[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

... A coach at that time is available that has a top 5 all-time winning percentage and if there's any coach out there that is nearly guaranteed to get you into the playoffs every season it's him and not even a phone call. Brad knows better?

Yes.

Hiring Boudreau would be too easy and he wants to do it his way? He doesn't want a coach that commands respect and won't be easily manipulated?

Yeah, that must be it. Come on. Even someone as recklessly opinionated as you must be able to see that there is a lot more to this hire than what meets the eye of an outside observer.

I simply don't understand why he couldn't have at least called the guy and chatted as he may have been surprised how much he fits the team's vision.

If he didn't call Boudreau, then I expect it is because—despite appearances—he probably didn't fit his vision for the team.

He conducts this extensive search to unearth this coach that's going to be tasked with improving the teams special teams and puck possession while taking this team to the playoffs next season and building a continual contender. I guess you could say he was looking for the next Bruce Boudreau despite the fact that Bruce was right there for hire. Instead he brings in a guy that wasn't on any team's radar, who's only previous NHL head coach experience was a failure. At least with Ottawa they can say Boucher had some success making the playoffs and winning a few playoff series.

Without knowing much about Treliving's selection criteria in detail we can't really know why Gulutzen is Treliving's top choice. So, I guess each of us is left to decide about how intelligent and meticulous or irrational and duplicitous we think Treliving is. There doesn't seem to be any reason to think that he doesn't know what he is doing, and based on his handling of the team to date I would argue that he has earned the benefit of the doubt. I'm pleased to see so many posters extending him that much, and I applaud him for making a choice based on his own instincts, and not on the sorts of whims that drive fan opinions.

What this essentially boils down to is that this big search and expected improvement over Bob Hartley boils down to a guy that is basically a coin flip. Heads he's the guy Treliving thinks he is and we never look back. Tails and he's the guy that wasn't a very good coach in Dallas and the endless cycle of Flames never having a long term head coach continues and Treliving will have to hope he gets the opportunity to make amends for a bad hire.

No. This most certainly is not a mere matter of a "coin flip." Treliving knows a hell of a lot more about what he is doing than do you or I. He has a much better handle on how this will turn out.

Time will tell but officially the clock is now ticking on this regime as this team in its current state can ill afford any major setbacks.

True enough, and that would have been the case regardless of who he hired. I think the most prudent response to his decision is to wait and see what that outcome will be—for all we know this could be a terrific hire. It just doesn't make any sense to me to complain about something like this without knowing a hell of a lot more about Glen Gulutzen and what it is that Treliving sees in him. I reserve judgment and look forward to finding out.