Craig Conroy Needs to Pick a Lane

[puffnstuff]

I thought this was going to be about bowling...

[Buff]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

The OP doesn’t make much of a case about or for anything

Conroy has been effective. That’s a good thing

Sometimes I feel that some people want the Flames to be terrible and always trade everyone over the age of 23 and if The Flames aren't doing that then they're wrong and stupid.


I think Conroy is doing a great job. He isn't going to win every single trade, he isn't going to sign scrub players for league minimum who turn out to be superstars. He has come into the GM role of a franchise who has chased its own tale for decades.


Yes, scorched earth rebuild will start everything fresh. Is it the correct answer? Just because it has worked for teams like Pittsburgh and Chicago doesn't mean it is the answer for every single team.


I see the Flames doing a rebuild without burning down the house. They're doing a rebuild and trying to look at it in a different perspective and tackle it from a different angle. They're also not calling it by tired old name of rebuild. Just because they won't call it a rebuild doesn't mean they're not doing a rebuild. There is also more than one way to do a rebuild.


I'm not against the direction the team has taken under Conroy as GM. I am concerned that they have missed out on a chance to draft a franchise #1 center because they got the franchise goaltender who lifted them out contention of drafting 1st overall 5 out of 7 years.

[really?]

Originally Posted by browntrout

It's eventually going to catch up with the team, they lack elite players, and the best of the best free agents won't sign here as a general rule.

Do I think the team is trying to delay this, yes, absolutely, is it going to work , doubt it.

This may be true, but Conroy isn’t finished. He’s managed to maintain a team identity and acquire a volume of good+ prospects, and the early returns suggest a number of these young players are in the process of transitioning to full time status with the team. Depending on the team’s start there are a few more pieces who are likely to move, and the next draft may result in an elite piece, so I don’t think Conroy’s work is trending downward. I would have preferred a tear down when Tkachuk left, but Conroy wasn’t at the helm and in retrospect tearing down what he inherited wouldn’t have necessarily resulted in better prospects than they now hold.

There is still some lifting to do, and if the Flames start slow pieces may begin to move, but with the groundwork Conroy has laid the team is positioned to move a few guys onto the roster without giving them a period of professional adjustment. Yeah, Anaheim and San Jose look like they are acquiring war chests, but the Flames have quietly built a foundation that keeps them in the conversation with those teams. Two years ago that wasn’t the case.

As an aside, I think Reschny and Potter are going to surprise many, in a good way.

[Inferno]

He picked a lane.

It's just not the lane you and others were hoping he would pick.

[troutman]

Had more points than the Habs last year and swept them head to head. Many think the Habs are on the verge of greatness.

[heep223]

The lane he picked is rebuild. Not his fault Wolf emerged last season. That alone might set the organization back, as I can’t see how we’re going to get a #1 C now

Not conroy’s fault

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I'd also like to add I am big fan #1 of this franchise landing a top 3 overall pick. But I also accept that it's not gonna happen under the Flames own choosing. Other teams have to grind this team into dust for that to happen. And good luck doing that since this scrappy ragtag group managed to land 96 points while being 3rd worst in the league at scoring.

More to the point, Conroy is unable to "grind the team into dust" thanks to the contract structures that he inherited from Treliving. The OP clearly forgets what Conroy walked into a fully built team that had just lost two of it's "best line in the league" but otherwise should have been able to make the playoffs. The reason they didn't make the playoffs is because their new star player completely fell apart and dragged the team down with him, initiating the need to rebuild.

Being locked into Huberdeau, Kadri, Coleman, Weegar, etc. were not choices that Conroy made and the NMC/NTC that those players had created boundaries around what he could and could not do. This is why they are saying "retool" instead of "rebuild" because most fans view a rebuild as the act of burning the team to the ground and sucking hard for years to draft high calibre players.

The retool is still a rebuild but we are locked into enough talented players that we unlikely to end up with a #1OA draft pick. Also, on top of the talented vets we have a new crop of talented young players joining the team and creating upward momentum instead of downward (Wolf, Coronato, etc).

