[News] Conroy Press Conference: UFAs could not be re-signed

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by traptor

How are they building over the next 3 years though?

They're not wanting to bottom out. We're in pace to pick 14th this year.


We only have one extra 1st (very late) and one extra 2nd over the next 2 years.

We could lose a low teens pick next season.


Need materials to rebuild especially that quick. I just don't see it.

We currently have 9 picks in the first three rounds over the next two drafts. That's pretty good.

This year it is 5 of the first 79 picks, which is one out of every 18, and maybe one more 3rd if Vancouver is in the final 4, pushing it to 6 of the top 96, which is one out of every 16 picks.

[CroCop]

Conroy has done an awesome job trading this year. I think he maximized return on every trade he’s made and I trust him going forward.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by traptor

How are they building over the next 3 years though?

They're not wanting to bottom out. We're in pace to pick 14th this year.


We only have one extra 1st (very late) and one extra 2nd over the next 2 years.

We could lose a low teens pick next season.


Need materials to rebuild especially that quick. I just don't see it.

We just sold 4 UFAs in one season.

We're likely trading Markstrom in the Summer, and new crop of pending UFAs next year and who knows what else comes. I don't understand what else you think could be done in one season?

[Flames0910]

On the bright side:

The impacts of individual trades will always vary, but ensuring you get something for expiring assets is the smart approach over the long run. Flames don't have the luxury of letting players walk for nothing so this is a big improvement over Treliving.

On the not-so-good side:

I would have liked to have seen Conroy have a stronger vision about the type of team he's building to drive his evaluation of who stays and who goes. "We tried to sign 'em but couldn't, so we had to trade them" doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Conroy should be driving here, not the players.

[Roof-Daddy]

Bottoming out would be nice for rebuilding, it's not completely necessary for building a quality team though.

They need to stockpile assets, and Conroy just turned 5 assets into 15 plus he's made a few shrewd waiver pick ups as well.

But the big thing is draft picks You need lots of them and then you need to hit on some of them, the more you have the better chance you have of snagging some future core pieces.

[Enoch Root]

Regarding re-signing players...

All players have value - at some price. Nothing wrong with making an offer that you think is fair, and if the player wants more or isn't interested, then out they go.

This idea that the current players are some sort of collective, and all are tainted, simply because the team hasn't performed, is ridiculous.

[FBI]

This also sends a message for players to be more proactive in signing if they want to stay. Otherwise they know they are gone. So maybe Yegor will sign quickly when he’s eligible.

[musth]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

On the not-so-good side:

I would have liked to have seen Conroy have a stronger vision about the type of team he's building to drive his evaluation of who stays and who goes. "We tried to sign 'em but couldn't, so we had to trade them" doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Conroy should be driving here, not the players.

I just think these things are more fluid than that. Lots of moving parts and things change from day to day.

In the end, I'm happy with the direction this is going.

[Vinny01]

Crazy what happens in 2 years

Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman
Dube-Jarnkrok-Toffoli
Lucic-Lewis-Ritchie

Hanifin-Andersson
Kylington-Tanev
Zadorov-Gudbransen

Markstrom
Vladar

To

Huberdeau-Sharangovich-Kuzmenko
Zary-Kadri-Pospisil
Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman
Pelletier-Rooney-Coronato

Weegar-Andersson
Kylington-Miromanov
Hanley-Pachal

Markstrom
Vladar

[NegativeSpace]

It may just be me but I don't see this team as being a bottom five NHL team, even if they trade Markstrom. I think that they'd have to trade Huberdeau, Sharagovich, Kadri, Coleman, Weegar, and more to get to that level. There are some bad teams in the NHL at the moment. I know everyone is looking at that Monahan deal, but I don't think Conroy needs to (or should) reshape the whole roster and franchise because Treliving made a bad deal in hindsight. Losing one pick in one year isn't a catastrophe.

