After that atrocious heritage classic and now currently third-to-last place after losing 5 straight games, only in front of the lowly Oilers and awful Sharks, I figured this would be a good time to revisit something I asked almost 3 years ago.
https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=182577
Back in in March of 2021 we talked about 7 different factors in running a hockey club. Players have departed, namely Bennett, Monahan, Gaudreau, and Tkachuk to name a view. Multiple HC changes, Treliving is gone, new additions to the lineup, etc.
The 7 things:
1. Core - the guys you build around, the franchise players, the cornerstones.
2. Core’s Supporting Cast - Non-core players, the secondaries that help improve the core.
3. Coaching - HC, AC, goalie coach, etc.
4. Ownership (Edwards) - owner(s) of the Flames, direction of the team, anything involving the new arena
5. GM - Craig Conroy/Brad Treliving —> UFA signings, trading, hiring, anything a GM does. Conroy has had a very brief stint here, so Brad Treliving discussion in my opinion is still warranted. He did leave his mark prior to departure; one would argue for the worst.
6. Scouting/Prospect Development/AHL - how well we’re drafting, how well we’re doing in developing our prospects into becoming NHLers, and how well we do to allow them to get NHL stints.
7. Leadership - How well the team is being lead, whether by coach, captain, or veterans.
It was interesting to read the comments from the previous time I asked which one of these 7 was causing the biggest issue. However, I think the problem(s) have become more visible and prevalent, and not only one of these can really be penciled as main issue. Perhaps the question shouldn't be which one is the biggest issue, but rather, what is the first problem we need to address to start fixing this club into becoming a playoff regular with a bright future ahead of them? I can give my own detailed response later today.