We have a few vet 2nd line players and a whole pile of bottom six players (some of the young ones may evolve into more, but they are not there yet).
And we have 1.5 top four D, hahaha. Sorry Ras, I chopped you in half. Bahl might be eventually, but he is not a real top 4 on a good team.
Basically we have four third lines, a whole punch of replacement level defense and a star goalie.
Last year was a miracle. Husks deserves some credit for that, let’s not forget.
This year, they are playing to the level the roster would predict on paper. They are hard working low skill players supporting Kadri, Huby and maybe Frost.
Last edited by Badgers Nose; 10-30-2025 at 10:58 AM.
The Following User Says Thank You to Badgers Nose For This Useful Post:
Huska is possibly the worst coach in Flames history. Yes, Gilbert cost us Savard but even he wasn't this bad at roster management or deploying a system that doesn't fit the roster at all. I do worry about how much stifling of development our young players will have under him, that's for sure. I wonder if Coronato is suddenly regretting that long extension and if he keeps handling him the way he has I can see him asking for a trade. The only positive to Huska as coach is he is the perfect tank commander for the next couple of years. I definitely have concern though about player development under him
Worst coach in team history? That says something.
Not sure I'd go there.
Nor will I defend the guy as a great coach. I think he's a decent to above average guy on many levels and fine for the time period that he's coaching this team.
Coronato hasn't played well. Huska is trying to fix that. We don't have to agree with what he's doing, but from what I hear about Coronato he's likely having to be propped up because he's too hard on himself rather than a guy running to his agent asking for a trade.
The Following 13 Users Say Thank You to Bingo For This Useful Post:
Nor will I defend the guy as a great coach. I think he's a decent to above average guy on many levels and fine for the time period that he's coaching this team.
Coronato hasn't played well. Huska is trying to fix that. We don't have to agree with what he's doing, but from what I hear about Coronato he's likely having to be propped up because he's too hard on himself rather than a guy running to his agent asking for a trade.
That's fair and valid points. Not everyone is going to agree on things but I appreciate the well thought out response. You are probably right on Coronato and I am just being paranoid.
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to dissentowner For This Useful Post:
TBH I think the team is playing to try to cover up it's weaknesses.
I actually think the forward group is better than the results we see, and the defensive core is worse than the defensive results we get.
A big part of that is the risk free and safe game that Huska wants them to play.
The forward group lacks top end talent, but should be better than the results they are getting offensively.
It's always hard to judge coaches, but to me the quality of Huska as a coach is closer to the Glen Gulutzan / Geoff Ward side of the scale than he is to the Jon Copper / Jared Bednar side of the scale.
Huska is a boring, safe coach. Feel like his potential tops up as the coach of a Wild Card team if the team plays his boring, low even system to a tee.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to SuperMatt18 For This Useful Post:
TBH I think the team is playing to try to cover up it's weaknesses.
I actually think the forward group is better than the results we see, and the defensive core is worse than the defensive results we get.
A big part of that is the risk free and safe game that Huska wants them to play.
The forward group lacks top end talent, but should be better than the results they are getting offensively.
It's always hard to judge coaches, but to me the quality of Huska as a coach is closer to the Glen Gulutzan / Geoff Ward side of the scale than he is to the Jon Copper / Jared Bednar side of the scale.
Huska is a boring, safe coach. Feel like his potential tops up as the coach of a Wild Card team if the team plays his boring, low even system to a tee.
If the offensive talent is as you say "better than the results they are getting", then how do you explain the powerplay?
If the offensive talent is as you say "better than the results they are getting", then how do you explain the powerplay?
Well I've never liked Andersson or Weegar as PP QB - so that's part of it.
Still think they've also leveraged Kadri as the half board guy and Huberdeau as the net front which never made sense to me - Huberdeau should have always been the half wall guy on the LH side.
With Huberdeau, Kadri, Coronato, Frost, and Parekh I do personally think you could build a pretty good PP.
