Conroy To Take Over Gm Duties With The Heat

[TrippinVdUb]

While listening to Conroy's interview on the fan 960 the other day he mentioned that he will be watching over the Heat next season and making sure that Ward and Hartley are on the same page, running the same systems, the same practices and making sure that players transition from the AHL to the NHL is seamless. He said that they want to make sure that when players get called up to the big show they arrive with a very clear understanding of what is expected from them in Calgary, I don't know about the rest of you but it sounds like the Flames are finally getting there elbowing together when it comes to our prospect pool and development program.

Another interesting note: is Conroy being groomed to take over the GM role for the flames in the future? He seems to be gaining allot of valuable experience in the office, weather it's with the coaching staff, scouting or player personal. What do you think of Craig taking over one day?

[cross16]

I like this move because I like the idea of having the two teams in constant dialogue and on the same page.

 

As far as Conroy as a future GM he has a lot to prove imo. I can't really say yes or no at this stage of the game because I havn't seen enough and I think he needs far, far more experience. I don't really view this as a move that tells me they are thinking that because I think they are making this move more about Weisbrod than Connie. Weisbrod did that job last year and I think an Asst GM, who also is responsible for all your scouting, I think is better suited not having to worry about the Heat. I view this as just a simple reorganization of duties that is better for all parties around.

[TrippinVdUb]

I like the move as well and agree that as of right now it's probably just to help lighten Johns load to let him concentrate on other areas, but with the way Conny's being utilized it does seem like that's an area he is interested in. I'm not saying he's anywhere near being ready but I do like the idea of him maybe one day running this club, I can't think of another person that cares more about the flaming C in the hockey world, maybe I'm just biased because I have always been a Conroy. It will be interesting to see how he does with Abbotsford.

[joeyabs]

I really liked that interview. I think that keeping the systems and practices the same from AHL to NHL will help the players moving up with the transition and their overall development. I hope Conroy learns quick and takes over for Feaster some day - not a huge Wise-Broad fan.

[Wreckening]

Big fan of this move.  This gives Connie the experience he needs to become a GM in the NHL.  Flames management seems to be making smarter moves when it comes to establishing a new mantra and identity.  Both teams being on the same page is clearly going to be beneficial.  Why this wasn't done sooner is beyond me.

[kehatch]

Big fan of this move.  This gives Connie the experience he needs to become a GM in the NHL.  Flames management seems to be making smarter moves when it comes to establishing a new mantra and identity.  Both teams being on the same page is clearly going to be beneficial.  Why this wasn't done sooner is beyond me.

 

I have said it before.  I have no complaints with how Feaster has acquired and managed his staff.  I have complaints about him over committing in the media.  I have complaints with his apparent inability to come out ahead on any of his transactions.  But he has done great things in improving the development system, focusing on the draft, exploring new avenues of player acquisition, and in bringing on and empowering good individuals.  

[TrippinVdUb]

I have said it before.  I have no complaints with how Feaster has acquired and managed his staff.  I have complaints about him over committing in the media.  I have complaints with his apparent inability to come out ahead on any of his transactions.  But he has done great things in improving the development system, focusing on the draft, exploring new avenues of player acquisition, and in bringing on and empowering good individuals.  

 

With the way Jay and John have reshaped the development program and injected life into our prospect pool Im not sure that anyone can really complain. I understand that he hasn't the best trade record but to be fair he hasn't exactly had a whole lot of assets at his disposal either. If anything I would look at all of the bad NMC that had us handcuffed he managed to move, (Alex Kotalik anyone?) 

 

Look at were we stand today. We have 3 first round picks, 9 total in the draft, approx 20 mill in cap space, a diverse prospect pool with a mix of skill and grit and most importantly IMO a handful of kids on the cusp of making it full time in the NHL....

 

This move with Connie is just another step in the right direction, for years we have all been shouting at the top of our lungs about how we need to see something done with our program, Feaster is getting er done...... maybe we should cut the guy some slack!

