[nik-]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Is it too much to ask for the Flames, now in their first official year of rebuilding, to conduct a wide reaching interview process for a General Manager and Coach that have no current affiliation with the organization to help guide this rebuild?

That's my problem here.

All the decisions are made through the lens of the previous terrible decisions having been made.

The lineage goes back to Darryl Sutter now. Is it too much to ask for a clean break; a fresh start?

Go outside the organization and interview candidates. See what is out there for GMs and coaches. Just TALK to them and see if maybe there is a better alternative to a guy who got the job based on his 'interim' basis, and a coach who is that guy's kids Godfather who hadn't coached an NHL game in nearly a decade? Can the Flames at least try something that doesn't reek from the outset?

Bring in a new GM and Coach. If they have the same problems with Baertschi the current ones do now then so be it, but don't make me second guess every decision made by this group with the trailing perspective of ineptitude. I don't care about the wins and losses this season, I care about setting the franchise up for long term success. If the rumblings that they are already looking to add bigger pieces is true, the writing should be on the wall for Burke the same way it was for Davidson when Howson started to look to trade their first rounder last season. Canned before he could do any more harm.

I know he is flavour of the month right now, but if the Oilers don't pick up Regier, the Flames should be making a heavy push for him. Having a guy like that in control of trades would give me a much better feeling about the direction of the team than having Feaster pulling the trigger, even if he is a glorified yes-man at this point.

Burke might be the first step in that direction, and I hope the makeup of the front office and bench staff is completely different by next season.

Missing out on Nill because we had Feaster in place feels like falling face first into a cheese grater.