Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Hudler's skill never got replaced and it's a big reason Gaudreau and Monahan have slumped. Losing Byron did hurt the team speed for sure. He's coming off a pretty poor offseason where the goaltending situation (not all his fault as most of us would have expected more of Elliott) is still not sorted out and I don't consider adding guys like Grossmann, Versteeg and Brouwer as astute team building. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for learning on the job but he needs to be better as there have also been a few wasted 2nd round picks in Hunter Smith and McDonald along the way that haven't helped bolster organizational depth.
The worst offense by far IMO was not even contacting Brue Boudreau. I don't care if Treliving was under an assumption that he wouldn't be his type of guy, as you still have to at least get him in a room and talk about what his vision would be for your team. It's rare that a coach of his status is available and for Treliving to not even kick the tires is simply poor management. Just look at what the Wild are doing under him. You can afford to miss the odd draft pick and trade but when you miss on a coaching hire that typically costs an organization 2-3 years. Not saying Gulutzan is a failure yet but there's no doubt in my mind they team would be in a better position today if they hired Boudreau.
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Boudreau is also working with a roster that is better than Calgary currently and has the 2nd best goalie in the NHL
Hudler and Byron really? Hudler wasn't doing much with the Flames last season either. Flames need more skill to be sure but they certainly aren't moving backwards. Versteeg is a better player than Hudler right now