Who should replace Ryan Huska as Flames Head Coach?

[gvitaly]

So what do you guys think of Peter DeBoer? Is there even a chance he'd come to a team like CGY instead of a contender?

He managed to get to the conference final in 6 of the last 8 seasons he coached with 3 different teams in SJS, DAL, and VGK. All of those teams were pretty stacked with talent. Personally I think the Oettinger fallout was overblown, and Dallas significantly downgraded their coaching with GG.

Players under 25 that developed well under his coaching(top6/top4):
DAL: Johnston, Harley, Stankoven, Robertson, Heiskanen, Oettinger
VGK: Tuch, Theodore, Thompson
SJS: Hertl, Meier, Coture, Dillon, DeMelo

Unfortunately he's likely also the type of coach that would push CGY out of last place, and more towards the mushy middle this year.

[Bingo]

Given the path the team is likely headed down for the next two seasons I don't think you make a change even if you haven't already extended the guy.

Is this where people pleading for a tank go when they seem to get their way and need something else to be upset about?

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The fire Huska thing is definitely one of the stranger things I've seen at CP over the decades. Maybe if we rewind three years where the team had some modest expectations you could start finger pointing but I'm not exactly clear on what some fans are expecting from this roster? Maybe they could have won a few more games and be 5-7-2, battling with the Canucks for 2nd last in the conference but this roster is really bad and the current record is kind of what most would expect from possibly the least talented roster in the NHL.

Huska was never my pick as head coach as I was on the Mitch Love bandwagon but I have a hard time overly critiquing what he's done with a roster full of no-name players and vets near the end of their career. Just months ago he received Jack Adams votes last season for getting the team to overachieve so it's strange to see pitchforks come out a month into the season like this.

Oof...

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Oof...

Well yeah. At that time though, we had no idea about his off the ice behavior.

[flame4life]

I imagine coaches are lining up to coach a team targeted to track in the McKenna sweepstakes. CP has been interesting these past couple of years with the constant complaining and sometimes utterly nonsense takes. Is Huska my favorite coach of all time - absolutely no - but he is definitely a bridge as head to the new arena, more competitive seasons, and when expectations can warrant a change to a start like this is.

As many have said, we are at least two years away from me seeing us getting another coach to lead this team. He is good for the most part at developing younger talent and once the veterans who are clearly being moved out sooner than later, I think you will see some great development strides in the team as a whole. Right now, he has to balance the veterans with the younger ones, without shattering the confidence of the young players.

Last point ... there isn't anyone that is remotely available that is a step up at this point to even have this conversation even it was remotely plausible.

[Dan403]

Terrible thread is terrible.

[Erick Estrada]

The Ducks are an example of hiring the guy (Quenneville) when the foundation is built and the expectations are for improvement. You don't hire that guy in beginning or middle of the rebuild as Eakins and Cronin delivered the high picks the organization needed and Quenneville is overseeing the ascension of the roster. That is how a rebuild should work. Time will tell if it works out for the Ducks but they are on the right path.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The Ducks are an example of hiring the guy (Quenneville) when the foundation is built and the expectations are for improvement. You don't hire that guy in beginning or middle of the rebuild as Eakins and Cronin delivered the high picks the organization needed and Quenneville is overseeing the ascension of the roster. That is how a rebuild should work. Time will tell if it works out for the Ducks but they are on the right path.

I'd say the only mistake was they went with a boring coach first.

They should have went with the exciting coach first that inflated all the players counting stats by playing river hockey to maximize trade return.

Then you bring in the boring defensive coach to build a foundation or structure of defense for young players.

Then you bring in the actual good coach to take the next step once the players are ready to take that next step and the foundation is built.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The Ducks are an example of hiring the guy (Quenneville) when the foundation is built and the expectations are for improvement. You don't hire that guy in beginning or middle of the rebuild as Eakins and Cronin delivered the high picks the organization needed and Quenneville is overseeing the ascension of the roster. That is how a rebuild should work. Time will tell if it works out for the Ducks but they are on the right path.

So you are agreeing Huska is a bad coach like an Eakins or a Cronin.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

So you are agreeing Huska is a bad coach like an Eakins or a Cronin.

Not the way I'd interpret what's been said.

Huska is fine ... he's vanilla ... he's not the problem and likely not the solution long term.

[loob job]

Once the base is built in a couple years, Gerard Gallant.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well yeah. At that time though, we had no idea about his off the ice behavior.

Had they hired him though that would be 2 coaches in a decade they had to let go due to off-ice behavior. After learning about Love that was a huge bullet dodged by Conroy and another questionable individual brought in by Treliving.

[Toonage]

How long is Steve Spott's contract with Boston? To me that signals how long Pete DeBoer wants to stay out of the NHL. If that coincides with the Flames rebuild entering a competitive stage, well there you go.

