Pull a Canadiens

[Ashes]

I'd like to pull a Canadians in terms of having a plan, being up front with the fans about it, and then implementing it.. i.e. we are gonna be a bad team for a bit and get some high draft picks/prospects with high-end skill, and then we'll be highly competitive for 3-5 years hopefully.

If this Ownership group wants to emulate any other team in the NHL though it's David Poile's Nashville Predators, sustained playoff revenue with little to no hope of winning a cup due to a lack of high-end game breaking talent. But then again, Nashville actually flipped players for 1sts+ at the deadline.. and still may finish higher than us. So nah, maybe the Islanders are a better comparable.

[FlamesAddiction]

The thing that would suck about hiring Iginla as a coach is also knowing that one day, they will in all likelihood also have to fire him as most coaches eventually get fired.

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

He better stay away from Domino's then.

I assumed it was for his kids, while he has a nice kale salad with a boiled chicken breast.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Martin St Louis seems to be doing well in Montreal. Therefore, ex-star players make good coaches.

Brilliant - let's run with it.

Yeah, ask the Coyotes how that turned out.

[JohnnyB]

If we had standard Jarome Iginla post-game interviews from his playing days as post-game interviews from him as a coach, it would not take long for people to start turning on even him once there was a rough patch.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Martin St Louis had a long illustrious career with another team(s) and returned to coach his hometown team.

Ryan Smyth or Trevor Linden or Shane Doan or...Mike Green would be our equivalents.

Or Cale Makar. He can start any time.

If he wanted to take a few shifts just to show the guys how its done that'd be ok.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Sutter will be here next year, whether we like it or not.

[Mr.Coffee]

Because of the salary cap, it’s a young man’s game and you need cost controlled talent.

The only way to success in todays NHL is through the draft. Montreal is in great shape for the short to medium term and did it right. Calgary would be wise to follow suit.

[FlamesAddiction]

With the anchor contracts this team has, there can't be a constructive rebuild at this point. It's impossible. We're either stuck with over paid mediocre players who keep the team mediocre enough to not get grade A draft capital, or we trade those players by throwing in prospects and draft picks for teams to take them. Either way, there isn't a path for a rebuild anymore.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Greatly disagree with gifting an inexperienced ex-player a coaching job. No better way to make your organization look unserious.

[JohnnyB]

I'm at the point where I think I might be okay with them getting rid of everyone but Backlund, then letting him be captain, coach, and GM to rebuild.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

If we are going to go with a young coach just go with Mitch Love.

Familiar with our youngsters and Wolf, good pedigree at the AHL and WHL level.

He has a 183-75-27 record at the WHL and AHL level, good enough for a 0.689 points percentage.

That would be the Cooper / Bednar like hire.

Can we really afford to risk finding a Bednar/Cooper/Keefe/Montgomery who does not have NHL experience before coming into our head coaching position but had success at other levels?

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Can we really afford to risk finding a Bednar/Cooper/Keefe/Montgomery who does not have NHL experience before coming into our head coaching position but had success at other levels?

How come nobody is putting Woodcroft on these lists?

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

How come nobody is putting Woodcroft on these lists?

Well he was an NHL assistant for 12 years or something before. Guys like Bednar, Cooper, Montgomery and Keefe never were NHL assistants who plodded along, they were just successful head coaches before at lower levels, just like Love.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I don't think hiring a coach from a U15 team for an NHL gig is the right way to go. The suggestion of Mitch Love makes a lot more sense. If Sutter doesn't come back, that is.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Fire Sutter immediately, get Jarome on the phone and on a plane. If Marty St. Louis can go from coaching AA to a passable NHL coach then Jarome Iginla can be our Head Coach with Kirk Muller propping him up.

? The Habs are a lottery team.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

With the anchor contracts this team has, there can't be a constructive rebuild at this point. It's impossible. We're either stuck with over paid mediocre players who keep the team mediocre enough to not get grade A draft capital, or we trade those players by throwing in prospects and draft picks for teams to take them. Either way, there isn't a path for a rebuild anymore.

With the cap floor, is there a much better approach to being bad than have some bloated contracts on your payroll? Huberdeau at $10.5 may be a better recipe for losing than two $5 million players that can carry their weight.

Of course the term becomes a problem eventually.

[dino7c]

Martin St. Louis is doing well now?

expectations are a heck of a thing

[madmike]

It would be so typical of the Flames to go the Canadiens route and get the first overall pick in 2026 - only to have to give it to Montreal for the Monahan deal. This franchise can’t do anything right.