Unless the Flames change the makeup of their team, I don't know why a coaching change would be made. They're competitive enough - they have a high work ethic. They have weaknesses that are not coaching-related.
They lack IQ in certain areas -- Hartley is addressing that it appears, but they lack the size and native ability to translate the high IQ plays into chances or goals.
They lack size - too easy to push off the puck. The answer to that is either really fast passes (like Hawks or Wings generally) or higher talent. They can try the first, but you need the talent for them to be accurate.
How are either of those major flaws the coach‘s problem?
I‘m pretty happy with what he has brought to the team -- not sure he is going anywhere soon.
*If* he goes, I‘d like to see someone with very strong system skills in place. The “cluelessness“ that someone else referred to comes from having a work ethic, but no strategic direction in which to apply the work. Perhaps that is Hartley‘s biggest failing.
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