[News] Ryan Huska named HC. 12:30 PM MT presser

[zamler]

Originally Posted by dino7c

2 division titles in 4 seasons lol

Since Vegas entered the league only Calgary and Vegas have won the Pacific

Really?

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by dino7c

2 division titles in 4 seasons lol

Since Vegas entered the league only Calgary and Vegas have won the Pacific

Both were more or less one offs, as the pacific has been mostly terrible in that period of time. The west may have been the worst it had been in decades when they won it in 2019. And obviously Colorado was ahead of them based on the first round series that year. Both times the Flames couldn't follow it up with a good season the next year. So I don't think they established themselves as a concretely competitive team in the conference/division. Too inconsistent

The regulat season point totals don't say much when you follow it up with a quick out.

[Bs&Cs]

Originally Posted by zamler

Really?

2018: Vegas
2919: Flames
2020: did not finish season due to covid, Vegas leading division when league suspended play
2021: Shortened season/ "North" division
2022: Flames
2023: Vegas

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

Both were more or less one offs, as the pacific has been mostly terrible in that period of time. The west may have been the worst it had been in decades when they won it in 2019. And obviously Colorado was ahead of them based on the first round series that year. Both times the Flames couldn't follow it up with a good season the next year. So I don't think they established themselves as a concretely competitive team in the conference/division. Too inconsistent

The regulat season point totals don't say much when you follow it up with a quick out.

lol

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

I suspect Huberdeau and the rest of the team are about as underwhelmed with the undynamic duo of Huska/Conroy as we are.

I am far more underwhelmed with Huberdeau than either of those two for what it is worth.

[Snuffleupagus]

I'm ok with Huska, I would have preferred Tanguay but Huska is respected and probably more importantly well liked by the players, after the last few years it might be a breath of fresh air, I hope Love comes on as an assistant to learn what it's like to work with millionaire older players first because it seems he's a bit of a hard ass on the kids, this team doesn't need that right now.

[Geeoff]

Flames should do the ultimate deck chair shuffle and hire Darryl to coach the Wranglers. Would help him work on his relationship with young players!

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by dino7c

2 division titles in 4 seasons lol

Since Vegas entered the league only Calgary and Vegas have won the Pacific

That’s certainly a wild stat!

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

I suspect Huberdeau and the rest of the team are about as underwhelmed with the undynamic duo of Huska/Conroy as we are.

Why would you say that? I think last year’s results and the exit interviews likely informed the decisions made (on the HC at least). Huberdeau being a big part of both.

And what exactly makes a HC or GM “dynamic”? You want Tortorella? Phil Esposito?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

We basically need to do what New Jersey managed to in the last two seasons and completely revamp their on ice product to one that's exciting and successful after a lengthy period of chronic mediocrity and uninspiring teams.

NJ’s ‘revamp’ came after selling off all their veterans, spending years finishing bottom of the league, and drafting #1 overall twice and top-5 a couple more times.

[bax]

After sleeping on it I think people are upset with Huska over Love because Love is the hot new thing while we have had Huska for a while.

On paper Huska seems like the more logical choice though. Conroy says he wants more youth on the team, while Huska has had a hand in developing young players including Mangiapane, Kylington, Andersson, Hathaway, Lomberg, Dube, etc. Also had some really good players come from his junior teams.

Mitch Love only has 2 years of professional coaching experience compared to Huska’s 9. I get Love had had 2 great years in the AHL, but as the saying goes: show me a great coach and I’ll show you a great goalie.

Looking at their resumes including junior Huska has had 10 years as an assistant and 11 years as a head coach compared to Love’s 6 years as an assistant and 5 as a head coach.

Huska already has established relationships with our current players and has coached some really strong PK and defensive play in his time here. Conroy wants structure in the d zone and creativity in the offense zone. Huska just needs to take the leash off past the redline and I’m assuming Conroy and him share the same vision.

I don’t know, the more I think about it the more I’m excited about this hire. Especially if they can bring in Love/Tanguay/Savard to be assistant.

[Ped]

Meh. I don't see the appeal of Huska, but promoting Love to a head coach had its own risks. Certainly it's a better option that bringing Sutter back, and promoting a long-time assistant rather than recycling a coach like everyone else does is certainly interesting.


