Michael Cammalleri led the Calgary Flames with 39 goals last season. The wee winger placed second, behind only Jarome Iginla, in team scoring with 89 points.

But talk to Darryl Sutter, and he'll tell you regular-season stats mean little--if anything --when it comes to evaluating any and all of his pending free agents.

And that includes Cammalleri.

''I'm not going back on saying we evaluate our players on how they play in the playoffs," the general manager said Wednesday before flying to Montreal for the NationalHockey League Entry Draft. "It's not a team thing. It's an individual thing."

Individually, Cammalleri notched one goal and three points through six post-season games against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Modest numbers? You bet, although the pint-sized winger had plenty of company in that regard as the injury battered Flames fell in convincing fashion, yet again, in the first round.

"We're not going to overpay a player or keep a player,'' Sutter said, "because somebody thinks he's popular or any of those things."

When it comes to popularity, the Flames faithful love No. 13. Adore him, actually.

Always eloquent, the 27-year-old speaks his mind. He answers the tough questions after wins and losses.

Within weeks of his arrival in Calgary, Cammalleri became good friends with established veterans like Jarome Iginla and Craig Conroy.

They will likely be former teammates come July 1 with Cammalleri, due for a healthy raise on the $3.6 million US he made last season.

"We'll pay the players -- whether they're ours or somebody else's that become free agents--who we think can help our hockey team." Sutter said. "We have a really good team.''

A native of Richmond Hill, Ont., Cammalleri is expected to seriously consider signing with the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flames could, in the coming days, trade Cammalleri to another team interested in the exclusive rights to negotiate a new contract before July 1.

Other pending Flames free agents, of the unrestricted variety, include Todd Bertuzzi, Adam Pardy, Jordan Leopold, Adrian Aucoin, Andre Roy, Anders Eriksson and Rhett Warrener. Centre Dustin Boyd is a restricted free agent.

"It may be time for our top players who are under contract to make lesser players better," Sutter said.

"My target after Christmas was to try and sign David Moss, try and get something done with Curtis McElhinney and try to get something done with Adam Pardy."

Mission accomplished with Moss and McElhinney. Sutter has less than a week to lock up Pardy before the clock strikes on free agency.

"And then, after that, you see what else you want to do," Sutter said. "It's not different than what I said last summer.

"We're about getting young guys in the lineup and long-term being a good hockey club. We've been able to do it, and we have to continue to be able to do it."

For the 2009-10 season, the Flames have 16 NHLers under contract for a cap hit of $47.4 million. That total does not include Boyd or Pardy.

The salary cap is expected to hover around $56.7 million for the second straight season. Still, Sutter scoffs at the mere suggestion of swinging a trade at the draft with the intent of trimming the budget.

"Actually, we have a lot of salary cap room," he said. "We don't have to do that."

The Flames opted to keep their first-round pick (20th overall) in 2009 instead of giving it to the Phoenix Coyotes. That means the Coyotes will take Calgary's first pick in 2010 as part of the Olli Jokinen deal.

"You're better to take that player now and have him with you," Sutter said. "It's like waiting to get into Grade 10, sort of."

In other words, Sutter would rather claim a prospect now and start grooming him immediately instead of waiting.

" We felt this year's first round or first 40 or 50 guys is really even," Sutter said. "You couldn't say that the last three or four years. You can't predict it going forward."

The Flames dealt away their second-round pick (51st overall) as part of the Cammalleri trade. They also shipped their third-round selection (81st overall) to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the deal for Jim Vandermeer.

Coming the other way is Phoenix's third round (67th overall) pick as part of the Jokinen trade and Columbus Blue Jackets' fourth-round (111th overall) selection for goaltending prospect Kevin LaLande.

Sutter is known for wheeling and dealing on the draft floor, but the old farmer has no intention of pulling off a blockbuster in Montreal for the right to pick John Tavares, Victor Hedman or Matt Duchene. "It's really difficult to move up, unless you want to trade your top players," Sutter said. "It's pretty much impossible. What does moving up mean? You're not going to move up into the top 10, that's for sure. Those teams that pick one through 10 are all teams that had really tough years. You're not going to steal something from them.

"I can see teams moving around that are in those picks. The teams that pick from one to 10 or one to 15, they're usually teams that trade with each other, right?We're not one of them, so it's not worth talking about it."

Worth talking about is the addition of a promising young defenceman to join the likes Matt Pelech, John Negrin. T. J. Brodie and Keith Aulie in the system.

"This organization's defence will be good for the next 15 years," Sutter said. "Not just average, but good. We'll just try to continue to add. If we can add a defenceman again this year, I'd be all for it.

"We have a good enough team here--and we don't pick high enough--that there's a player who is going to step in and play on our team in the draft, where we pick.

"So the next thing is to add to the stable of kids that we have who are close to playing."

The draft begins Friday night at the Bell Centre.

vhall@theherald.canwest.com---------

Flames' 2009 Draft Card At A Glance

The Flames go to this weekend's National Hockey League draft in Montreal with seven picks. (How many prospects they return with is another matter.)

The first round is set for Friday night at the Bell centre:

Round Overall

1 20th

3 67th

4 107th

4 111th

5 141st

6 171st

7 201st

Ice Chips: - Calgary dealt its second-round pick, 51st overall, to los angeles in the michael cammalleri trade. - Calgary netted a third-round pick, 67th overall, from phoenix in the olli Jokinen deal. - Calgary dealt its third-round pick, 81st overall, to philadelphia in the Jim vandermeer trade. - Calgary acquired a fourth-round pick, 111th overall, from columbus in the Kevin lalande trade.