His offensive schemes clearly work. This team can score goals above its talent level.
How? Everyone who had fluky career year in shooting% back in 2014-15 - Stajan, Bouma, Wideman, Hudler, Jooris - saw that number regress. They had a 2.1 GF60 at 5-on-5 when Backlund was off the ice (bottom 10), the second worst bottom 6 point/60 and the 21st powerplay in the league.
What left is Colborne and a bunch of players who were or should have been expected to score a lot, score.
The defensive systems do not seem to work. I don't know of this is because the flames have a group of players who aren't good defensively, or if the flames defensive system is not getting the most of said players.
Statistically speaking, poor team defense is sustainable while player defense (not just sv%rel, CA60Rel & scoring chances as well) is not.
I know people will point to corsi and the other entry-level fancy stats, but you and I both know that NHL teams can use much more complex analytical tools than Joe public can. Are the tools the Flames are using the right ones? I don't know, and only success can really give you the answer. I have a hunch about their statistical philosophy, but I would need a lot of non-publically-available data to confirm it. All I've seen so far is that Bob got a lot out of a fairly objectively bad group of players in the last two seasons, with nearly everybody having a career year during that duration.
I am willing to bet hundreds of dollars these much more complex analytical tools would never be used to defy the regime/coaches' philosophy and instead exist to justify/confirm it. So when a statistic doesn't support the stance or a popular belief in the house they're ignored because "misusing statistics is bad" and "need balance between eyetest and analytic" talking points. Kinda like here in a way. Useful for PR, but not progress.
Frustrating because I can't really prove it, but they're humans. No one will truly challenge their own philosophy about a certain topic they stuck with for many years if it got them a nice job and position. You'll stick with people who mostly agree with you and were hired on similar principles and make some PR hires along the way.
That being said, I'm all on the Bruce Boudreau train when he gets fired.
Meh, I'd rather have a new guy in with no experience than recycling someone else's trash. Doubt he'd be a big upgrade anyway.