[cross16]

With the way Jay and John have reshaped the development program and injected life into our prospect pool Im not sure that anyone can really complain. I understand that he hasn't the best trade record but to be fair he hasn't exactly had a whole lot of assets at his disposal either. If anything I would look at all of the bad NMC that had us handcuffed he managed to move, (Alex Kotalik anyone?) 

 

Look at were we stand today. We have 3 first round picks, 9 total in the draft, approx 20 mill in cap space, a diverse prospect pool with a mix of skill and grit and most importantly IMO a handful of kids on the cusp of making it full time in the NHL....

 

This move with Connie is just another step in the right direction, for years we have all been shouting at the top of our lungs about how we need to see something done with our program, Feaster is getting er done...... maybe we should cut the guy some slack!

 

Sure he hasn't had a lot of assets, but IMO the number 1 job of a GM is to identify his assets, his liabilities and decide on the direction of the team and this is where Feaster gets a huge F. I don't disagree with the fact he has done some very positive things in terms of taking the organization in a new direction which I think is positive but to give him praise for any other reason is undeserved IMO. The prospect pool for example, sure people are starting to get excited but I think it's worth nothing that if you want to rank the Flames they probably would rank in the 25-30 range with their prospect pool. Yes this draft will change that for sure and should give us a prospect pool to be excited about it, but a large reason of that is Feaster failed miserably in assessing his team for his first 2 years. Again I agree there are positives but right now the negatives vastly outweigh them IMO.

[TrippinVdUb]

Everyone knew when Feaster took over that this was going to be a long process, short of buying players out he has done everything he can to change to identify of this franchise and had to work from the ground up. You can't hire a new GM and think that he's going be able to fix years of mismanagement over night. The only thing I think he could have done different was trade Iggy 2 years ago but I don't think this city was ready to let him go, as a fan myself I said over and over in that time "give em one more year".

How do you see that he failed to identify this teams needs? He pushed hard for Richards to acquire a #1C, moved Kotalik and Regher, signed Wideman (which most of us wanted) revamped our entire development program by hiring John W and making the draft a priority, what more does this guy need to do? Sutter completely handcuffed this club and ran it into the ground because he was to short sighted to see what the future held with his win now mentality.

I was not a fan of Jay when he was hired but the guy has done a fine job in my opinion of trying to make the flames a healthy organization and revitalizing a dying team. It's like restoring an old beater you find in the junk yard, takes more then a little paint and polish to get er running!

[kehatch]

My biggest issue with Feaster is the same issue that I had with Sutter.  He failed to recognize where the Flames were in terms of stacking up with other teams.  As such he failed to move assets like Iginla until the value wasn't there.

[TrippinVdUb]

My biggest issue with Feaster is the same issue that I had with Sutter.  He failed to recognize where the Flames were in terms of stacking up with other teams.  As such he failed to move assets like Iginla until the value wasn't there.

Ya I know you have been calling for a rebuild for a couple of years but I don't share that same resentment to him, I think he did what he though was best, its not easy for a team to make a change and blow up there roster knowing that they will be bottom dwellers for the next few seasons (especially when you look north and see how long they have been in rebuild mode)

[kehatch]

Ya I know you have been calling for a rebuild for a couple of years but I don't share that same resentment to him, I think he did what he though was best, its not easy for a team to make a change and blow up there roster knowing that they will be bottom dwellers for the next few seasons (especially when you look north and see how long they have been in rebuild mode)

 

He had a bottom dwelling team primed to be blown up that had a last minute sprint.  He was fooled by the last minute sprint so he kept the team together for the following season.  They still sucked and he admitted he was fooled (with ridiculous media displays like the fool me once) but then decided to retain the core (minus Regher) and built around them.  We still sucked and once again he is admitting to being fooled.  

 

If he would have identified and acknowledged what a majority of the hockey community identified and acknowledged (that the Flames weren't good enough) we would have had a three year head start on the rebuild and received a much larger return for our big assets.  

 

The fact that Feaster and the Flames organization waited until the bottom completely fell out before making the required changes is a significant mistake that will likely cause the club years before they work themselves back into contention.  

 

The fact that it was hard just doesn't cut it to me.  It really wasn't hard to read the writing on the wall.  Many many people read it.  It was written in big yellow print on a black background.  The hard part was having the cajones to take action. 

