Brad Treliving needs to go

[united]

The Athletic's annual front office fan survey was released today.

2021 NHL front office rankings: Fans weigh in on every team

This is the sixth annual version of the list, and it gets bigger and bigger every year. This year there were nearly 17,000 responses for those voting on just their favourite team and 650 for the full-team survey. The vast user base here in each market has been really beneficial in figuring out where different fan bases stand with much more specificity than the public could muster on its own. It’s always nice to see the dichotomy between the two judgments, but what the fans say about their own teams is definitely becoming a much bigger focal point.

Select fan comments:
“There seems to be a disconnect with the Flames management between what they want, and what the team actually needs.”

“It’s hard to identify what the plan is or what the team identity is supposed to be. All I see is mediocrity, and it’s tiring.”

“The Flames strategy of clinging to mediocrity rather than risk a rebuild seems to come down from ownership. So Flames management needs to be judged on the basis of how well they’re carrying out a bad plan.”

Author's commentary:
I don’t know what the plan is here and it seems neither do most Flames fans. Calgary was a mediocre team last year that didn’t make the playoffs in an all-Canada division, lost its captain, didn’t replace him, and are basically just going to run it back next year? I guess …

The Flames are at the same crossroads that all average teams are at when they realize they’re stuck in the mushy middle: go all-in or fold. Pick a lane and either try to contend or try to rebuild. Doing neither just delays the inevitable and wastes time for everyone and that lack of vision is obviously going to be frustrating to a hungry fan base. Only 4 percent were more confident in this team now than they were last year, the lowest of any team in the league. Do something!


- Treliving's Flames finished 24th.
- Flames fans had him ranked 23rd, with non-Flames fans ranking him 26th.
- Fell from 19th last year.
- Didn't grade 3/5 or higher in any category from non-Flames fans.
- Flames fans graded him 3.5 in the cap management category, while non-Flames fans graded him 2.8. This was his highest category among both sets of fans.
- On the other hand, Flames fans graded him 2.1 in free agency while non-Flames fans graded him 2.5.
- His lowest grade was in the Vision category where Flames fans graded him 2.1 while non-Flames fans graded him 2.2.
- Top 5: Lightning (1st), Avalanche, Red Wings, Panthers, Islanders
- Bottom 5: Sabres (32nd), Sharks, Coyotes, Canucks, Oilers

Accompanying graphic

Spoiler!

[Strange Brew]

"I don’t know what the plan is here" from the author's commentary pretty much summarizes my POV since the trade deadline of 2019.

[The Familia]

There is no plan. There hasn’t been one and there doesn’t appear to be one forthcoming. The Flames remind me of an amateur car enthusiast. They are more worried about installing a spoiler and tinted windows (Neal/Brower) than what is actually under the hood. Their engine (Monahan/Tkchuk) is broken and faulty and they won’t bother to fix or upgrade it.

[DazzlinDino]

Over the last few years, I think lack of experience at the GM and the coaching levels have hurt the Flames, Experienced coaches know what it takes to win and how to get their ducks in a row "quickly". When you have young skilled guys coming up, you don't want coaches, or a GM who is experimenting with idea's. Several players brought in didn't didn't fit, some coaches couldn't get the team motivated from one season to the next. At times players ruled the roost and didn't always show up to play as team. Poor conditioning, which can contribute to playoff failures. Are we a big, fast, or a skilled team, we just seemed to be adding some average players hoping they would move the needle. We did make some good moves, but the team needs a solid plan. We seem to have a habit of winning when the team is out of the playoffs; When an actual plan might be to gain a better draft position, "while playing guys you want to have a look at for next season". A better draft position might be the difference in getting elite pieces to move the needle. This doesn't seem to be high on the Flames agenda but could constitute a plan. Why does this organization keep wandering in the mediocrity desert!?

[Goriders]

The Athletic’s ranking seems about right to me.

[socalwingfan]

Nm

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by The Familia

There is no plan. There hasn’t been one and there doesn’t appear to be one forthcoming. The Flames remind me of an amateur car enthusiast. They are more worried about installing a spoiler and tinted windows (Neal/Brower) than what is actually under the hood. Their engine (Monahan/Tkchuk) is broken and faulty and they won’t bother to fix or upgrade it.

Funny part is in your analogy the bigger items generally aren’t undertaken because of lack of funds. We’re typically a cap team. Which points towards issues that are less flattering.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by The Familia

There is no plan. There hasn’t been one and there doesn’t appear to be one forthcoming. The Flames remind me of an amateur car enthusiast. They are more worried about installing a spoiler and tinted windows (Neal/Brower) than what is actually under the hood. Their engine (Monahan/Tkchuk) is broken and faulty and they won’t bother to fix or upgrade it.

If the engine is broken, you don’t have a car 😉

[I_H8_Crawford]

Originally Posted by The Familia

There is no plan. There hasn’t been one and there doesn’t appear to be one forthcoming. The Flames remind me of an amateur car enthusiast. They are more worried about installing a spoiler and tinted windows (Neal/Brower) than what is actually under the hood. Their engine (Monahan/Tkchuk) is broken and faulty and they won’t bother to fix or upgrade it.