There is a clear direction, the problem is a lot of fans do not agree with it, likely because they do not understand the parameters of the situation.

[really?]

Originally Posted by browntrout

It's eventually going to catch up with the team, they lack elite players, and the best of the best free agents won't sign here as a general rule.

Do I think the team is trying to delay this, yes, absolutely, is it going to work , doubt it.

This may be true, but Conroy isn’t finished. He’s managed to maintain a team identity and acquire a volume of good+ prospects, and the early returns suggest a number of these young players are in the process of transitioning to full time status with the team. Depending on the team’s start there are a few more pieces who are likely to move, and the next draft may result in an elite piece, so I don’t think Conroy’s work is trending downward. I would have preferred a tear down when Tkachuk left, but Conroy wasn’t at the helm and in retrospect tearing down what he inherited wouldn’t have necessarily resulted in better prospects than they now hold.

There is still some lifting to do, and if the Flames start slow pieces may begin to move, but with the groundwork Conroy has laid the team is positioned to move a few guys onto the roster without giving them a period of professional adjustment. Yeah, Anaheim and San Jose look like they are acquiring war chests, but the Flames have quietly built a foundation that keeps them in the conversation with those teams. Two years ago that wasn’t the case.

As an aside, I think Reschny and Potter are going to surprise many, in a good way.

[GioforPM]

There are very few teams that have gone scorched earth on purpose. Including cup champs.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by heep223

The lane he picked is rebuild. Not his fault Wolf emerged last season. That alone might set the organization back, as I can’t see how we’re going to get a #1 C now

Not conroy’s fault

We really need to look at possibly moving Wolf now, think of the picks we could get.

[ComixZone]

I think he’s already picked a lane, and part of that lane involves time.

At the end of the day, he’s traded away pretty much every UFA, and looks poised to do so again with Andersson.

If the team struggles this year (and yeah, it’s a good year to be bad, and they have a tough schedule to start the year), this may well be the year where other veterans decide to bow out (Kadri, and Coleman).

The neat thing with how Conroy has gone about business, we really only need one terrible season and then the hardest to fill check boxes are effectively filled:

Goalie (Wolf)
#1 defenceman (Parekh)
#1 centre (2026 draft pick)

It may not go sour this season, but if it does? I’ll consider Conroy to have executed very well on a very difficult path.

If the year doesn’t go sour, well…he’s already got an additional 1st in ‘26 locked down, and will likely have another high pick in the Andersson deal…and once you build an asset base that is overloaded, he’d then have the ammo available to be able to do quantity for quality trade.

[browna]

I think he’s tried to do something, fairly urgently, the last two trade deadlines. And last two offseasons, especially last year.

But I think he’s been surprised on some few things. First, some guys turned him down, some maybe unexpectedly I think. And the cap space he had he couldn’t weaponize like he thought would happen.

His comments around Raantanen makes me think he had some intel that he could have legit gotten him so he is looking at making some splashes.

So if he had his way this team would look a lot different, with less picks and at least one impact player, but is learning some GM lessons as it relates to players agents and other GMs. So as a result he’s had to instead take care of the things he has control of.

This offseason he realizes the upcoming seat is the one to get a high pick. He and us fans are hoping to get a good pick, and then, next summer, with the building being only a year away, that factor can finally convince some of the talent he’s trod to get the last 3 calendar years.

[Mightyfire89]

I think Frost could pop this season, like 25ish goals, 65ish pts. That could help with the lane that has been picked.

I still have plenty of confidence in Conny. He’s on the right track IMO.

[really?]

Nvm

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by kehatch

Craig Conroy has been GM of the Flames for just over two years now, and it feels like he’s been letting the situation make the decisions for him. The team calls it a “retool,” but let’s be real—that’s just code for not fully committing to anything. They’re not rebuilding, but they’re also not trying to be competitive right now.

That kind of in-between approach has left the Flames stuck. Not terrible, not great—just a bit below average—a position fans are pretty used to.

