Burke: Flames won't deal draft picks for deadline rental

If the Calgary Flames are to add to their roster before this year's trade deadline, it won't come at the expense of the club's future draft picks, at least according to team president Brian Burke.

The Flames are firmly entrenched in the playoff race in the crowded Western Conference, and entered Wednesday's games in third spot in the Pacific with 62 points, enough to momentarily fend off the pursuing Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.

That said, Calgary could potentially benefit from some added offensive punch on the wing, but Burke won't sell future assets for a quick fix.

"We don't have a lot of picks - we're not picking until (the third round of the 2018 draft), so we can't use the deadline to pick up a rental player with a relatively high pick," Burke said on Sportsnet 590's Prime Time Sports on Wednesday. "We're not going into (2019) picks ... unless it's an extraordinary circumstance."

The Flames traded a first- and two second-round picks to the New York Islanders for defenseman Travis Hamonic in the offseason, and also gave up future draft selections in separate trades for Michael Stone and Mike Smith.

While the odds of bringing in an outside player are slim, Burke believes the solution to Calgary's wish list could come internally, as he mentioned winger Kris Versteeg - who hasn't played since Nov. 24 due to hip surgery - could return soon to help the club's playoff push.

Copyright (C) 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.