I prefer the focus Conroy has on accumulating picks and focusing on improving scouting, both professional and amateur.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by keenan87

While I appreciate Conroy having a fair price in mind, I am a little disappointed that if given the choice, he would have kept this core together.

I care more about what he did and not so much what he said. He did pretty much exactly what most hardcore fans were begging for the team to do. Job well done IMO.

[saillias]

Between Hanley, Pachal, Miromanov and Okhotiuk it seems like they have no further use for Oesterle. don't mind that, but even if they're also done with Gilbert and waive him too, there's 3 spots for 4 players there.

I only wonder if maybe Kylington's situation is more up in the air than we thought, based on Conroy's comments today. Because the amount of depth seems unnecessary. Wranglers already have a nice D core too.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

Usually with a (successful) retool, you have core stars to build around.

Unsuccessful ones, too.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Very true, and to further this, in working so closely with them for so long, he probably has a good memory of which scouts fought hard for certain prospects that Calgary may not have ended up taking, but who with hindsight they should have.


Someone brand new to an organization doesn't have all of this 'background' info, and can end up making more mistakes. It is nice to have a fresh set of eyes and a fresh approach, but sometimes there is something to be said for promoting from within when shifting directions as well.

Not disagreeing with your post but I sure hope the Flames have a tracking system in place so that they can review past decisions and justifications from all scouts and management and aren't relying on memories.

[Fourteen FTW]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

I don't have any issues with the results of the trades and actually think Conroy did a great job with all of them. But yeah, given Craig's comments and echoing the above, I can't help think that in this case the organization succeeded in spite of it self rather than because of it self (i.e. a broken clock is right twice a day).

Yeah I get that Hanifin, Tanev and Lindholm are all really good players, who are "known quantities" and could be "good for the room" but that fact of the matter is that barring some miracle run, it's painfully obvious that this team isn't ready to compete and won't be while these guys are still in their respective primes. Trying to resign these guys as late as last week reeks of an organization that being managed to not lose rather than one that's being managed to win which in my opinion is exactly how we stay in that mushy middle we seem to love as a fanbase.

Maybe fair, but what does our cap space look like for 24-25?

[traptor]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

We just sold 4 UFAs in one season.

We're likely trading Markstrom in the Summer, and new crop of pending UFAs next year and who knows what else comes. I don't understand what else you think could be done in one season?

Which is all good.
But I still don't see where the high end core pieces are coming from.

The team seems to want its cake and eat it too by staying competitive now but we're also retooling to be a contender in 3 years.


I'm still of the belief that we need some high end draft capital over the next 2 years if we want any chance if being a legitimate contender in 3.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Fourteen FTW

Maybe fair, but what does our cap space look like for 24-25?

$68,800,833 committed with 19 players, roughly $20 million cap space before the cap rises.

Key UFA to sign, Kylington
Key RFAs to sign, Pelletier, Okhotiuk

[Freddy]

Just watched the press conference and I’m super stoked with Conroy at the helm.His acquisitions have all seemed like moneyball obscure picks but to hear Conroy talk about seeking out quality people and then see the immediate impact many have had to the teams success makes me optimistic as a lifelong Flames fan. Learning how to spell all these new names is going to be the hardest part for me.

[Fourteen FTW]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

$68,800,833 committed with 19 players, roughly $20 million cap space before the cap rises.

Key UFA to sign, Kylington
Key RFAs to sign, Pelletier, Okhotiuk

This sounds promising to me. We could be VERY competitive next year if we can sign a few of the right ufa’s

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Crazy what happens in 2 years

Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman
Dube-Jarnkrok-Toffoli
Lucic-Lewis-Ritchie

Hanifin-Andersson
Kylington-Tanev
Zadorov-Gudbransen

Markstrom
Vladar

To

Huberdeau-Sharangovich-Kuzmenko
Zary-Kadri-Pospisil
Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman
Pelletier-Rooney-Coronato

Weegar-Andersson
Kylington-Miromanov
Hanley-Pachal

Markstrom
Vladar

And Monahan out too.