[Rumour] Assistant General Managers Craig Conroy and Don Maloney extended

[The Hendog]

Wondering if we are at a bit of stalemate here between Murray having to pick between Tre and Sutter?

And perhaps Murray, Tre & Sutter are all fine with Craig & Don so extend them now but Tre doesn't want to extend until he knows if Sutter is gone and that is all on Murray.

[RobotTalk]

Take this as an orange Julius rumour if you want, but whilst having drinks with a Flames head office staffer they said the plan was to find a way for Sutter to exit gracefully (e.g. not fired but respectfully put out to pasture) given the extent to which he’d lost the room contrasted with his contributions to the flames/nhl over his career.

We didn’t talk about Trelivings future. Given this persons role, I’d assume they’d have an inside track on office gossip/planning but wouldn’t have access to the discussions between Edwards and Treliving, so I’d take the chat as a strong rumour data point but nothing I’d bet the farm on.

[OutOfTheCube]

It is very Flames to give a vote of confidence to management the day after the end of the probably the most disappointing and frustrating season in team history.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

To me it points to Conroy being the GM if Treliving doesn't return. So while the Flames are trying to re-sign Tree, the ball is in Tree's court and the Flames need to protect themselves in what looks like a MASSIVE off-season. If Tree says he's not coming back, then you're not taking a massive disruptive hit because Connie has been there for the exit interviews etc. etc. etc.

I think it's either GM Tree or GM Connie.

GM Maloney is a possibility, too. What I think is:

(1) They're generally happy with how the organization is run. They want or are expecting Treliving to come back but are also hedging knowing that if he does decide to leave, he can't just take all his assistants with him.
(2) If he is to leave, they can just move one of the assistants into the GM spot.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Tree could also be negotiating and pushing for more actual autonomy both from his coach and his owners. If he can't get that, I see him leaving.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Yeah this sounds like Treliving coming back in my mind.

Wonder if Edwards would entertain keeping Sutter on staff as an expensive senior adviser and promote Love to head coach.

Get a new voice and approach, but some experience in the wings.

I’d be 100% on board with this

[Ashasx]

Give Treliving full autonomy (though I thought he demanded this last extension).

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Tree could also be negotiating and pushing for more actual autonomy both from his coach and his owners. If he can't get that, I see him leaving.

He could also get it, but then in the end not actually get it. Ownership seems intent on the same playlist and no one is dancing to the #### anymore.

[DionTheDman]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Give Treliving full autonomy (though I thought he demanded this last extension).

This rings a bell to me too. After the whole Ben Bishop airplane fiasco, I remember it being a sticking point that he wanted the autonomy to be able to make key decisions without having to seek approval from upstairs.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Give Treliving full autonomy (though I thought he demanded this last extension).

Yeah I recall that too. Promising autonomy and delivering it can be different. Perhaps that's what he's raising. "If you want me to run this ship, you need to actually let me do it".

Could even be him saying "I'll stay, but only if I can execute the right strategy, which means being willing to move pending UFAs this summer".

[Jiri Hrdina]

The reality is that a GM will always have to go to ownership for certain things. It would be unreasonable to expect that they could sign massive deals like those offered to Johnny and Huberdeau without ownership involvement.

But the degree of involvement and for what decisions are the key items.

[howard_the_duck]

If the whole gang is back, Sutter included, then put me in the confused as hell camp.

I want Treliving back. Think he's the best we do in the GM chair.

But the on-ice product this year, how players were deployed, it wreaked of dissension in the ranks. If that's not the case, and he and Darryl are on the same page, then my opinion of Treliving skews more negatively.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Tree could also be negotiating and pushing for more actual autonomy both from his coach and his owners. If he can't get that, I see him leaving.

I would figure that Treliving would ultimately want to have the Pres of Hockey Ops label. And because I can't envision a scenario where Murry is gonna renege on the Sutter extension, I would assume that Tre's gotta have 100% control on re-singing him or picking his own coach (again) after Sutter's contract expires.

[Johnny Makarov]

Kirk Muller staying is even worse than Sutter staying. Get him outta here!

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Yeah I recall that too. Promising autonomy and delivering it can be different. Perhaps that's what he's raising. "If you want me to run this ship, you need to actually let me do it".

Could even be him saying "I'll stay, but only if I can execute the right strategy, which means being willing to move pending UFAs this summer".

The interesting bit is there was a decent number of rumours at the trade deadline that Treliving was looking at some bigger deals (particularly involving Carolina).

We also had our own source on CP going with that Treliving had been approved for cap-retention on deals at that time.

So maybe Tree does have a plan, and yeah - he wants it to be backed and it's the only way he'll come back. I could see this being part of this all, and it's why if Tree does come back I'll be pretty excited because you know he's not coming back to just keep doing the same thing over and over. He's a smart guy, if he's back - he's coming back with a plan.

[Toonage]

Being granted full autonomy and then seeing ownership dictate a coaching hire would seem like a negotiating point this go around, yes.

[GullFoss]

The part about exit meetings is interesting. If guys like Backlund and Tanev and Ras and Lindholm say "it's the coach" then maybe it's the coach. But what happens is that leadership group says "it's these 1-3 players". Then maybe the problem is with a few players.

Will that leadership group side with the coach or are they part of the faction that thinks the coach is the primary problem?

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

If the whole gang is back, Sutter included, then put me in the confused as hell camp.

I want Treliving back. Think he's the best we do in the GM chair.

But the on-ice product this year, how players were deployed, it wreaked of dissension in the ranks. If that's not the case, and he and Darryl are on the same page, then my opinion of Treliving skews more negatively.

Is it, though? I mean, better OT luck and Markstrom bouncing back to even .910 and this is probably a 100 point team as built. Could they win the Cup? That's probably less likely but if 95% of this roster comes back next season with the same coaching and management, I'd bet on a return to the playoffs.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

The part about exit meetings is interesting. If guys like Backlund and Tanev and Ras and Lindholm say "it's the coach" then maybe it's the coach. But what happens is that leadership group says "it's these 1-3 players". Then maybe the problem is with a few players.

Will that leadership group side with the coach or are they part of the faction that thinks the coach is the primary problem?

well, something similar happened before and Hartley was gone

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I would take this as the Flames are very much trying to extend Treliving, and the ball is in Tree's court. This is what we've heard pretty much all season too.

Waiting to see if the Leafs have a first round exit probably.