[News] Flames and Treliving agree to part ways. Maloney promoted to PoHO and interim GM

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

Flames needed an identity. Florida did a great job of finding players who were great players not happy, or playing up to potential on other teams. Grabbing a few former first round draft picks from other teams was a shrewd way to build a, "win now" team. Florida had a plan and it is working for them, They also have a way of making some of those players feel more confident, building them up and making them feel like world beaters.

I disagree. The flames do have an identity. It’s just the wrong one. They lack young fast skill. Surely they have the identity that can be rough in the corners but playing a skilled offensive game involving moving the puck around quickly, I don’t think they’re there.

If you ask me, Florida is a bunch of pit bulls running around but they have speed. I don’t know if it was intentional as we’re making it out to be given their run but they were equally as close to missing the playoffs as we were.

[FlamesAddiction]

I can't say I knew anything about Pridham before today, so it is hard to have a valid opinion on him. I find it curious though that until now, we haven't seen his name come up much, if at all.

I wonder if it's a case of teams being interested, but not wanting to bring attention to it to avoid a bidding war, because it sounds like he could be a really good choice.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

Flames needed an identity. Florida did a great job of finding players who were great players not happy, or playing up to potential on other teams. Grabbing a few former first round draft picks from other teams was a shrewd way to build a, "win now" team. Florida had a plan and it is working for them, They also have a way of making some of those players feel more confident, building them up and making them feel like world beaters.

TBF, Treliving went out and acquired a ton of underperforming former first rounders from other teams: Lindholm, Hanifin, Shinkaruk, Lazar, Rychel, Klimchuk, Gudbranson, Ritchie (and gave Milano a PTO). I guess either the pro scouting wasn't great on most of those or the theory is you try a lot and expect only a little.

Kadri, Huberdeau and Hamilton were also first rounders of course, but not underperforming ones.

[VilleN]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

TBF, Treliving went out and acquired a ton of underperforming former first rounders from other teams: Lindholm, Hanifin, Shinkaruk, Lazar, Rychel, Klimchuk, Gudbranson, Ritchie (and gave Milano a PTO). I guess either the pro scouting wasn't great on most of those or the theory is you try a lot and expect only a little.

Kadri, Huberdeau and Hamilton were also first rounders of course, but not underperforming ones.

Didn't we draft Klimchuk?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by bluejays

I disagree. The flames do have an identity. It’s just the wrong one. They lack young fast skill. Surely they have the identity that can be rough in the corners but playing a skilled offensive game involving moving the puck around quickly, I don’t think they’re there.

If you ask me, Florida is a bunch of pit bulls running around but they have speed. I don’t know if it was intentional as we’re making it out to be given their run but they were equally as close to missing the playoffs as we were.

Speed is the biggest lack on the Flames, and it's a little odd. It's glaring, but almost every big acquisition was a guy who, despite other positives, lacks speed: Huberdeau, Toffoli, Lucic, etc. Lindholm and Kadri are only average. And for some reason their drafting was the same: Monahan, Tkachuk are slower guys. Bennett, Mangiapane, Backlund, Ruzicka are middling. Even Gaudreau was quick as opposed to fast.

Their best skaters up front right now are middle six: Dube, Coleman, Duehr.

If you watch the POs right now the pace is very fast. Flames are not at that level as a team.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by VilleN

Didn't we draft Klimchuk?

Oh, right, with an extra. I forgot and just lumped him in with that 2013 draft where 7 first rounders ended up with Calgary at some point. Three of those were Calgary picks and the ones not named Monahan combined for 9 games and 1 assist.

That said, I look now and see Zadorov was in that draft and I forgot him too.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Sounds like the Flames are leaving no stone unturned.

That's an interesting way to keep him in the org.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

If those are the names I would just go with Conroy.

I don't want an person from the inside. This team has a chance for a fresh start. We need change.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I don't want an person from the inside. This team has a chance for a fresh start. We need change.

That’s partially why I’m afraid of Conroy coming in. There needs to be a revolutionary change here. If it were an evolutionary one I wouldn’t mind Conroy but we need someone looking objectively at the puzzle we have and figuring out who needs to be part of the future and what that future looks like at what timelines. Conroy is a victim of circumstance here but I do wonder if he has biases towards staying the course with an old strategy.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by bluejays

That’s partially why I’m afraid of Conroy coming in. There needs to be a revolutionary change here. If it were an evolutionary one I wouldn’t mind Conroy but we need someone looking objectively at the puzzle we have and figuring out who needs to be part of the future and what that future looks like at what timelines. Conroy is a victim of circumstance here but I do wonder if he has biases towards staying the course with an old strategy.

