What is Going on with the Calgary Flames?
Management is not on the Same Page and It is Obvious
Something is going on in Calgary with the Flames. If it wasn’t already clear, the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations are not on the same page, and neither is ownership and management.
President of Hockey Operations Don Maloney is adamant about not rebuilding. Maloney, as he told Eric Francis of Sportsnet in a two-part interview, said they are now in a different phase. While they are not going forward, they want to be a competitive team.
I think a retooling is more accurate, but that was started two years ago when we traded all those really good NHL players. There’s a new mindset going forward. You think of the last few years when Tre (Brad Treliving) and Darryl (Sutter) were here, we were going for it. We gave up picks and we acquired players, and unfortunately we didn’t have the playoff success that you would like. We’re in a different phase now, but we still think we can be a competitive team. We can fight for playoff spots as we grow the franchise.
At the same time, GM Craig Conroy, at the beginning of the season, talked about how the team is building to something and how they are not there yet, but it is a good sign for all these young players to sign in Calgary because they know what the future can hold.
“They (Matt Coronato, Dustin Wolf, Kevin Bahl, Conor Zary) want to be here,” Conroy told the media. “They see where the team’s headed, and obviously, we’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but these guys are going to be a big part of it moving forward, and I mean, even as we move forward, it sends a message to the rest of the league. Calgary is a place that we’re trying to build something, and we want to win, and you know, hopefully, draw other people here.”
As Full Press Media has documented, Conroy is building toward 2027 when the new building opens. However, he may or may not get to do that because he is in the last year of his deal with no extension in sight. Or at least that is how it appears. As of right now, the team is looking to see how things play out before making that decision.
Outside of his comments on John Beecher, Conroy has been quiet about what he is doing with the Calgary Flames. It makes you wonder if Maloney is the one running things because he didn’t like the plan that Conroy had in mind.
But it is clear that, with a committee of individuals rather than one man leading the charge with a clear vision and mission statement, the Calgary Flames will struggle on and off the ice.
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Something is awry with the Calgary Flames this season. As explained on the Rod Pedersen Show, the disconnect between all the parties involved is real, as we are seeing it played out this week in the media.
FullPressMedia.com Transcriptions
Rod Pedersen: “By the way, what are you hearing out of Calgary? You’ve got the good sources out there. What the hell’s going on, last place? Wire to wire.”
Jim Biringer: “Yeah. Not a good look right now. I think there’s a disconnect right now between what Craig Conroy believed in his heart over the summer and ownership, and what they want to do. I think the issue is that everybody’s seen what’s gone on in Detroit and in Buffalo, with those rebuilds taking so long. Buffalo’s still in one, and the issue becomes not making the playoffs in 10 years, as we discussed last time.
Look, they need Gavin McKenna. They need a top player. They haven’t had a top pick in the NHL Draft since Sam Bennett. And Sam Bennett is now on the Florida Panthers, so they need that. The issue is, when do you decide to stay out of the murky middle and realize, Okay, lost season, who we got to move out?
The issue is also that they don’t have many UFAs this year. Unlike a couple of years ago, when (Tyler) Toffoli left, when (Elias) Lindholm left, Jacob Markstrom left. Well, Marstrom still had a year on his deal. But there were a bunch of guys who were UFA, and you could just move everybody out. Noah Hanifin is another guy, but now you only have Rasmus Andersson.
Nazem Kadri still wants to stay in Calgary. So until he says he doesn’t want to be there, that’s a trade chp that’s off the market. Blake Coleman is there. You’ve got to figure out, and we’ve talked about this. I’m kind of harping on this again. Talk to some people.
The Rasmus Andersson situation is a distraction, regardless of whether people want to believe it or not. That needed to be resolved before the season started, and I think that’s something that they’re going to have to revisit and try to figure out where Rasmus wants to go, because it doesn’t sound like he’s going to stay in Calgary.”
It makes you wonder whether Conroy had a deal in place with Andersson this summer and was told not to go through with it. Is the price just so high that teams aren’t jumping on it? Or does someone within the Flames organization want to keep him as part of the future?
When the GM hasn’t spoken since before the start of the season and the President of Hockey Operations has done two interviews in a couple of days, it makes people wonder if the Flames will go in a different direction at the end of the season.
It is clear the Calgary Flames need a franchise-changing player, but it also appears certain people in management are ok with the murky middle. The Flames had a good vision, but false expectations have clouded certain members of management's thinking, leading them to believe this team is better than it is.
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