Of course there's no plan... there is a PROCESS

[Shazam]

I have no confidence that whoever replaces Treliving will be better.

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by Shazam

I have no confidence that whoever replaces Treliving will be better.

If the mandate continues to be this rebuild on the fly BS or grab the 8th seed and cross your fingers then ya it won't matter. That strategy is destined to lead to mediocrity until they slowly regress. They're already in the regression stage.

[Macho0978]

The Flames are probably going to be a bottom seed playoff team at best but overall this team is younger and the # of prospects to get excited about is growing. Still missing a superstar prospect but there is more potential for players to give this team a shot in the arm in the near future than we have had for a few years now.

I have also been on the side that the off season isn't over but if Brad does not sign Johnny and Tkachuk or move them before the season starts then he needs to go. At minimum Johnny needs to be signed, this team can't afford to risk being a playoff team at the trade deadline and going into next off season with Johnny unsigned. If they lose him for nothing the gain in prospects does absolutely nothing when you lose your best player for nothing.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by united

The Athletic's annual front office fan survey was released today.

2021 NHL front office rankings: Fans weigh in on every team

This is the sixth annual version of the list, and it gets bigger and bigger every year. This year there were nearly 17,000 responses for those voting on just their favourite team and 650 for the full-team survey. The vast user base here in each market has been really beneficial in figuring out where different fan bases stand with much more specificity than the public could muster on its own. It’s always nice to see the dichotomy between the two judgments, but what the fans say about their own teams is definitely becoming a much bigger focal point.

Select fan comments:
“There seems to be a disconnect with the Flames management between what they want, and what the team actually needs.”

“It’s hard to identify what the plan is or what the team identity is supposed to be. All I see is mediocrity, and it’s tiring.”

“The Flames strategy of clinging to mediocrity rather than risk a rebuild seems to come down from ownership. So Flames management needs to be judged on the basis of how well they’re carrying out a bad plan.”

Author's commentary:
I don’t know what the plan is here and it seems neither do most Flames fans. Calgary was a mediocre team last year that didn’t make the playoffs in an all-Canada division, lost its captain, didn’t replace him, and are basically just going to run it back next year? I guess …

The Flames are at the same crossroads that all average teams are at when they realize they’re stuck in the mushy middle: go all-in or fold. Pick a lane and either try to contend or try to rebuild. Doing neither just delays the inevitable and wastes time for everyone and that lack of vision is obviously going to be frustrating to a hungry fan base. Only 4 percent were more confident in this team now than they were last year, the lowest of any team in the league. Do something!


- Treliving's Flames finished 24th.
- Flames fans had him ranked 23rd, with non-Flames fans ranking him 26th.
- Fell from 19th last year.
- Didn't grade 3/5 or higher in any category from non-Flames fans.
- Flames fans graded him 3.5 in the cap management category, while non-Flames fans graded him 2.8. This was his highest category among both sets of fans.
- On the other hand, Flames fans graded him 2.1 in free agency while non-Flames fans graded him 2.5.
- His lowest grade was in the Vision category where Flames fans graded him 2.1 while non-Flames fans graded him 2.2.
- Top 5: Lightning (1st), Avalanche, Red Wings, Panthers, Islanders
- Bottom 5: Sabres (32nd), Sharks, Coyotes, Canucks, Oilers

Accompanying graphic

Spoiler!

Refreshing summary of things that really hits the nail on the head.

I think the lack of transparency or definitive direction at this juncture is a failure by the group in charge.

I would kill for treatment like Rangers fans recieved from their club. An open letter about the direction the club is taking and subsequent action. That's the treatment of a team that loves and appreciates its loyal fans.

Transparency is apparently something we're not privy to here and we're left dissecting the word 'process' while we drift directionless through space with no other choice but trust in a group that we know doesn't have the chops to compete.

I don't think ownership is intent on succeeding, but just keeping the status quo with the hopes of a Montreal like run off of Darryl Sutter's miracle fairy dust, and those are the matching orders from above. And it shows.

And it's frankly super embarrassing for every one involved that Jay Feaster had more sense when he spoke of intellectual honesty than all the bright minds running this Titanic of an operation presently.

Actually really turned off by the lack of response by the team to the most recent season. They failed by every metric and expectation, and are actually brushing it under the rug and gambling on the same guys yet again. I actually can't believe we're in late August without any meaningful action.

And they don't appear concerned in even locking down their best player in the absence of any meaningful changes.

You can only throw your hands up. What are we doing here?!

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by Shazam

I have no confidence that whoever replaces Treliving will be better.

Knowing the Flames, there's a good chance that person is Don Maloney.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

Knowing the Flames, there's a good chance that person is Don Maloney.

I want to say there is almost zero chance. Maloney is to Treliving what Wisebroad was to Feaster and they are a package deal. I think Conroy or Pascal have a better shot of getting him but would prefer they go in a new direction altogether

[nieuwy-89]

I was an early Treliving defender/“apologist” as some here would say. But this off-season has me baffled. For a team that had no cohesive identity the past 2.5 years, the plan, if there is one, seems even murkier now.