 

Feaster added insult to injury by his "fool me once" andr guarantees to make the playoffs and committing to change at last seasons deadline and overselling of prospects like Jankowski / players like Cervenka, etc.  Really hurts his credibility.  

 

He has brought on some decent pieces to a chronically losing team and has avoided making a monstrously bad trade.  That doesn't give him a passing grade in my book.  I am not sure how on one hand you can suggest we should give him a pass because "we all knew this would take awhile" while at the same time forgiving him his win now antics and refusal to focus on the future.  The one guy who didn't seem to acknowledge that this would take awhile was Jay Feaster.    

 

Sorry about the rant though!  Clearly I am not over the organizations reluctance to take action when they should have  Feaster is moving the organization in a consistent direction, he is improving prospect development and acquisition, and he is now saying the right things about 'post-apex' (ugh, another Feasterism) players.  

 

But this is the same guy that a few months ago tried to spend our 1st on O'Reilly and the season before that tried to commit a long long term contract to one of those 'post-apex' players.  So it is tough to trust what he is saying.  

[TrippinVdUb]

Lol no apology necessary, that's why we're all here....

Every one in the hockey community outside of Calgary knew it was needed, here in town most people seemed to think that the flames were close, finishing just a few points shy of the playoffs a couple of years in a row didn't help with that, on paper it looked like we had a good team and by replacing some of the bad contracts we could be in contention.

Sure Feaster should have pulled the trigger sooner but I would bet my lunch that if he had the flames nation would have run him out of town, most people needed to see this team tank before they would accept the fact that it was time to move on, ownership included. In hind sight it's easy to say that holding on to Iggy was a big mistake but go look at the threads on this board over the last couple of years, the vast majority of people believed we still had a chance and what could have ever been better then watching # 12 hoisting the cup while dawning the flaming C?

[cross16]

Everyone knew when Feaster took over that this was going to be a long process, short of buying players out he has done everything he can to change to identify of this franchise and had to work from the ground up. You can't hire a new GM and think that he's going be able to fix years of mismanagement over night. The only thing I think he could have done different was trade Iggy 2 years ago but I don't think this city was ready to let him go, as a fan myself I said over and over in that time "give em one more year".

How do you see that he failed to identify this teams needs? He pushed hard for Richards to acquire a #1C, moved Kotalik and Regher, signed Wideman (which most of us wanted) revamped our entire development program by hiring John W and making the draft a priority, what more does this guy need to do? Sutter completely handcuffed this club and ran it into the ground because he was to short sighted to see what the future held with his win now mentality.

I was not a fan of Jay when he was hired but the guy has done a fine job in my opinion of trying to make the flames a healthy organization and revitalizing a dying team. It's like restoring an old beater you find in the junk yard, takes more then a little paint and polish to get er running!

 

The job of a GM is to make the tough decision that are right for the franchise and he didn't and misread where his team stood. Once he didn't get Richards, which I was fine with him trying to acquire, he needed to rebuild because his team was not close and was not going to be close and he failed to properly assess his team (and he has admitted as such). You may say i'm using hindsight but in fact two years ago I, and most people IMO, knew that was the case and they bucked the trend and went on their own direction. He IMO, wasted two years of this organization, he let his main assets devalue and he set them back 2 years. You say that Sutter was too short sighted but the Feaster was just as short sighted when he got here as well.

[kehatch]

The job of a GM is to make the tough decision that are right for the franchise and he didn't and misread where his team stood. Once he didn't get Richards, which I was fine with him trying to acquire, he needed to rebuild because his team was not close and was not going to be close and he failed to properly assess his team (and he has admitted as such). You may say i'm using hindsight but in fact two years ago I, and most people IMO, knew that was the case and they bucked the trend and went on their own direction. He IMO, wasted two years of this organization, he let his main assets devalue and he set them back 2 years. You say that Sutter was too short sighted but the Feaster was just as short sighted when he got here as well.