To be fair, Conroy was busy in his first year. He had to deal with a bunch of expiring contracts and a crowded goalie situation. But since trading Markstrom before the 2024 draft he has made one move. One. A midseason trade that brought in Frost and Farabee—a smart gamble regardless of direction, but that’s it. One trade over two summers and a full season.

Last season was a weird one. The team overachieved, played above expectations, and came within a point of the playoffs. It was exciting for the fans and good for development, but it might’ve been the worst outcome long-term. It gave the illusion that this roster is better than it really is. The truth? They were propped up by strong goaltending and a relatively injury-free season. That’s not sustainable.

Now, don’t get me wrong—Conroy has done some solid work. He’s drafted well, hasn’t thrown money around recklessly, and hasn’t made any long-term moves that will come back to bite the team. You could nitpick a few signings or trades, but overall, he’s been smart and he has a few gems on his resume.

But at some point, he has to make a choice. Waiting around to see if the bottom falls out isn’t a plan. It’s time for Craig Conroy to stop reacting and start leading.

Lane Hutson?

[Igottago]

He's in the middle lane. Conroy did state very early on after he was hired that with the "retool" path it was very unlikely they would get the draft picks required to land elite talent. So he knows the path he's on, hopefully he has some creative ways to address the lack of truly top end talent, or someone unforeseen turns out to be that. If Parekh ends up being a star and Wolf continues to do what he's doing, they might actually have something positive moving forward.
I think he's doing a pretty good job given the circumstances he inherited, and the team hasn't given him the opportunity to just blow it all up. There is a chance they are just prolonging the inevitable and have to take their medicine at some point -- but who knows. Roster turnover is so frequent in today's NHL, its hard to predict what the mix is going to give you year after year. I'm not sure if this team will battle for a playoff spot or a top 5 pick this season.

[bdubbs]

I am so thankful the regular season is starting soon. So we can complain about things that aren't just Conroy not doing what specific users want. Like blown offsides calls or something tangible.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by kehatch

Craig Conroy has been GM of the Flames for just over two years now, and it feels like he’s been letting the situation make the decisions for him. The team calls it a “retool,” but let’s be real—that’s just code for not fully committing to anything. They’re not rebuilding, but they’re also not trying to be competitive right now.

That kind of in-between approach has left the Flames stuck. Not terrible, not great—just a bit below average—a position fans are pretty used to.

To be fair, Conroy was busy in his first year. He had to deal with a bunch of expiring contracts and a crowded goalie situation. But since trading Markstrom before the 2024 draft he has made one move. One. A midseason trade that brought in Frost and Farabee—a smart gamble regardless of direction, but that’s it. One trade over two summers and a full season.

Last season was a weird one. The team overachieved, played above expectations, and came within a point of the playoffs. It was exciting for the fans and good for development, but it might’ve been the worst outcome long-term. It gave the illusion that this roster is better than it really is. The truth? They were propped up by strong goaltending and a relatively injury-free season. That’s not sustainable.

Now, don’t get me wrong—Conroy has done some solid work. He’s drafted well, hasn’t thrown money around recklessly, and hasn’t made any long-term moves that will come back to bite the team. You could nitpick a few signings or trades, but overall, he’s been smart and he has a few gems on his resume.

But at some point, he has to make a choice. Waiting around to see if the bottom falls out isn’t a plan. It’s time for Craig Conroy to stop reacting and start leading.

A GM can only pick a strategy; they cannot pick an outcome.

You're entire premise seems to be he hasn't picked a lane because the outcome of last season was better than expected.
It's a false premise.

[Usernamefatigue]

The OP comes across like some rage baiting post on X. Anyone who doesn't know what lane Craig is in and what the plan is hasn't been paying attention

[traptor]

As someone else mentioned, he has picked a lane, the middle lane...


I dont think it is the optimal route to consistent contention but as a fan all you can do is enjoy the ride.


My prediction of this next iteration so far is that we will be a good not great team. Much like the last few iterations.


I think they missed the window to be a great team by not committing to a rebuild right after chucky and Gaudreau left and before Wolf came online. Now theyre going to get stuck in no mans land, missing one or two critical pieces that would of made them a great team.