Should Hartley get a contract extension?

[BigRed]

Extend him? They ought to nominate him for the Jack Adams.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

He coached a rebuilding team to finish pretty much where it was supposed to.

We were projected to be dead last heading into the season. A shoo-in for 1st Overall.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

We were projected to be dead last heading into the season. A shoo-in for 1st Overall.

Yep. We did lose our franchise goalie, best defenseman and franchise forward last season.

4th last looks pretty bad but we actually outperformed our talent.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Yep. We did lose our franchise goalie, best defenseman and franchise forward last season.

4th last looks pretty bad but we actually outperformed our talent.

The Flames record after the line brawl in Vancouver was one of the better ones in the league too. Once they gelled, we saw some great games. They also lost a ton of 1 goal games, even with all the rookies and goalies in the lineup.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

The Flames record after the line brawl in Vancouver was one of the better ones in the league too. Once they gelled, we saw some great games. They also lost a ton of 1 goal games, even with all the rookies and goalies in the lineup.

My only fear is we have seen these 2nd half season streaks by teams like the Leafs and Oilers trick the fans into thinking they were closer than they really were only to see those team regress the next season. IMO Hartley got the team to play hard almost every night which is no small feat in the NHL but if Burke is serious about letting the GM do his own thing I believe Treliving should be making the call here and I feel it would be pretty bizarre for an incoming GM to come in and extend a head coach that hasn't even coached a game under his supervision.

I really don't get why so many feel it has to be done right away as the team really has nothing to gain from it. Year one from Hartley was horrible and year two was good not great. Not sure one season where they finished 26th makes him a slam dunk to get an extension prior to seeing how year three plays out. If Treliving extends him in the offseason and they have a nightmare season finishing 30th with the worst season in franchise history people will be pointing at Treliving for extending him so early so I just don't see the upside.

[Zee]

Best coach the team has had since Darryl Sutter. He needs to stay, Flames need some stability.

[dustygoon]

Would any other available coach be better? Is his message getting tiresome? Not sure. I would be more concerned of a revolving door of coaches. Use him for at least another couple years.

[Mister Yamoto]

No. I like Hartley but let's see how it goes this season. Don't forget that this team had a 10 goal month this past season.

When bottom feeder teams start handing out multi year extensions for coaches it usually ends up in a situation where you are paying 1 guy to coach the team, and then a couple more guys to NOT coach the team.

He is signed to coach the Flames this season. Great, let him. His performance so far is worthy of not being fired. And for this team, I think that's pretty good.

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

My only fear is we have seen these 2nd half season streaks by teams like the Leafs and Oilers trick the fans into thinking they were closer than they really were only to see those team regress the next season. .

Does anyone think we're close? I think the point is more that Hartley got a consistent hard effort out of the team, thereby instilling a competitve attitude that will pay off down the road when the talent develops.

Credit where credit is due: Hartley completely changed the culture of the team, from country club to scrappy and hungry. That's a foundation to build on, and he deserves to be acknowledged for it.

[iamca]

In a word, no.

Why?

Where is the urgency if you are the Flames?

Does anyone think Hartley is going somewhere if the Flames didn't extend his contract beyond this season? Really? Where?

Better than expected, yeah they were. They were also 26th in the league and with a new GM, let's not get over anxious about extending Hartley.

Sorry if I missed it, but he was brought in by his friend Jay Feaster.

[BlackWallStreet]

Hartleys staff did a remarkable job. Flames arguably had the least talented team on paper

[dying4acup]

Originally Posted by iamca

In a word, no.

Why?

Where is the urgency if you are the Flames?

Does anyone think Hartley is going somewhere if the Flames didn't extend his contract beyond this season? Really? Where?

Better than expected, yeah they were. They were also 26th in the league and with a new GM, let's not get over anxious about extending Hartley.

Sorry if I missed it, but he was brought in by his friend Jay Feaster.

You are wrong.

I hated the Hartley hiring. I thought he was Feasters guy, brought in to bring offense to make Iginla happy, and barely make the playoffs. Also thought he has living off a Stanley cup that he almost walked into. That might still be true.

What I have seen in the last 10 months is a man who got the attention of 30 men. He got those men to play his way. 1 player didn't play his way, so he was sent to go learn his way to play. Monahan progressed. Colborne progressed. Brodie progressed. Giordano excelled. Ramo progressed. Berra progressed. Ortio progressed.

Not extending him now will allow kids who think they know it all to wait out the coach to be gone.

An extension will let EVERYBODY know, that Hartley's way is the only way. Ball busting hockey is the only way to play. And even if the Flames regress, as long as the right hockey is being played, Hartley has great use.

All that said, I remember Burke using the term "lame duck" when he was in his last year in Vancouver. He doesn't like it, and said as much about coaching and managing in a persons last season in hockey. Burke also said that the new GM would be mandated to keep Hartley, and be "advised" to discuss an extension with him ASAP. I'm sure it was a job interview question.