 

I don't think this team was a Richards away from contention.  I agree it was better then sitting on his hands.  I also agree that when he failed to acquire a 1C he needed to take action to aggressively fix the club.  But I don't think he had any business trying to sign a 31 year old to a 7m/year 9 year contract.  He should have been rebuilding even before going after Richards. 

 

If Feaster would have succeeded in some of his moves I think we would be having a different conversation.  If we were sitting here in the bottom 10 with an O'Reilly, Richards, or who knows what else he tried player I think people would be demanding his head.    

 

We are just really lucky his flops were limited to lower end players like Sarich, Cervenka, Modin, and Babchuk because he failed at his home run attempts.   

[TrippinVdUb]

I'm not saying the guy is infallible, he's definitely had some low points since taking over but with the way he's going about things and implementing real change to the club I think he's earned his keep and shown me enough positives to feel comfortable with him at the helm of this rebuild.

[cross16]

I don't think this team was a Richards away from contention.  I agree it was better then sitting on his hands.  I also agree that when he failed to acquire a 1C he needed to take action to aggressively fix the club.  But I don't think he had any business trying to sign a 31 year old to a 7m/year 9 year contract.  He should have been rebuilding even before going after Richards. 

 

If Feaster would have succeeded in some of his moves I think we would be having a different conversation.  If we were sitting here in the bottom 10 with an O'Reilly, Richards, or who knows what else he tried player I think people would be demanding his head.    

 

We are just really lucky his flops were limited to lower end players like Sarich, Cervenka, Modin, and Babchuk because he failed at his home run attempts.   

 

and I don't think they were either but I think with Richards on their team the last two years they probably make the playoffs and I think they are going in a fine direction which is why I was fine it but to each his own is fine.

 

Even without getting Richards and O'Reilly I am still calling for his head but that's just me... Personally I think he has done a pretty brutal job yes he has made some positive changes overall but so far it's pretty clear to me he does not have the vision you want in a GM nor the skills you want.

[jjgallow]

and I don't think they were either but I think with Richards on their team the last two years they probably make the playoffs and I think they are going in a fine direction which is why I was fine it but to each his own is fine.

 

Even without getting Richards and O'Reilly I am still calling for his head but that's just me... Personally I think he has done a pretty brutal job yes he has made some positive changes overall but so far it's pretty clear to me he does not have the vision you want in a GM nor the skills you want.

 

Agreed.  It IS hard to tell if it's Feaster or higher up, but it's starting to show that it's more than him just being handcuffed.

[Zirakzigil]

Conroy is at least 10 years away from getting the experience to become a good GM. He isnt Stevie Y and learning from one of the best and for one of the best francise in the last 20 years. Im all for him going to the Heat and making sure they are on the same page, as well as learning the managing and talent evaluating aspects of the job.

[DirtyDeeds]

Last year when we had nothing to do but wait for the lockout to end, Hartley and staff got together with Heat Staff and did go over how they wanted to be/get on the same page. I don't recall anything about Troy Ward or the Heat players not being on the same page last season, so I think it is a misconception here in this thread to assume they are sending Connie down for that purpose.

 

In fact I think if anything Troy Ward and Conrad are such polar opposites that they just want to spread a lot of that enthusium around the prospects a bit.

 

Then again with all that talking, maybe it is jut to get him out of the office and give the rest in the office a break.

[TrippinVdUb]

Last year when we had nothing to do but wait for the lockout to end, Hartley and staff got together with Heat Staff and did go over how they wanted to be/get on the same page. I don't recall anything about Troy Ward or the Heat players not being on the same page last season, so I think it is a misconception here in this thread to assume they are sending Connie down for that purpose.

 

In fact I think if anything Troy Ward and Conrad are such polar opposites that they just want to spread a lot of that enthusium around the prospects a bit.

 

Then again with all that talking, maybe it is jut to get him out of the office and give the rest in the office a break.

That was exactlyu what Connie said on the fan 960, he was going to Abbotford to make sure that Ward and Harltey were on the same page, using the same systems and even running the same drills, to make sure there was a seamless transition from the Heat to the Flames!