If it works out, then good. If it doesn't, then you're probably forced into a rebuild anyway. I get thinking it's a bad move, but there's no way anyone can say that with certainty, so why not wait and see?

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

Why would you say that? I think last year’s results and the exit interviews likely informed the decisions made (on the HC at least). Huberdeau being a big part of both.

And what exactly makes a HC or GM “dynamic”? You want Tortorella? Phil Esposito?

You might be right but there’s certainly no excitement regarding this hire.

I was hoping for a fresh start, a clean slate at both the GM and head coach positions.

I’m not the least bit intrigued by either of these hires.

I was a big fan of bringing Sutter back but like everyone else was totally dumbfounded by some of the things he said and did last year. So I think he had to go.

Maybe Huska will succeed as part of the retool or whatever the strategy is. But again right now I’m underwhelmed.

[Angelino]

Hopefully Love will be given a chance by another NHL team soon.

[Max Cow Disease]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

It's hard to trust in anything this team does since it's alternated between a slow trainwreck and a series of missed opportunities for many, many years.

We've got one terrible 2nd round appearance against the Ducks and one terrible 2nd round appearance against the Oilers to show for all the efforts, trades, draftings and coaching hires since 2004.

What about hiring Conroy and now Huska is going to be different from everything that's happened in this last 20 year stretch is what I'd like to know?

Not a question that any of the professional yet sheepish media in this town would be bold enough to ask in a press conference, but that's what I'm wondering.

Is the goal to play it safe and have continuity (of a system and product that's only got the team as high as 2nd round fodder), or is the goal to be a consistent threat that teams actually hate facing and that networks will rave about and have highlighted on their dockets?

We need to turn an entirely new page here, organization-wide.

Hiring Conroy and Huska will be different than what they've done for the past 20 years because it'd be two entirely new people helming the team at those positions. This is what I meant when I talked about people viewing some continuous thread that binds all of Flames history together like some guiding hand of mediocrity. Yes, both guys were members of the organization, but we don't yet know what things will look like under either of them. Coaching staff and management are going to look different next season, as well the roster itself by the end one would think.

I don't know what "turning a new page" truly looks like by this metric, but if it's merely purging as many personnel as possible and sourcing their replacements from outside the organization I feel you run the risk of falling victim to a bit of shiny new toy bias (that all being said, I'm all for the idea of bringing in guys like Nonis as well as some new coaches to lend some fresh perspectives).

[Flamesfan05]

Nah little change with Conroy and Huska

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

You might be right but there’s certainly no excitement regarding this hire.

Ah, I see:

"I'm not excited about this hire, so this certainly must mean that no one is excited about it."


Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[Erick Estrada]

When it comes to a Flames head coach hire I always hope for the best and expect the worst. Of all the head coach candidates out there I have a really hard time believing Huska represents the best the Flames could hire. This is why it was probably more ideal to hire a GM from outside the organization as this is the same sort of hire we saw under Treliving opting for the least heralded candidate. On the bright side maybe this guy turns out to be a better NHL head coach than an AHL head coach.

[flamesgod]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

When it comes to a Flames head coach hire I always hope for the best and expect the worst. Of all the head coach candidates out there I have a really hard time believing Huska represents the best the Flames could hire. This is why it was probably more ideal to hire a GM from outside the organization as this is the same sort of hire we saw under Treliving opting for the least heralded candidate. On the bright side maybe this guy turns out to be a better NHL head coach than an AHL head coach.

I agree with some of what you’re saying, but Treliving never promoted our guys to the head coaching chair. I’d rather sink with someone we tried to groom as an organization, rather then drown with a complete unknown organizationally like Gulutzan.

Having said that, I’m still optimistically hoping for the best. And I’m willing to give Conroy the benefit of the doubt.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Ah, I see:

"I'm not excited about this hire, so this certainly must mean that no one is excited about it."


Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

Might come off as exaggerated, but at the same time who's excited?

"Let's wait and see" still doesn't sound like excitement.

So not sure he's entirely wrong.

A lot of good hires were unexciting in their beginnings though, so let's hope that part comes later, on the ice.