Looking back the answers are not in the room, and have not been for 34 years.

[Ashasx]

any noise of Tulsky's name being out there?

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Speed is the biggest lack on the Flames, and it's a little odd. It's glaring, but almost every big acquisition was a guy who, despite other positives, lacks speed: Huberdeau, Toffoli, Lucic, etc. Lindholm and Kadri are only average. And for some reason their drafting was the same: Monahan, Tkachuk are slower guys. Bennett, Mangiapane, Backlund, Ruzicka are middling. Even Gaudreau was quick as opposed to fast.

Their best skaters up front right now are middle six: Dube, Coleman, Duehr.

If you watch the POs right now the pace is very fast. Flames are not at that level as a team.

Fully agree. I’m sure Treliving and Company bought into the Brian Burke school of looking at your competition (primarily Edmonton and Colorado) and thought the shut down style would be best to compete with them. But it really doesn’t work. Even from a good product to watch, I’d argue isn’t great, and that even flows down to attracting talent to the team. Certainly winning helps a lot of things but having a fun team to watch really builds excitement. That’s lost on these guys making those decisions. Frankly if it’s a team who tries and out score you, I’d love to tune in to see the skill at play — even if losing. Old school hockey guys will disagree but the game has gone through a change the past 20 years and it’s puzzling the Flames keep wanting this old school mentality.

[bluejays]

One thing also to consider is if they do quietly go the direction of a rebuild, the team has to spend more in scouting and player development in many ways. I really hope they don’t cheap out on that but that’s another puzzle the new GM has to figure out when he’s brought in.

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1658137708764753921

[Calgary4LIfe]

The one area of this organization that I feel comfortable with is the amateur scouting and development program. I do not have faith in anything else at the moment, especially since we do not know who the GM will be, or who the coach will be, and given how 'up and down' everything has been over the last few seasons.


Treliving had traded a number of picks, so I don't think that we can really tell how the scouting is trending. However, I would be shocked if the Flames are not widely considered a solid drafting team, and one that is ranked somewhere in the top half of the league. In fact, I remember seeing a few models that had the Flames in around the top 5 of the league, though these were a little subjective (weights/values assigned to picks, number of selections, etc).


I like the relative stability of the drafting and development program here, and I have been impressed with the arc that started under Darryl Sutter's tenure as GM, through Feaster's short tenure, the 'blip' for Burke (draft seemed to deviate a little under his one year), and then into Treliving's tenure. Last few years right through until today I think the scouting staff deserve some praise, and this is the one area that concerns me the most with a new GM coming in and perhaps wanting to impose his will here.


Please add to it, but do not make any significant changes (other than expanding it further in Europe please!).

[mile]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

any noise of Tulsky's name being out there?

I haven't seen Tulsky's name out there much. He sounds like the ideal candidate Maloney is looking for but I don't think he will leave Carolina.

One of the Athletic articles I read about possible Penguins GM candidates mentioned that he is running most of the hockey side while Waddell handles the business side. Sounds like he already is the GM.


edit: found it
https://theathletic.com/4415368/2023...gm-candidates/

He’ll be high on any list of candidates for a GM opening until he finally lands the big chair. Tulsky is essentially already the GM in Carolina, where he focuses on hockey operations while GM Don Waddell tends to a lot of business matters.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Tulsky interviewed for Chicago last year and was a runner up.

I think he will take the big job otherwise he wouldn't be interviewing .

[1qqaaz]

I was just assuming that Tusky's name hasn't been mentioned because his team is still in the playoffs and competing.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by mile

I haven't seen Tulsky's name out there much. He sounds like the ideal candidate Maloney is looking for but I don't think he will leave Carolina.

I wonder if they are basically paying Tulsky at a GM rate in order to keep him in the fold. Waddell isn't super old, but he is at the age where a lot of guys start retiring. The Canes may be doing their best to entice him into staying so that they can eventually promote him.

[SuperMatt18]

Feel like Carolina would be smart to just make Waddell PoHo at this point and promote Tulsky to GM with a pay raise.