Just need to post that Always Sunny conspiracy gif

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

So you are agreeing Huska is a bad coach like an Eakins or a Cronin.

No. I'm saying that it doesn't really matter if he's a good or bad coach. The team itself is bad and they need a steady hand to steer the ship during this period making sure they practice hard and don't develop bad habits. There's some value to boring hockey when you are trying to develop young players. There were several teams interested in Tocchet who basically coaches to win games 2-1.

[BACKCHECK!!!]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I'd say the only mistake was they went with a boring coach first.

They should have went with the exciting coach first that inflated all the players counting stats by playing river hockey to maximize trade return.

Then you bring in the boring defensive coach to build a foundation or structure of defense for young players.

Then you bring in the actual good coach to take the next step once the players are ready to take that next step and the foundation is built.

This is the way

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Not the way I'd interpret what's been said.

Huska is fine ... he's vanilla ... he's not the problem and likely not the solution long term.

I will argue that he COULD be the solution, given that this is his first NHL head coaching gig. Just like the young prospects, it wouldn't be irrational to assume some growth in Huska as a coach. He may - or may not - be the coach for the future.


I also think that it will depend on whom else is available, and if at that point Calgary is an attractive market. The choice in two seasons may be between Huska and promoting someone from within again (which may be perfectly fine).

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Had they hired him though that would be 2 coaches in a decade they had to let go due to off-ice behavior. After learning about Love that was a huge bullet dodged by Conroy and another questionable individual brought in by Treliving.

I think we as a planet now can be somewhat addicted to the witch hunt.

Don't think Peter's or Love's off ice stuff would have come up in a standard interview and background check for a hockey hire.

You have hockey people recommending them, you like them in person, you discuss direction and tactics.

But the rest is pretty hard to find.

That's why they use the word "closet" for the skeletons.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The fire Huska thing is definitely one of the stranger things I've seen at CP over the decades. Maybe if we rewind three years where the team had some modest expectations you could start finger pointing but I'm not exactly clear on what some fans are expecting from this roster? Maybe they could have won a few more games and be 5-7-2, battling with the Canucks for 2nd last in the conference but this roster is really bad and the current record is kind of what most would expect from possibly the least talented roster in the NHL.

Huska was never my pick as head coach as I was on the Mitch Love bandwagon but I have a hard time overly critiquing what he's done with a roster full of no-name players and vets near the end of their career. Just months ago he received Jack Adams votes last season for getting the team to overachieve so it's strange to see pitchforks come out a month into the season like this.

Unless you saw last season as more a result of goaltending than Huska's magic touch (lol).

Considering the track records of jack adams winners getting fired shortly thereafter, its not the accolade people hype it up to be.

We're seeing a huska coached team with average goaltending now and its uuugly. It literally has no strengths.

That people line up to defend him and put it all on roster quality is basically balling him out no matter whar asinine in game decisions he makes.

The truth might be somewhere in fhe middle, but going all the way to absolving him of all blame for the on ice product is its own type of delusional.

At least we'll benefit from it, but im not going to pretend this guy is good or proven solely because of last seaaon.

The apologists are equally as perplexing.

[FlamesAddiction]

You never know what coaches are like off camera, but everything about Huska's demeanor suggests that he is flat out a player's coach. He never seems all that upset or emotional. I definitely respect that he never says anything overly critical to the cameras, or has outbursts on the bench, and avoids publicly embarrassing players.

I do wonder if he is too soft though, again not really knowing what goes on behind the camera. Hartley was very likeable on camera, but was apparently very intense off camera, so you never know.

The pendulum seems to have swung hard with Flames recent coaching hires. Historically, they always seemed to go for the hard asses with occasional sharp turns to player coaches. Gotta find that happy medium. I look at a guy like Martin St. Louis in Montreal. Most seem to describe him as a player's coach, but can also be pretty intense at times to motivate players in a positive way.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

You never know what coaches are like off camera, but everything about Huska's demeanor suggests that he is flat out a player's coach. He never seems all that upset or emotional. I definitely respect that he never says anything overly critical to the cameras, or has outbursts on the bench, and avoids publicly embarrassing players.

I do wonder if he is too soft though, again not really knowing what goes on behind the camera. Hartley was very likeable on camera, but was apparently very intense off camera, so you never know.

The pendulum seems to have swung hard with Flames recent coaching hires. Historically, they always seemed to go for the hard asses with occasional sharp turns to player coaches. Gotta find that happy medium. I look at a guy like Martin St. Louis in Montreal. Most seem to describe him as a player's coach, but can also be pretty intense at times to motivate players in a positive way.

I see him as more of a coach in the middle somewhere - definitely not a hard coach, but I don't see him as soft or a player's coach. Remember, he benched Huberdeau knowing full-well that it would be a story. I can't imagine a player's coach doing that, especially in his first year of being a head coach.