• Lose the captain for nothing, then do nothing to replace him
• Hand out a massive UFA contract to a third line forward, who by all accounts is a good character guy and solid player, but not a difference maker
• Trade a third round pick for an unsigned depth defenceman, then only sign him for one season

Just a bunch of random moves that make no sense to me.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by nieuwy-89

I was an early Treliving defender/“apologist” as some here would say. But this off-season has me baffled. For a team that had no cohesive identity the past 2.5 years, the plan, if there is one, seems even murkier now.

• Lose the captain for nothing, then do nothing to replace him
• Hand out a massive UFA contract to a third line forward, who by all accounts is a good character guy and solid player, but not a difference maker
• Trade a third round pick for an unsigned depth defenceman, then only sign him for one season

Just a bunch of random moves that make no sense to me.

24 points in the playoffs in the last two years...he is a difference maker

time for some new accounts

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by united

The Athletic's annual front office fan survey was released today.

2021 NHL front office rankings: Fans weigh in on every team

This is the sixth annual version of the list, and it gets bigger and bigger every year. This year there were nearly 17,000 responses for those voting on just their favourite team and 650 for the full-team survey. The vast user base here in each market has been really beneficial in figuring out where different fan bases stand with much more specificity than the public could muster on its own. It’s always nice to see the dichotomy between the two judgments, but what the fans say about their own teams is definitely becoming a much bigger focal point.

Select fan comments:
“There seems to be a disconnect with the Flames management between what they want, and what the team actually needs.”

“It’s hard to identify what the plan is or what the team identity is supposed to be. All I see is mediocrity, and it’s tiring.”

“The Flames strategy of clinging to mediocrity rather than risk a rebuild seems to come down from ownership. So Flames management needs to be judged on the basis of how well they’re carrying out a bad plan.”

Author's commentary:
I don’t know what the plan is here and it seems neither do most Flames fans. Calgary was a mediocre team last year that didn’t make the playoffs in an all-Canada division, lost its captain, didn’t replace him, and are basically just going to run it back next year? I guess …

The Flames are at the same crossroads that all average teams are at when they realize they’re stuck in the mushy middle: go all-in or fold. Pick a lane and either try to contend or try to rebuild. Doing neither just delays the inevitable and wastes time for everyone and that lack of vision is obviously going to be frustrating to a hungry fan base. Only 4 percent were more confident in this team now than they were last year, the lowest of any team in the league. Do something!


- Treliving's Flames finished 24th.
- Flames fans had him ranked 23rd, with non-Flames fans ranking him 26th.
- Fell from 19th last year.
- Didn't grade 3/5 or higher in any category from non-Flames fans.
- Flames fans graded him 3.5 in the cap management category, while non-Flames fans graded him 2.8. This was his highest category among both sets of fans.
- On the other hand, Flames fans graded him 2.1 in free agency while non-Flames fans graded him 2.5.
- His lowest grade was in the Vision category where Flames fans graded him 2.1 while non-Flames fans graded him 2.2.
- Top 5: Lightning (1st), Avalanche, Red Wings, Panthers, Islanders
- Bottom 5: Sabres (32nd), Sharks, Coyotes, Canucks, Oilers

Accompanying graphic

Spoiler!

We have some fierce defenders of the Flames at this site but it's polls like this that put them in their place. So much complaining about the negative posters while almost blind to the surroundings of the team they cheer for. This is why many fans of the Flames are angry. The team is mired in mediocrity and everyone knows it including public opinion and fans. Except a few optimistic fans and ownership. It's just so sad that the never ending cycle of mediocrity will continue forever as long as ownership stays their course of plugging holes in a sinking ship. I have a lifetime of cheering for this organization as well as the Raiders so I can handle this but from personal experience it never gets better as long as ownership stinks.

[FlamesAddiction]

If it's any consolation, I think there stands a decent chance that this team is less than mediocre and we see a dismantling at the trade deadline.

I think there is probably a bigger chance that this is a bottom 5 lottery team as it is right now than a playoff team.

I feel pretty bad for Sutter to come out of retirement for this.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by nieuwy-89

I was an early Treliving defender/“apologist” as some here would say. But this off-season has me baffled. For a team that had no cohesive identity the past 2.5 years, the plan, if there is one, seems even murkier now.

• Lose the captain for nothing, then do nothing to replace him
• Hand out a massive UFA contract to a third line forward, who by all accounts is a good character guy and solid player, but not a difference maker
• Trade a third round pick for an unsigned depth defenceman, then only sign him for one season

Just a bunch of random moves that make no sense to me.

*Gio wasn't lost for nothing as cap space is important. was anyone going to give anything for a 38 year old making $6.75m?

*$4.9m for capable 25 goal guy who plays hard and performs in the PO's is not a massive contract even for a UFA.

*it's a 3rd round pick, not a 1st

I will judge Treliving on what he doesn't do, not these three things