Flames also have $$ to spend and are waaaaayyyy under budget and hugely profitable over this past season.

Fans (and more importantly, season ticket holders) are extremely happy with the current product.

All that says that Hartley gets a (minimum) 2yr extension before July 1.

I'll bet pubes on it.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Otto-matic

Yes please,

I am sick of the rotating door of coaches we've gone through since Sutter stepped down from coaching.

Playfair
Keenan
Sutter
Hartley

Right answer, wrong reason. Frequency of coaching changes has not been a problem. Playfair did ok for a rookie but was replaced by a cup winner. Keenan had broken hands Langkow, broken ribs Phaneuf and has to dress a short bench.

Brent implemented change, failed to make the playoffs, lost the room and failed. So many players had sub par years under his watch that neither the team in terms of wins or losses nor the team in terms of asset valuation benefited.

Hartley entered with the team on pins and needles off of 3 non playoff years waiting for Iggy to leave and Kipper to retire.

Hartley reclaimed trade value for Bouw, has seen many players fluorish and has had one of the worst rosters in the league be competitive.

The exasperation with a coaching carousel gave Brent more rope than he deserved and is the answer of nothing. Context and interpretation are more important.

[CaramonLS]

IIRC, Burke recommended a 1 year extension for Hartley, and said that's what he would tell the GM of the new team what he thought should happen with him.

I think there is something to be said for not going into the season with a lame duck coach, but I don't think it is the end of the world.

I agree with Burke in this instance. 1 year deal MAX, not a day more. As EE said, it really isn't worth the risk for this team and we really don't know what the future will hold. How quickly people forget that he was also the coach when Iginla and friends were still here, and led them to a disaster season.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Does anyone think we're close? I think the point is more that Hartley got a consistent hard effort out of the team, thereby instilling a competitve attitude that will pay off down the road when the talent develops.

Credit where credit is due: Hartley completely changed the culture of the team, from country club to scrappy and hungry. That's a foundation to build on, and he deserves to be acknowledged for it.

this. By changing the culture he created a proper environment for the development of players. In a rebuild that will pay exponential dividends in the future. If everything stays on track it probably shortens the rebuild by a year (3 or 4 rather than 4 or 5).

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Credit where credit is due: Hartley completely changed the culture of the team, from country club to scrappy and hungry. That's a foundation to build on, and he deserves to be acknowledged for it.

I believe he's getting too much credit for this. He didn't change it when Iginla was the captain. The culture changed when Giordano took over the leadership. I believe he's just as much to do with the culture change than Hartley is.

Nobody was thinking extension when the team was getting shut out every other night in January. Every new season is different and we have seen a lot of really good coaches have nightmare seasons were everything goes wrong and they have to go. I just don't think Hartley has accomplished enough in two years to warrant such a following as one year was a disaster and the other was a great work ethic but still the lowest finish in franchise history. It seems like fans don't have patience anymore. When a coach has a bad year it's "Fire him" when he has a good year "give him an extension". Why wouldn't you wait to see if he can replicate last year before extending him for one good season's work?

[FAN]

If Hartley is in his last year he should be given a one year extension with the promise of a longer term extension following the season if all goes well. While I am not a fan of Hartley, he has earned the extension and shouldn't be in a lame-duck situation.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by FAN

If Hartley is in his last year he should be given a one year extension with the promise of a longer term extension following the season if all goes well. While I am not a fan of Hartley, he has earned the extension and shouldn't be in a lame-duck situation.

Why not? Mike Babcock is the best coach in the game and he's going to be in a lame duck situation. Are the Wings all of a sudden not a model franchise? Of course not.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Why not? Mike Babcock is the best coach in the game and he's going to be in a lame duck situation. Are the Wings all of a sudden not a model franchise? Of course not.

You don't think if Babcock wants, he'll get an extension?

Babcock is waiting to see what the Wings do to even know if he wants to be the coach of that team going forward. The Wings of course would extend him.

Hartley isn't in this position. Hartley won't have every single team who doesn't have a coach calling him, begging for his services.

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I believe he's getting too much credit for this. He didn't change it when Iginla was the captain. The culture changed when Giordano took over the leadership. I believe he's just as much to do with the culture change than Hartley is.

Nobody was thinking extension when the team was getting shut out every other night in January. Every new season is different and we have seen a lot of really good coaches have nightmare seasons were everything goes wrong and they have to go. I just don't think Hartley has accomplished enough in two years to warrant such a following as one year was a disaster and the other was a great work ethic but still the lowest finish in franchise history. It seems like fans don't have patience anymore. When a coach has a bad year it's "Fire him" when he has a good year "give him an extension". Why wouldn't you wait to see if he can replicate last year before extending him for one good season's work?

While Giordano sure helped, I think you're selling Hartley short.

Pretty hard to change the culture in his first year with no training camp, preseason, and very little practice time over a 48 game season.