After the Flames fired Hartley, I really wanted the Flames to go out and hire someone like Nate Leaman from Providence who had a history of winning. He built up two programs and turned them into champions.
However, Gulutzan was a relatively inexperienced head coach (relatively being the word here - hasn't had many years of NHL head coaching experience). I think where this team is now and how the last two years have gone, I really want an experienced veteran coach who has won.
Don't hire a 'new up and coming' or 'best coach not in the NHL' type. Flames have had bad luck with those - Don Hay, Greg Gilbert, etc., though they did hit gold with Bob Johnson (I was hoping Leaman was the next Johnson).
Also, don't hire someone like Boudreau - a coach with a great regular season win percentage, but who has always coached only good teams, but never won anything (or even had much success to speak of in the playoffs).
Hire a coach who is a veteran, has a decent track record for both good teams AND poor teams, and has won the cup (or at least, has gone far, like taking a poor team or two on a 'cinderella run'). Being a task-master who is unafraid to bench top players to send a message would be great.
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