With the Calgary Flames organization concluding their post-mortem on the 2022-2023 NHL regular season this week, it may be fair to say fewer questions loom than most fans would prefer. The organization, on one hand, wants to “fix… the issues keeping them out of the playoffs. On the other hand, the head coach that some of the players seem to quietly revile, appears to be going nowhere.
A few thoughts on General Manager Brad Treliving’s departure, as well as the media availability from John Bean and Don Maloney.
John and Don CSEC President and CEO John Bean and President of Hockey Operations/Interim General Manager Don Maloney took to the boards and addressed the media about the direction of the team.
This from Maloney is a good start.
My first task from John and the ownership is to do a deep; analysis of this season. We uh we eh have a team, had a team that I believe should’ve made the playoffs. Not only make the playoffs but be a hard-out in the playoffs. We didn’t and we uh failed to achieve, and that starts at the management level, which I was a part of. We’re going to work very, very hard to bring a championship team to Calgary. And that’s the goal.
Maloney goes on to essentially say that he and management need to conclude their evaluation before beginning the GM search.
Alright, let’s stop right there.
Life is a lot easier when you’re in the backseat while Darryl and Brad struggle for control of the driving wheel, but you would think the President of Hockey Operations would have his finger on the pulse of the team regarding what went wrong and what needs to be addressed. Obviously, he has a seat at exit interviews and remained a voice in the decision making process — Does Don Maloney really need a few weeks to investigate what went wrong?
Perhaps he intends on giving ownership a few weeks to mull over the transcripts of what the players think? Maybe taking a bath on Sutter’s eight million dollar extension kicking in next season is a bit hard to process.
Perhaps it was simply that Don hadn’t done a press conference in years, but to be frank, it seemed like neither of the two had any idea of what they were going to do. They conducted themselves as if they had no power (which they might not) and they were simply there because it’s not Murray Edwards or Darryl Sutter’s job to address the media in a no-win situation like this.
On Hiring a Cutting-Edge GM Maloney addressed that they’re going to look for a GM that best serves “this group of players….
This may seem rash, but no candidate on the market can fire the coach if ownership won’t sign off on it. If Darryl doesn’t gel with this core and ownership won’t eat an eight-million-dollar loss on his extension, the choice of general manager isn’t going to mean anything.
Maloney on being asked to be the manager:
I just, I can do the job. I know the job. I’ve done it a long time, but I don’t think I’m the right person for this team. I think you need somebody younger, progressive — inventive, hockey acumen and, uh, background certainly plays a part, but, uh, we’re going to get the best person we think we can win with and support that person.
Here’s the issue with that.
Say you’re the prodigious Carolina assistant GM Eric Tulsky, or say you’re Toronto GM Kyle Dubas fresh on the market. Both are candidates fitting Don’s description. Both certainly know that the Head Coach was a major reason for the last progressive, inventive general manager departing the organization.
It’s pretty clear that everyone knows that by now.
Why would you even take that call if you were a candidate like that? The brand you’re trying to establish as a progressive general manager is toast. We learned from Matthew Phillips among other examples that Darryl calls the shots on who plays. What is the point in constructing a team that the head coach won’t put on the ice?
The 5’7… Phillips tied the AHL record for game winning goals this season with 15. The Flames lost a painful 30 games by one goal. The UFA-to-be dressed in two NHL games this season averaging 9:02 in ice time. 20 year old Matthew Coronato played 14:38 in his sole appearance in the final game of the season.
Say you’ve made the short list as a candidate to captain the first manned-trip to Mars. Are you really dropping off your resume at CP Rail for a conductor’s position?
Not one of these guys are willingly entering a situation where their autonomy is in question. They’ll likely wait for an organization offering that.
The problem there is that we already have rumours of Pittsburgh offering full autonomy. The Leafs will likely offer something similar, although the Leafs have almost always have had quiet executive interference. Dive into Brian Burke’s autobiography if you want a crash course in that lesson.
Every decent vacant spot will have to be filled before one of these guys starts seriously considering a brand-threatening position in Calgary.
After that, there needs to be a catch-up of exit interviews, a review of Don Maloney’s organizational review, and the draft is on June 28. Waiting for a promising young candidate to run out of options puts the organization on its heels heading into next season.
So perhaps this.
A Tough GM for a Tough Coach Bob Murray has to draw some discussion here.
Bob and Darryl have worked together since 1979 playing on the Blackhawks. In 1987, the two were working with the organization in non-skating roles. Darryl as an Assistant Coach and Bob on the fast track to the General Manager position.
Murray brought Darryl into the Ducks organization as an Advisor in 2019. Darryl returned the favour bringing Bob in as a Scout in 2022. Bob resigned from his position on November 10, 2021, after 13 seasons as General Manager.
The day prior, November 9, 2021, Murray was put on administrative leave pending the results of an ongoing investigation. The investigation was reportedly focused on Murray's alleged history of verbal abuse to players and staff members.
Whether Murray took the necessary steps to be justified in getting hired in a management role again at the NHL level is debatable, but it’s certainly believable that he and Darryl would make a good combination.
Murray, 68, wasn’t listed as a scout this season on the Flames website. It could be that he quietly (or not so quietly) moved on from the organization. Maybe he’s looking forward to retirement. Chances are that if you ask Darryl, one last run might be worth wearing a tie for another year.
Plan B Speaking of wearing ties, maybe the simplest decision is bringing back Brian Burke. The former President of Hockey Operations for the Calgary Flames is well acquainted with the staff and has become available due to a recent house cleaning of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.
The 67-year-old Burke has better optics than Murray and, as in the past, may serve as a transitional mentor to an up-and-coming general manager.
How would you feel about either of these options? Would it be better than another strained relationship between GM and Coach? Who would be your choice among available executives?
Trevor Neufeld
@Trevor_Neufeld
Stats via eliteprospects.com and nhl.com.