[lordxan]

He had a bottom dwelling team primed to be blown up that had a last minute sprint.  He was fooled by the last minute sprint so he kept the team together for the following season.  They still sucked and he admitted he was fooled (with ridiculous media displays like the fool me once) but then decided to retain the core (minus Regher) and built around them.  We still sucked and once again he is admitting to being fooled.  

 

If he would have identified and acknowledged what a majority of the hockey community identified and acknowledged (that the Flames weren't good enough) we would have had a three year head start on the rebuild and received a much larger return for our big assets.  

 

The fact that Feaster and the Flames organization waited until the bottom completely fell out before making the required changes is a significant mistake that will likely cause the club years before they work themselves back into contention.  

 

The fact that it was hard just doesn't cut it to me.  It really wasn't hard to read the writing on the wall.  Many many people read it.  It was written in big yellow print on a black background.  The hard part was having the cajones to take action. 

 

Feaster added insult to injury by his "fool me once" andr guarantees to make the playoffs and committing to change at last seasons deadline and overselling of prospects like Jankowski / players like Cervenka, etc.  Really hurts his credibility.  

 

He has brought on some decent pieces to a chronically losing team and has avoided making a monstrously bad trade.  That doesn't give him a passing grade in my book.  I am not sure how on one hand you can suggest we should give him a pass because "we all knew this would take awhile" while at the same time forgiving him his win now antics and refusal to focus on the future.  The one guy who didn't seem to acknowledge that this would take awhile was Jay Feaster.    

 

Sorry about the rant though!  Clearly I am not over the organizations reluctance to take action when they should have  Feaster is moving the organization in a consistent direction, he is improving prospect development and acquisition, and he is now saying the right things about 'post-apex' (ugh, another Feasterism) players.  

 

But this is the same guy that a few months ago tried to spend our 1st on O'Reilly and the season before that tried to commit a long long term contract to one of those 'post-apex' players.  So it is tough to trust what he is saying.  

Fine, then trust what he is doing, actions do speak louder than words after all.

 

I only say this as I have been an east coast flames fan for decades now and can say with certainty, based upon actions of the upper Mgt like King and Co, that they handcuff their GMs and force them to make moves they normally would otherwise not make.

 

Look at things this way, explain the sudden radical change?  Go from boob moves which are very nearsighted and make absolutely no sense to recently being spot on.  Need more?  No problem, look at player development and drafting, as you have admitted has been a recent strength since Feaster took over.  This is an area upper Mgt has no interest or concern with so they let Feaster do as he would there and look now, we have had some really good drafts thus far.  Sutter, not so much he was too focused on the checking from behind kissing of upper Mgt, well, not really he just had the same views as they did so drafting and player development suffered more then.

 

Anyway, I am not saying Feaster is the be all to end all as far as GMs go, all I am saying is as of late, things have been looking good, and dollars to doughnuts it has everything to do with Feaster's plan he submitted 2 years ago to Mgt.  My bet is it was an "ok, we'll do it you way for a year or 2 then if/when it fails we do it my way." 

 

If and that's my guess, this is the case then Feaster may very well be one of the most crafty GMs around, having the ability to get a nearsighted owner and upper Mgt group to change even though they had no interest in accepting the truth.

 

All I'm saying is looking at the history of things and behavioural patterns, one can draw this as a logical possibility.  Accordingly, I would roll the dice on Feaster for another year or two, though, I would hope subject to reevaluation on a yearly basis, just incase he goes on a skittles sugar bender.

 

While some would disagree, I'm quite fine with Faster's recent moves and drafting (less that 3rd round choice, WTF?) and trust me I threw a few things when he drafted Poirier, but now after I calmed down and did some research, and watched the kid play, I totally like the pick right up there with the Monahan pick.  Now, being on the east coast, don't know much about the other 1st round pick but most of you out west like him and say it's a great pick so I'll go with it.  Having said this, that would make 3 first round home run picks.  Not a bad way to start a rebuild.

 

Not only that, but, factor his trades in there.  Not super-star stop the press but do some research and they are young, for the most part big, skilled and talented with room to grow, therefore a win-win.