Huberdeau had a 3 year stretch in Florida where he was one of the top 3 PP producers in the league, he came to Calgary and it dissappeared. To me that's more than just talent available - our systems generally feel very passive and static all over the ice.
I always thought it was Huberdeau's skating that had dropped off - but NHL edge stats actually disprove that - it's how this team plays.
I watch this and wonder why we've never seemed to set up our PP around Huberdeau like Florida did. We always seem to set it up around Kadri and Weegar/Andersson on the right half wall.
Last edited by SuperMatt18; 10-30-2025 at 12:34 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to SuperMatt18 For This Useful Post:
Huska is possibly the worst coach in Flames history. Yes, Gilbert cost us Savard but even he wasn't this bad at roster management or deploying a system that doesn't fit the roster at all. I do worry about how much stifling of development our young players will have under him, that's for sure. I wonder if Coronato is suddenly regretting that long extension and if he keeps handling him the way he has I can see him asking for a trade. The only positive to Huska as coach is he is the perfect tank commander for the next couple of years. I definitely have concern though about player development under him
If Coronato's reaction to being benched after several games of very poor play, is to go crying to his agent, then I say good riddance.
I don't think it will be, though - Coronato wants to be the best player he can be, and will do what the coach tells him to - and he will be a better player for it.
Holding players accountable is a good thing. Huska knows it., And Coronato and the other players know it. The lengths people will go to try and discredit Huska is incredible... someone misses the net - Huska is stifling them!; an egregious turnover - Huska's systems are terrible!; someone gets benched (deservedly) - Huska is chasing them out of town!
Even if Huska IS a bad coach (I think he's average, and fine for the current situation), you don't have to try and find fault in literally every thing that happens.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Enoch Root For This Useful Post:
Huberdeau had a 3 year stretch in Florida where he was one of the top 3 PP producers in the league, he came to Calgary and it dissappeared. To me that's more than just talent available - our systems generally feel very passive and static all over the ice.
I think Florida also had the luxury of having enough elite depth that they could put Huberdeau on the 2nd line and not have the hardest match-ups. The Barkov line took the harder match-ups and when Huberdeau was lined up with Barkov, it didn't really work. So probably a systems thing, but also just deployment thing. The systems thing probably most pertains to the PP. The year he had 115 points, he was right up there with McDavid and Draisitl for percentage of points earned on the PP versus 5-on-5, if memory serves me.
__________________
"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
Well I've never liked Andersson or Weegar as PP QB - so that's part of it.
Still think they've also leveraged Kadri as the half board guy and Huberdeau as the net front which never made sense to me - Huberdeau should have always been the half wall guy on the LH side.
With Huberdeau, Kadri, Coronato, Frost, and Parekh I do personally think you could build a pretty good PP.
Huberdeau had a 3 year stretch in Florida where he was one of the top 3 PP producers in the league, he came to Calgary and it dissappeared. To me that's more than just talent available - our systems generally feel very passive and static all over the ice.
I always thought it was Huberdeau's skating that had dropped off - but NHL edge stats actually disprove that - it's how this team plays.
I watch this and wonder why we've never seemed to set up our PP around Huberdeau like Florida did. We always seem to set it up around Kadri and Weegar/Andersson on the right half wall.
Huberdeau looks better on his skates this year actually. I also think almost every powerplay play should go through him. TBF Kadri looks to him more than he used to, though he's either net front or behind the net, which limits his passing.
They used Parekh on PP1 lately, but he and Huberdeau haven't connected much yet - positioning I think, since they aren't directly in passing lanes with each other often.
Someone mentioned a possible injury to Huberdeau. I dunno - he's been pretty physical this year. He does still take the world's shortest shifts.
Huska is overseeing the team for the, as people put it, "ethical tank".
The true measure of what type of coach he'll be is whether or not he's gotten better as these years go along, and whether or not the youth flourishes under him or not.
Last year? Coronato and Wolf exploded, with Wolf carrying the team and making Huska look better than he was last year.
