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They would be welcoming one or the other — and were tickled either way.

The Calgary Flames owned the sixth-overall selection in the 2013 NHL draft, and the way they predicted things would unfold before their podium visit, they would be picking whomever was still available from this pair of forward prospects — Sean Monahan or Elias Lindholm.

“We were sitting there knowing we were going to get a good frickin’ player at No. 6,” recalled Tod Button, the longtime director of amateur scouting on the southern side of the NHL’s Battle of Alberta.

“This may sound a little bit petty, but I was happy that Carolina took Lindholm at No. 5 because then I knew that Edmonton wasn’t going to get him. They got (Darnell) Nurse, and he’s a good player, but I was hoping Carolina took Monahan or Lindholm, because I did not want Edmonton to get them, either one.

“That was just a small part of my thinking.”

Now, the Flames have both of them.