But winning hockey games has been a constant part of general manager Craig Conroy’s messaging since he took over as GM from Brad Treliving 17 months ago. Not everybody loved the tone and tenor of Conroy’s approach to rebuilding the team following the departure of half a dozen longtime players a year ago.
On the contrary, some — maybe even a lot — of people on social media believe in a scorched-earth tack when it comes to reviving a flagging franchise. But that’s not in Conroy’s DNA, nor has it ever been.
Philosophically, Conroy has stuck to his own pesky insistence that the best way to turn the ship around is to try and win every night, rather than gently steering the organization to the bottom of the standings in the hopes that a future No. 1 overall draft choice leads the turnaround.
This isn’t always a popular view, but it is how the team intends to operate going forward, he said in an interview at Scotiabank Saddledome.
“You cannot tell people that it’s OK to lose and then later say, let’s try to win now. How do you do that?” said Conroy. “Where in the brain does it say that can be done? If you have a culture where you’re just OK with losing, that doesn’t breed winning. I know we’re going to lose games, but the attitude has to always be: ‘We’re here to win. This is our job.’
But what would constitute a successful season for the Flames? Would it require making the playoffs?
“I mean, playoffs are always the goal,” answered Conroy. “But mostly, I want to see growth in our young players and to see our older guys take a step too. It’s to see overall growth — and then build that culture. What do we want the Calgary Flames to be? That first game was a great first step. We want people who want to be in Calgary, who want to buy in and win here. Because it’s a great city.”
Last edited by traptor; 10-18-2024 at 11:54 AM.
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Kadri not going anywhere I would think
Backlund getting long in the tooth but still consistent
Pospisil is found money
Costco looking like the same for the 4th line
Rooney journeymen 4th liner
Looks like they need some middle 6 depth at C in case of injuries if they want Sharongovich on the wing. Maybe succession planning for Backlund too.
That is my thought as that is probably where they projected Schwindt playing in a few years.
I got a few different iterations of this question, and understandably so in this market. Fans here have been conditioned to a team chasing immediate, often fleeting, success at the expense of building for something longer term. So, seeing the Flames go in a different direction under general manager Craig Conroy has been refreshing for many.
But if you’re worried Conroy is going to alter course from the plan he’s put in motion, you can rest easy. It’s my belief Conroy and the Flames are fully committed to seeing this through, which means not being distracted by on-ice success earlier than expected. Conroy stated this is a “three to five-year plan” at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, and that plan remains in place.
Let’s not forget Conroy was part of Calgary’s front office the last time they were in a similar situation. Roughly a year into a retooling process, the 2014-15 season saw the Flames defy all expectations, make the playoffs, and even win a round. What followed, despite evidence of that season being somewhat of a mirage, was a clear deviation in approach.
Calgary was back to chasing immediate success way earlier than planned. I don’t believe that’s something Conroy and the Flames are ready to do this time around.
Now, that doesn’t mean using assets to help improve the team would be completely off the table. If it fits the vision. Conroy has said publicly he’d like to add a young (think 25 and under) and NHL ready centre to the group, for instance. And according to Frank Seravalli’s report earlier this week, that search remains active.
But a complete detour from the path the team is on doesn’t seem in the cards, even if Calgary’s strong start turns into a strong season.
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Maybe a team like the Flames see him as mis-cast as a defensive centre getting so many d zone starts and only 10-11 minutes a night and feel like he's got more offensive upside based on his junior career though?
You mean, sort of like that guy the Flames traded for back in the day. Third-line centre in St. Louis, but they thought he could do more. What was his name? …
Oh, yeah. Craig Conroy. That guy.
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I don't know, if folks just removed their blinders they'd see the need for a 25 and under center. It's actually a pretty high priority. The fact Conny hasn't made a swing for one yet should tell those folk who are worried about blowing assets, that he's not interested in that kind of deal. He's going to get a center, it may cost a little bit to get one but it's not going to be a Hamonic type thing, hell it won't even be a Dougie Hamilton level trade.
I think the often mentioned Buffalo angle is close, Ottawa too. As contender teams continue to struggle they'll start looking at things as well. Especially if they can make some cap room for other things.
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I know there's a lot of rumors floating around the Flames and Cozens, I believe this to be fan fiction vs's actual factual talks in a sense that Cozens is falling out a bit in Buffalo and the fans have turned on him. From Calgary's perspective because our "C" depth is so weak you could pretty much ink their name to any center looking for a change of scenery I suppose but nothing imminent on this particular rumor.
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There haven’t been any rumours that Cozens or Power are available. But with the prospect of a 14th straight season out of the playoffs, and with Adams in his 5th season as GM, the Sabres will be under intense pressure to turn things around. Give it another month, and they might be willing to do something desperate. Though more likely they’d move prospects and picks to shore up their core rather than break it apart.
I would prefer a top 10 protected 2025 1st from Buffalo plus a prospect or two over cozens myself.
I would prefer a top 10 protected 2025 1st from Buffalo plus a prospect or two over cozens myself.
For BUF prospects, Ostlund fits what the Flames are looking for. A bit undersized. But a 20 year old, skilled, two-way C would fit well with the Flames’ prospect pool.
The problem is the Sabres’ needs point to Coleman. Not sure that’s worth the candle in terms of culture and chemistry, even if BUF were adding picks.
I’m curious what Conroy is dangling in his efforts to bring in a young C. No rumours of guys like Coleman or Andersson being shopped, so it’s probably picks.
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Last edited by CliffFletcher; 10-18-2024 at 02:00 PM.
good god!
OK
time for me to talk in ridiculous absolutes.
Show me 1 team that ISN'T looking for a good young center to make a decent trade for and I will show you a team that won't win a championship
Show me another way a Stanley Cup champion was built in recent time that is available to the Flames other than having homegrown impact players selected with the top-5 draft spots on the roster?
Location: I'm somewhere where I don't know where I am
Exp:
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Originally Posted by ComixZone
Show me another way a Stanley Cup champion was built in recent time that is available to the Flames other than having homegrown impact players selected with the top-5 draft spots on the roster?
Conroy could even be considering the center version of the Brz pickup. A prospect with promising upside who is, for whatever reason, not valued as high by their current team because they won't soon fit into their rosters or due to other possible factors like the prospect's reluctance to sign with the team.
Show me another way a Stanley Cup champion was built in recent time that is available to the Flames other than having homegrown impact players selected with the top-5 draft spots on the roster?
From 2011 VGK, STL, BOS.
STL or are you going to argue that Pietrangelo at 4, and Johnson at 1 were the main reason they won the cup?
BOS got Seguin at 2, it did help, but he was far from the reason they won the cup that year.
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Even LAK did get Doughty at 2, but I would argue that getting Kopitar at 11, Quick at 72, etc was just as important.
Teams that definitely won it thanks to homegrown top 5 picks since 2011: CHI, PIT, WSH, TBL*, COL, FLA
* Stamkos and Hedman couldn't get over the hump until they got Kucherov and Point
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