This year? Pretty much all the youth is struggling (minus Honzek and the staples he's got in his butt keeping him attached to Coleman and Backlund), and the team's overall play has been pretty ugly. I know people will say the coach doesn't tell players to make the glaring mistakes that they have this year...but the poor execution that leads to those plays certainly (at least to some degree) does rest on his shoulders. Helping his players execute well is definitely part of the gig.
Who should replace Huska? I'd say we won't know anything about Huska as a coach until the end of the 2026/2027 season at the earliest, as at that point we'll have a sample size big enough to make an actual assessment of.
The Following User Says Thank You to ComixZone For This Useful Post:
Huska is overseeing the team for the, as people put it, "ethical tank".
The true measure of what type of coach he'll be is whether or not he's gotten better as these years go along, and whether or not the youth flourishes under him or not.
Last year? Coronato and Wolf exploded, with Wolf carrying the team and making Huska look better than he was last year.
This year? Pretty much all the youth is struggling (minus Honzek and the staples he's got in his butt keeping him attached to Coleman and Backlund), and the team's overall play has been pretty ugly. I know people will say the coach doesn't tell players to make the glaring mistakes that they have this year...but the poor execution that leads to those plays certainly (at least to some degree) does rest on his shoulders. Helping his players execute well is definitely part of the gig.
Who should replace Huska? I'd say we won't know anything about Huska as a coach until the end of the 2026/2027 season at the earliest, as at that point we'll have a sample size big enough to make an actual assessment of.
Agreed.
I very much doubt that when this team is actually good again and ready to compete, that he's the coach.
So I don't see the urgency in replacing him anytime soon. Including because I really don't think they will attract a good coach until they have a good team.
Why would a good coach want to coach here?
Let's see - a team with no stars, at the early stages of their re-build, a #### building and an established pattern of firing coaches every 2 years.
Sign me up!
The Following User Says Thank You to Jiri Hrdina For This Useful Post:
Huska is possibly the worst coach in Flames history. Yes, Gilbert cost us Savard but even he wasn't this bad at roster management or deploying a system that doesn't fit the roster at all. I do worry about how much stifling of development our young players will have under him, that's for sure. I wonder if Coronato is suddenly regretting that long extension and if he keeps handling him the way he has I can see him asking for a trade. The only positive to Huska as coach is he is the perfect tank commander for the next couple of years. I definitely have concern though about player development under him
You are probably the only person who thinks this. I think he's been a reasonably good coach. How do you explain last years success for such a below average team? What exactly has Huska done with Coronato that is so egregious? How do you explain his success under Huska last season?
You are probably the only person who thinks this. I think he's been a reasonably good coach. How do you explain last years success for such a below average team? What exactly has Huska done with Coronato that is so egregious? How do you explain his success under Huska last season?
Wolf.
Goalies always do this for coaches.
I'm not condemning Huska at all, but last year it was Wolf.
The Following User Says Thank You to ComixZone For This Useful Post:
I'm not condemning Huska at all, but last year it was Wolf.
How did Wolf get Kadri to 35 goals (and his highest point totals outside of his cup year in Colorado)? Get Weegar to career highs in points? Coronato to 24 goals in his second season?
How did Wolf get Kadri to 35 goals (and his highest point totals outside of his cup year in Colorado)? Get Weegar to career highs in points? Coronato to 24 goals in his second season?
They're good players who got lots of ice time?
Again, I'm not slamming Huska. Don't think there's anywhere near enough evidence.
The question was specifically about the success ("success"). The MVP and driving force behind that was a goalie putting up a generationally excellent rookie season.
How did Wolf get Kadri to 35 goals (and his highest point totals outside of his cup year in Colorado)? Get Weegar to career highs in points? Coronato to 24 goals in his second season?
The 2024-2025 Flames were 29th in goals for and 9th in SV%
Pointing to individual point or goal totals is disingenuous.
Signed - Someone who hopes we keep Huska for the next 2.25 seasons en route to some high draft picks
__________________
"May those who accept their fate find happiness. May those who defy it find glory."
The Following User Says Thank You to GranteedEV For This Useful Post:
