Insider Reveals Flames Attemped Trade Up for Nathan MacKinnon in 2013

Nathan MacKinnon is more than a decade into his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career with the Colorado Avalanche, though before he was selected first overall in 2013, another Western Conference team nearly changed history.

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During the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Calgary Flames made a major offer to acquire the first overall pick that year from Colorado, with MacKinnon, of course, in mind. The proposed deal would have sent the sixth, 22nd, and 28th overall picks in the draft to the Avalanche, but Joe Sakic had no interest in making such a move.

Friedman said:

“The famous one I always remember is the year Nathan MacKinnon was up. Calgary had three picks in the first round: 6, 22, and 28. And they offered all three of them to Colorado for the number one pick, and Colorado was like, ‘Nope, we’re not doing that.’ And it wasn’t even a thought because they felt those three picks together weren’t even worth number one… In the NHL, history shows that if you have these picks, it is extremely rare that you move far away from them,”

The 30-year-old MacKinnon delivered another brilliant season, recording 127 points (53 goals, 74 assists) in 80 games during the 2025–26 regular campaign. He has also tallied 10 points (four goals, six assists) through the first six games of the playoffs.

Calgary ultimately selected Sean Monahan. Emile Poirier and Morgan Klimchuk with their three first-round picks. It’s pretty safe to say Colorado is more than happy they held onto the pick and selected MacKinnon, while the Flames wish that pipe dream had become reality.

The story resurfaced after the Toronto Maple Leafs shockingly won the draft lottery on Tuesday night, though examples like this suggest the odds of Toronto trading down from number one are slim to none.

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