cross16

Strindberg and Pinder have been mentioning Huska all week so this isn’t just Friedman. I think Huska is a very good coach but this is underwhelming for sure. As much as I like Huska he strikes me as more of a career assistant than the head coach type. I just haven’t seen that fire/attitude that can galvanize a group. But even my personal opinion aside I’m not sure I see/like the rationale of promoting an assistant (especially after a tough year) and also promoting someone who didn’t exactly knock it out of the park with coaching your farm team. this feels like a placeholder hire and a decision born more out of circumstance than him actually being the best candidate.

Not a big fan of this if true

I am reading the same from places I trust.

Seems to be some buzz building that this is done and could be announced this week.

He wasn't but the Kraken wanted Gio. Once they made him available there wasn't anyone else as an option for them (as the story goes)

Perhaps, it depends on the situation. Giordano wasn't lost for "free" he was lost for cap space and in order to save Kylington and/or Dube. Not suggesting they let Hanifin walk for nothing just don't think it's a reasonable expectation to say the Flames will now no longer let UFAs walk for nothing.

That isn't what he said. Never let an asset like Gaudreau walk again. Big difference there

I feel a lot better with Reirdon in there. He's smart and I do think has the profile of someone who would be better with a second chance. I personally think your always behind the eight ball as a coach when your promoted from Assistant to Head coach on the same team. Doesn't help if your following Trotz. I get the interest in Green but i'm not a fan personally. Didn't think his Canucks teams were well run but he is another guy I think they've liked in the past so I do get it.

It could be that he is a good coach but the problem I see is he feels his name recognition is worthy of more power than your average coach should have. not many coaches are worth that. I believe he is a very good hockey mind and perhaps if he was willing to just coach he could have success, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Reirdon is a name not yet heard from in this process but a guy i believe they liked in the past and IIRC was a finalist when they hired Gulutzan. Currently an associate coach for Pittsburgh so if he is in the mix it's likely for the head coach and not another role.

I'm not even sure you get that. I agree that as a pending UFA his value is locked it and it's not fantastic because the league is moving away from overpaying for pending UFAs. If you want a "haul" you need to move player who have term.

I would agree. I mean Provorov really isn't a very good dman do in that sense it could be sold as a haul but that isn't an exciting return for Hanifin. I don't think we'd get exctied about a return for Hanifin anyway, seems even more the case now.

I'd want no part of Roy and quite frankly I don't get the argument that the Flames should be interested. Wasn't that great the first go around and quit on his team in the summer after they started to take away his say in hockey ops decisions (mostly because he wasn't great at it).

It’s an interesting hire. Imo Babcock is very overrated as a coach and Columbus roster is still a mess. I don’t see Babcock as the type of coach who gets more out of what is there so I’m not sure I see this going well.

It’s still really weird to me that this narrative continue. nothing changed, there was just never the intention to have a rebuild here. At least one that called for spending multiple years in the basement.

ya it’s a weird narrative because Gaudreau’s own dad admitted he plays best for coaches that are hard on him and demand a lot.

Latest from Friedman. Pascal Vincent (associate coach in Columbus) expected to interview and list cut down next week. https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/32-thoughts-the-real-question-facing-new-maple-leafs-gm-brad-treliving/

For reference, the average tenure for an NHL coach is 2.4 years. Flames are right in that wheelhouse.

Well they don't have the option to look at them at the AHL unless you are proposing they sit one of the Wranglers (in the midst of a playoff race) to do so? I'm not saying this is Conroy throwing out previous work, but if he doesn't feel like they were good picks then why keep them around on your reserve list? Start fresh and build with you vision.

One thing I'll mention is I think this is by far the most unsigned prospects I've seen league wide, so the Flames letting this many go isn't just a them thing. Not sure if there is anything behind this, other than just I think COVID made scouting/assessing really difficult. I'm surprised and disappointed with Beck and Whynot though as I thought both were worthy of a contract. For a team shy on their reserve list i'm pretty not sure I understand why they don't keep those 2 in the fold. I think Conroy mentioned though he felt they weren't as strong the last 2 drafts as they had been previously so this could just be a new GM wanting to start fresh.

With Seravelli? I think he puts some of his opinion in there for sure but he also pegged Conroy as the favorite from day 1 and has been pretty accurate on Sutter. I think he's got some Flames sources that are farily reliable, even though I do find that Seravelli will inject his opinion in there more often then you'd like and sometimes it feels like he has an axe to grind. It's possible they missed on their guy but I would say its unlikely. You only have the 2 hires so far in Brunette and Carbery. I didn't hear interest in Carbery (but in fairness I think he was also interviewing by the time they hired Conroy) and there apparently was interest in Brunette but once Trotz called that was a done deal apparently. As I said I think the fact that the Flames, from the start, have been linked to more lesser names speaks to a few things. Budget is likely one of them, strong internal candidates another, but as I've said before this is not likely a top destination for a bigger name coach. Why are they coming here if they have choices? Huska wouldn't be a candidate for me but I understand he could be. I think he's more of an assistant and not a head coach type of candidate. I really like him as a coach but I also think it's time to start fresh. Love's rise to this position is pretty raare. He's only been behind a bench for 4-5 years (during COVID too) and coaching for around 10. Huska was in Kelowna for that long. But I do think the game is changing and coaching is less experience and more communication/ideas so I don't really consider this is disadvantage. I think what becomes important is who do you insulate the coach with.

He's been saying this since Day 1 but Seravelli repeats it again some may get caught up on the "cost" part of this but I think it should be pointed out too that this isn't exactly a great coaching cycle this year. Yes there is the Sutter impact but I also don't think there is a coach out there worth paying up for.

We do not know this no. All we know is the players just want someone who they communicate with effectively and not someone who is a completely Hash Rate to the organization.

Pascall was. That is the point i'm making. The promotions are on paper but they remove the ability for the Leafs to ask for permission because it's a lateral move. Pascal/Snow would have to quit. Again i'm not saying this was likely or is going to happen. IMO I think treliving has been earmarked to Toronto for sometime and I think Maloney knew that and took a step to protective himself and the franchise with 2 people he should want to keep.

Makes them harder for Treliving to try and poach or hire them if he wanted to. Not suggesting he was going to but I'd be surprised if that wasn't part of the motivation