 

Again, all just recent stuff, like a 180 and he did it with poise and skill so leads a person to think if this was part of the "big plan" he put in motion 2 years ago.  I say this because there is no way in hell someone can be that lucky all of a sudden, no way!

[cross16]

Fine, then trust what he is doing, actions do speak louder than words after all.

 

I only say this as I have been an east coast flames fan for decades now and can say with certainty, based upon actions of the upper Mgt like King and Co, that they handcuff their GMs and force them to make moves they normally would otherwise not make.

 

Look at things this way, explain the sudden radical change?  Go from boob moves which are very nearsighted and make absolutely no sense to recently being spot on.  Need more?  No problem, look at player development and drafting, as you have admitted has been a recent strength since Feaster took over.  This is an area upper Mgt has no interest or concern with so they let Feaster do as he would there and look now, we have had some really good drafts thus far.  Sutter, not so much he was too focused on the checking from behind kissing of upper Mgt, well, not really he just had the same views as they did so drafting and player development suffered more then.

 

Anyway, I am not saying Feaster is the be all to end all as far as GMs go, all I am saying is as of late, things have been looking good, and dollars to doughnuts it has everything to do with Feaster's plan he submitted 2 years ago to Mgt.  My bet is it was an "ok, we'll do it you way for a year or 2 then if/when it fails we do it my way." 

 

If and that's my guess, this is the case then Feaster may very well be one of the most crafty GMs around, having the ability to get a nearsighted owner and upper Mgt group to change even though they had no interest in accepting the truth.

 

All I'm saying is looking at the history of things and behavioural patterns, one can draw this as a logical possibility.  Accordingly, I would roll the dice on Feaster for another year or two, though, I would hope subject to reevaluation on a yearly basis, just incase he goes on a skittles sugar bender.

 

While some would disagree, I'm quite fine with Faster's recent moves and drafting (less that 3rd round choice, WTF?) and trust me I threw a few things when he drafted Poirier, but now after I calmed down and did some research, and watched the kid play, I totally like the pick right up there with the Monahan pick.  Now, being on the east coast, don't know much about the other 1st round pick but most of you out west like him and say it's a great pick so I'll go with it.  Having said this, that would make 3 first round home run picks.  Not a bad way to start a rebuild.

 

Not only that, but, factor his trades in there.  Not super-star stop the press but do some research and they are young, for the most part big, skilled and talented with room to grow, therefore a win-win.

 

Again, all just recent stuff, like a 180 and he did it with poise and skill so leads a person to think if this was part of the "big plan" he put in motion 2 years ago.  I say this because there is no way in hell someone can be that lucky all of a sudden, no way!

Have a very hard time believing that this was Feasters plan all along given he fought it aggressively in the media, he has said repeadatly during trading iggy and Jbow he hated doing it, and his press conferences IMO have had much less energy since the rebuild was made official. Actually to me he looks like a guy that is carrying out orders and not doing what he wants to do.

[Wreckening]

Have a very hard time believing that this was Feasters plan all along given he fought it aggressively in the media, he has said repeadatly during trading iggy and Jbow he hated doing it, and his press conferences IMO have had much less energy since the rebuild was made official. Actually to me he looks like a guy that is carrying out orders and not doing what he wants to do.

This is an ownership who are more hands on then they should be for sure.  I think Feaster and his staff are trying to do their best but its ultimately the owners giving the ok or not.  I think we'll see a bigger push to get a VP or President of Hockey Ops, hopefully the latter, in short order here.  With trades to be made it would be comforting to have someone who knows hockey and how to build teams from the ground up in charge.

[kehatch]

This is an ownership who are more hands on then they should be for sure.  I think Feaster and his staff are trying to do their best but its ultimately the owners giving the ok or not.  I think we'll see a bigger push to get a VP or President of Hockey Ops, hopefully the latter, in short order here.  With trades to be made it would be comforting to have someone who knows hockey and how to build teams from the ground up in charge.

 

It sounds like ownership were the ones that struck down the Seguin deal because they didn't want to trade away futures for a win now solution.  

 

I agree that hands on ownership is a bad thing.  But I don't believe Feaster is a guy that has been pushing for a rebuild.