Craig Conroy - treasure hunter extraordinaire

[gvitaly]

If I had to grade them:
Markstrom: B
Hanifin: C+/B- I'm really not sold on Miromanov defensively, and the return seemed light in general, especially since Hanifin ended up signing with VGK.
Tanev: B
Lindholm: A+
Toffoli: A
Zadorov: B-

--- Acquisitions
Okhotiuk: D+
Greer: A-
Pachal: A
Hanley: B+

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It is early innings of the Conroy era but it does seem like the pro scouting has improved, or that the GM is listening more to his pro scouts. Could be either, or both. But it seems like there was a weakness during the BT era when it came to signing and acquiring other NHLers. The amateur scouting seemed to be solid based on draft record, but was the pro scouting just weaker, not as well staffed, or did BT defer more to his amateur scouting than he did to his pro scouting?

I don't think it's a whether Treleving listened to the pro scouts or not... it's more about opportunity in the roster and coaching. Kuzmenko, Sharangovich, Miromanov, Pachal all either didn't have an opportunity or didn't work under the particular team's coach.

While we focus on the big (NEAL, Brouwer, Hamonic) flops, Treleving also found quite a bit of good value from their pro-scouts in signing Tanev, Coleman, Derek Ryan, Markstrom, Kadri, Gudbranson (for under $2m), as well as trading for Hamilton, Lindholm, Hanifin, Zadorov and Toffoli.

I don't want to take away from where Conroy has brought the team, but opportunity and coaching is a big part of whether and where players are going to succeed.

Treleving's greatest weaknesses seemed to be finding a coach that matched the team and not valuing his draft picks enough when tinkering around the edges of the team.

We'll see how Conroy does when this team is competitive (which could be as soon as this year if the pre-season vibes keep rolling). So far so good!

[Flamesfan05]

Nah Treliving was terrible, he had a decent nucleus but failed to fill the roster properly and drove the team to the ground. No amount of spinning can change that.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Nah Treliving was terrible, he had a decent nucleus but failed to fill the roster properly and drove the team to the ground. No amount of spinning can change that.

So disagreeing is spinning?

Nice take.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by Bingo

So disagreeing is spinning?

Nice take.

LOL look who you're replying to. OilersFan05 can only spew negativity, anything remotely positive is disregarded.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by YyjFlames

I don't think it's a whether Treleving listened to the pro scouts or not... it's more about opportunity in the roster and coaching. Kuzmenko, Sharangovich, Miromanov, Pachal all either didn't have an opportunity or didn't work under the particular team's coach.

While we focus on the big (NEAL, Brouwer, Hamonic) flops, Treleving also found quite a bit of good value from their pro-scouts in signing Tanev, Coleman, Derek Ryan, Markstrom, Kadri, Gudbranson (for under $2m), as well as trading for Hamilton, Lindholm, Hanifin, Zadorov and Toffoli.

I don't want to take away from where Conroy has brought the team, but opportunity and coaching is a big part of whether and where players are going to succeed.

Treleving's greatest weaknesses seemed to be finding a coach that matched the team and not valuing his draft picks enough when tinkering around the edges of the team.

We'll see how Conroy does when this team is competitive (which could be as soon as this year if the pre-season vibes keep rolling). So far so good!

The difference is that this is a more collaborative approach with Conroy based on everything being said.

Treliving may have taken ideas and so forth, and ran things by the team but it seems he liked to do things on his own.

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

The difference is that this is a more collaborative approach with Conroy based on everything being said.

Treliving may have taken ideas and so forth, and ran things by the team but it seems he liked to do things on his own.

Yeah. I agree with that. The potential weakness for Conroy is that his more inclusive approach is more prone to gossip, leaks and rumours -- and that could be problematic for players and management (see Markstrom) -- but if Conroy can minimize that noise in the long run, it definitely should be more effective.

[Flamescuprun2018]

Shoutout to Craig! Nice bit of work last summer. Do it again with Ras!

Markstrom Trade Grades: Athletic (D+, C-, B-), The Score (B+)

Reschny and Bahl for two years of Markstrom

Feels like an A- already and that is the floor on this trade.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Those trade grades are a joke.

Lindholm and Markstrom trades were fleecings and the Toffoli trade was solid (seeing as he plays for another team).

[Redrum]

Originally Posted by Flamescuprun2018

Shoutout to Craig! Nice bit of work last summer. Do it again with Ras!

Markstrom Trade Grades: Athletic (D+, C-, B-), The Score (B+)

Reschny and Bahl for two years of Markstrom

Feels like an A- already and that is the floor on this trade.

Getting rid of Chokestrom for nothing would've been an A. That trade is and always was a beauty.

[chemgear]

[browna]

Conroy has done well with what he's had to work with, an overzealous Rutherford helped him in the Lindholm deal, his trusting is a dubious sources soured the Markstrom situation and put his position a bit behind the 8 ball. But Bahl has been rock solid. Hanifin was a meh deal.

He also failed to utilize cap space last year and this trade deadline. Outside of the most hamstrung of teams, with the cap going up, the weapon he had to use has diminished.

Where Conroy now has to shine is UFA's. He wanted more than Mantha last offseason, toyed with the idea of picking up players this deadline but couldn't get it done. It sounds like he had some idea that he had a chance at Raantenan at some point, but that's collapsed.

Shovels are in the ground for the building so that's a selling point, and the Flames have a good reputation for how they treat players and families. The time to go bigger game hunting has to be soon, whether some like it here or not.

That doesn't mean Marner but it also doesn't mean standing pat. I don't think he wants to stand pat and he wants to start building, but the prices he's going to have to pay, he's realized are more than he thought to get the premium if playing with our outdated facilities and no clear idea of how long this rebuild will take, with players still exiting.

TBQH even with the overachieving roster last year, anything less than playoffs this year would be a step back.

[troutman]

The Billy Beane of the NHL?

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by browna

TBQH even with the overachieving roster last year, anything less than playoffs this year would be a step back.

I’m guessing they’ll be closer to bottom ten than playoffs

[getbak]

We'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks, but if Ras is moved and they don't bring in any big UFAs, especially if they don't get a veteran backup, I think they'll be fighting for a top-5 pick next year.

[Goriders]

Conroy has done a great job of scouring for cheaper value players but at some point soon he’s going to have to spend some money on the top end of the roster.

The Flames don’t have any of those type players in their system. Need more offense.

If the Andrsson trade doesn’t bring it in free agency will have to in the next year or two.

You have the goalie now. Don’t wait forever.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Redrum

“Conroy, tough as his situation may be, has yet to win a trade” – Athletic

Was this comment from before he made any trades? Wouldn't surprise me with how out of touch they are. The first trade was a win in every possible aspect. Got the better, younger, cheaper player AND got the + with Suniev. They sound like Conroy dumped them at the prom or something.

What I found disappointing about this assessment was that former Flames writer, Hailey Salvian, seemed to be in on it. I frequently listen to the Athletic’s Hockey Show podcast and remember this specific topic being discussed between Sean Gentile and Salvian. Gentile, I believe, covers Pittsburgh. Still, that’s not much of an excuse. Salvian though, don’t know what she’s thinking. Like, what was Conroy’s path to getting better returns? Please, enlighten us.

All this assessment really told me is these people don’t really know what they’re talking about and they’re just picking apples from the hot take tree.

[Lewis_D]

People actually pay to read this junk?