Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
I think Conroy is going to prove himself a much better GM than Treliving through this rebuild. Bennett was handled poorly. Say what you will about a portion of it resting on Bennett, but there should have been a priority on making sure that the highest ever Flames' pick was given better opportunity and linemates, deserved or not. Heck, Bennett might have been a better player today in Calgary than he is in Florida. Who knows?
One thing i find interesting is how Conroy will talk about Hartley, but he doesn't normally talk about any other coach until Sutter. For me, it seems like he agrees with how Hartley was developing the prospects. I think it really showed. Hartley - like Huska is doing - would give prospects opportunity. He would sometimes bench them, demote them, etc., but he would always bring them back and give them a long leash. Certainly the mind games and so on were nonsense, but but he continually gave prospects the opportunity to develop. As a young player, you might be in Hartley's doghouse for a while, but he will get you out and give you opportunity again. Didn't do that with a lot of the vets though, but the point of this post is about development.
Huska is the coach that reminds me of Hartley the most when it comes to developing them. He has been really good at giving prospects the opportunity. Gulutzan hasn't. Peters hasn't. Ward definitely did not. Sutter didn't really. Huska is. I love the fact that just like Hartley, Huska is not afraid to bench and demote players, but he builds them up again and gives the young players a long leash. The nice change in Huska vs Hartley is that he does this for every player, not just prospects. If you were a vet in Hartley's doghouse, you should probably ask for a trade. The young kids loved him, the vets hated him. It seems to me that Huska has everyone's respect in that room, and isn't creating a division.
Point is, this is what Conroy is preaching. Patience, building through the draft, prospects having to earn their place, but also be given the right opportunities to do so.
I am really excited about this rebuild. It won't be a scorched-earth mess where you are losing 9-1 often. It is going to be a lot of 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 losses. Conroy wants to field a competitive team, but not a winner. This is by design, as he wants prospects to develop in a system that is already competing, rather than trying to flip that switch and get them to play the right way. Hartley was like that, which is why a kid like Baertschi stood out like a sore thumb, but a kid like Bennett shined.
I believe that there will be more trades, but that the Flames will likely end up getting solid but overpaid vets to help shoulder the load. Backlund pushes this team. Say what you will about Huberdeau's contract vs his output, but he competes. Coleman is here and I have yet to see him give up on a shift since the Flames signed him. Weegar plays hard. Kadri - outside of the first season here anyway - plays hard, and he surprised me as he played hard all year, even after the Flames were out of it post deadline.
I think there is a decent chance that more vets move, possibly including some I have mentioned. Conroy will bring in others. Don't be shocked to see him giving out pretty significant dollars to some vets, though on low-term. This team will be playing hard, but they are going to be designed to finish in the bottom 3 or so. As I said before, every other team in the basement has been making improvements and should start elevating. Calgary has just torn it down. I wouldn't be shocked to see them finish 32 overall this year, though 29-30 is more likely.
Either way, the Flames are in very good hands with Conroy and Huska guiding this team through the rebuild.
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