round of the draft and have even spoken with the teams holding the top picks, Assistant GM Craig Conroy acknowledged during an interview with Sportsnet 960 (audio link).  However, the indication that they have been given is that none of the teams at the top are interested in dealing their selections.  Calgary has just four picks next month and the earliest is 105th overall so they will be continuing to try to add to what they have.  When asked about the likelihood that they’d be able to do so, Conroy handicapped their odds as 60/40 that they would be able to add another pick, though not necessarily a first-rounder.

More from the Pacific:

• Still with Calgary, Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg reports (Twitter link) that Devils assistant coach Geoff Ward has emerged as a candidate to fill a similar role with the Flames. Ward has spent the last three seasons in New Jersey while doubling as an assistant for the German National Team for the past four years.  He also spent seven seasons as an assistant with Boston.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds via Twitter that Ward is likely Calgary-bound.  Steinberg also notes that Ryan Huska, the head coach of Calgary’s AHL affiliate in Stockton, is a candidate to be promoted to work under new bench boss Bill Peters.
• Golden Knights winger James Neal is set to become one of the more intriguing unrestricted free agents in July. He has surpassed the 20-goal mark in each of his ten NHL seasons and for teams in need of scoring, that type of consistency is going to be appealing for general managers.  With that in mind, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on a segment on TSN 1040 (audio link) that he has heard rumblings that Neal’s camp may be asking for a deal around seven years and $42MM on the open market.  He turns 31 in September so that type of term may scare some suitors off but because he has been a productive scorer for a long time, a $6MM AAV is certainly a possibility.