Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
I still wonder why they waited to extend him if they didn't plan on doing so. Its not as if they don't know what this season is going to be.
The season is set up to lose, the roster wasn't built up to make a run, it was set up knowing they will struggle again this year and miss the playoffs, likely with a bottom five pick.
So I see it as a Hartley can't win scenario to be honest. The chances of any coach keeping a team working that hard for 24 months is pretty slim, so its almost like they want that trigger to pull when it inevitably slides.
He's gone by Xmas.
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I don't see that happening unless the Flames get off to an absolutely miserable start and he loses the players. I believe the new GM has the right to oversee the existing head coach prior to committing to him so I'm not surprised things have played out this way but ideally if Treliving doesn't believe Hartley is the man going forward he's going to make that change after the season so he can conduct a proper coaching search as who's going to come in at the midseason mark and make a difference with this roster? IMO the only way Hartley gets fired during the season is if things get toxic in the locker room and I didn't hear any evidence of that last year.
Back to the topic The Sports Forecaster actually has the Flames finishing 4th in the Pacific Division and the Canucks 5th and Oilers 7th. Before dismissing these guys remember they were the only publication last year that predicted the Canucks missing the playoffs.
