Jessica Belmosto

The Calgary Flames had a less than stellar 2022-23 season. It was a year of adjustments and everything going wrong. There was no room for a silver of hope, happiness or positivity to squeak through. 

The Flames start their offseason by kicking head coach Darryl Sutter to the curb. It was reported that players recinded their trade requests once the firing became offical. Does that speak to the animosity in the locker room and point to the problem or what? 

The Flames followed that up with announcing Brad Treliving would not be back. For the first time in a long time, there was a feeling of hope. For the first time in a decade, there would be a new General Manager. Murray Edwards and Don Maloney had the opportunity to change the direction of this team. 

While they searched high and low for a GM, they found one right in their own backyard. Craig Conroy who was being groomed to lead, would now be at the helm of the Calgary Flames. 

In his introductory press conference, Conroy made it clear that change is coming. “Fun” and “enjoyment” were established as pillars for these next moves. 

While the hunt for a new head coach remains ongoing, it got me thinking to my first year of covering this team. The Calgary Flames had fired Bill Peters and Geoff Ward became the interim head coach. The interim tag was dropped and he was hired as the head coach. During that head coaching search, the Flames did not interview anyone besides Ward. “Go girl give us nothing” type energy.

Ward didn’t even last half the shortened season behind the bench. The Flames were able to get Darryl Sutter out of Anaheim as an advisor and back to Calgary. 

A lot of people call the remainder of that season a trial run. It was a chance for Sutter to get to know the players and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. It was an opportunity to maximize the team’s potential at no real risk. 

Well, Sutter got his chance. He coached the team to the top of the Pacific division and two 100+ point players to a second round exit. The 2021-22 season was a ride. There was every single reason to be on the “In Sutter We Trust” train. 

Then the 2022-23 season had everyone jumping off. 

Back to the coaching carousel. 

This team is on its third coach in the four seasons I’ve covered them. That’s not good.

Does that speak to the organization giving up on coaches or the players running the team? I think it is very dependent on the situation. The Sutter situation was bad. There is no denying that. Firing him needed to happen. Geoff Ward was a horrible coach. Granted, he did come in after Bill Peters was relieved of his duties for racism and then a global pandemic happened… Did he get that much of a chance? 

The answer is yes. 

Every coach got a fair shot at this team and only one of them was successful. Sutter came in during the bubble season and had a freebie on getting to know this team and evaluating where they were at.

There is no denying he got the most out of those players. The Flames won the division, had two 100+ points players, a Vezina trophy candidate as well as Selke trophy finalist. Darryl Sutter earned that Jack Adams award. 

Fans had every reason to believe the 2022-23 season was going to be good. Sure, there’d be a slight regression but things were going to be okay!

Newsflash, it was not.

Not that long ago, fans were begging the Flames to blow up the core. It happened, just not the way people expected. 

Captain Mark Gio went to Seattle in the expansion draft and is is currentlywith Toronto; Sean Monahan missed most of his season with Montreal, Johnny Gaudreau left for Columbus and of course Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final. 

Things are different. People naturally reject change. It’s not always black and white. There is often times a gray area in analyzing just about any situation in  hockey. 

The Flames are in a much different place than they were three years ago. The goals are different, personnel is different and the roster is different. You have to build around those goals and that’s exactly what the Flames are doing. 

Craig Conroy is now spearheading the search for a new head coach. It won’t be Gerard Gallant or Peter Laviolette. Andrew Brunette is out of the picture since being hired in Nashville. It’s reported that Marc Savard is a long shot and Kirk Muller has interviewed elsewhere. Ryan Huska or Mitch Love are the most likely candidates. 

At this point, we know the Flames are comfortable hiring from within. You’ve seen how they work with your players and they’re already familiar with the organizations dynamics. The Calgary Flames have no time to waste. They need someone that has proven success with the Calgary Flames and their talent. The Flames have a handful of AHL players that will more than likely make the jump to the NHL this year. What better way to get acclimated than to have a coach that you know and knows your strengths. 

The Flames have been in a weird transition period for some time. It’s like the dust starts to settle and then another curveball comes their way. That’s the nature of the beast but after a year of everything going wrong and bad luck, I think it’s okay to want a long term plan with minimal changes. 
Craig Conroy has his work cut out for him and he knows the pressure is on. He is fully aware of that and knows that the C of Red has high expectations.

If there is anything I have learned while covering this team it is manage those expectations.