Speculation: Next Head Coach of the Calgary Flames

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OvermanKingGainer

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Feb 3, 2015
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My proposal is Jack Capuano. The Islanders have always had issues (as this season under Doug Weight shows) but I don't believe he was at fault. I have a strong opinion of this coach for a plethora of reasons

- Experience
- utilizes a heavy line blender
- has had a top PK at times
- has had a top PP at times
- has had a top possession team at times
- has had a top offensive team at times
- Plays an offensive style and in fact was part of Hamonic's career year
- coached a beautiful all around series vs Gallant a few years ago. IMO the main reason the Islanders beat the Panthers that year.

I know he's not the sexy name like Sutter or Vigneault, but that's who I would hire.
 
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tyflames

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Jul 4, 2010
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Don’t the islanders have one of the worst if not the worst defensive systems in the nhl? Didn’t (kuznetzov) point out they could literally walk through that team untouched.. no thanks
 

OvermanKingGainer

#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
Feb 3, 2015
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Don’t the islanders have one of the worst if not the worst defensive systems in the nhl?

Maybe they do? Capuano was not the coach of this year's Islanders. He was however the coach of the 2014-16 Islanders who had back to back 100 point seasons with pretty average rosters.

Didn’t (kuznetzov) point out they could literally walk through that team untouched.. no thanks

The only time Kuznetsov's Caps played Capuano's Islanders in the playoffs, they needed to eke out game seven 2-1 win. That was also an amazing series and the beginning of when I realized how much Troy Brouwer sucks at ice hockey.
 

Anglesmith

Setting up the play?
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At the end of the day, any coaches who are available right now are going to be available for a reason. Every coach will have knocks against them, and have been fired as a result of them.

I guess for me, it's about deciding which flaws are more attractive... less off-putting. I like the idea of coaches whose main criticism is playoff success, as I've said before. I see the playoffs as very fickle, and I there are countless examples of coaches who have a lot of playoff success after extended periods of not having playoff success. I find that making storylines like that doesn't fully respect how much needs to go right in order for a team to make a run deep in the playoffs.

What I don't really want is a guy who has been in situations just like the Flames, and had similar middling results to Gulutzan. Capuano fits that description. Peters fits that description. McLean fits that description.
 

1989

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If the Flames announce a coaching hire before Free Agency hits, only one option is available: Alain Vigneault, and for one simple reason: Tanner Glass is still *technically* part of the Flames' roster until July 1st. Simple deduction, really.

What I don't really want is a guy who has been in situations just like the Flames, and had similar middling results to Gulutzan. Capuano fits that description. Peters fits that description. McLean fits that description.

I expressed the same in a previous post. My top choice is Trotz.
 

OvermanKingGainer

#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
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...similar middling results to Gulutzan. Capuano fits that description. Peters fits that description. McLean fits that description.

That seems to be a very vague and arbitrary qualifier, AS. I mean let's compare those four coaches:

Capuano has won a playoff series.
Gulutzan and Peters have never won a playoff game.
Maclean has won a series.

Capuano has posted two 100 point seasons.
Gulutzan, Peters, and Maclean have never posted a 100 point season.

Capuano over a four year stretch (2013/2013-14/2014-15/2015-16) had his team averaging 8th in the NHL in goals scored. The only year they missed the playoffs in those four seasons they had league-worst goaltending comparable to our unforgettable "Hiller Year." He probably wore out his messaging at the end of his Islanders tenure but that's true of every coach after that many years.
Peters has never had a team finish top 20 in goal scoring.
Gulutzan has had two finishes in the teens and two finishes in the twenties for goal scoring.
Maclean had his team finish at different times 4th in scoring, 2nd in goals against, and 9th in scoring.


The resumes and situations are not similar. Capuano and MacLean are legitimate options who have had more than middling results. They may be right for this team.
 
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Body Checker

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The biggest shake up to the room would be a Daryl Sutter hire. Vigneault and trotz I would also be fine with. Bill Peters I’m not 100% sure on. I think Tim Hunter would be a good associate coach.
 
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OvermanKingGainer

#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
Feb 3, 2015
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Eh.. Guluztan could've had a couple last year if they didn't have a bunch of meltdowns against Anaheim

How many of those meltdowns was the Bartkowski - Engelland pairing on the ice for. Who deployed the Bartkowsk-Engelland pairing. Who was unable to adjust the systems to generate offense at even strength by incorporating the stacked defense core as offensive threats?
 

Mobiandi

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How many of those meltdowns was the Bartkowski - Engelland pairing on the ice for. Who deployed the Bartkowsk-Engelland pairing. Who was unable to adjust the systems to generate offense at even strength by incorporating the stacked defense core as offensive threats?
The last point is a valid criticism of our postseason and part of the reason why we deserved to lose the series. But a terrible line change, an unfortunate Bouma deflection after an illtimed hold the stick penalty, an Elliott chokejob in game 3 hurt us deeply. It was just as much on the players as it was the coach in my opinion
 

OvermanKingGainer

#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
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It was just as much on the players as it was the coach in my opinion

Agree to disagree. Our top players outplayed their top players. We lost that series almost exclusively because for the first three games Gulutzan mismanaged and overplayed our bottom-of-roster scrubs, and then in game four started the obviously wrong goalie.

Forget winning a game, we should have won that series. Elliott had an awful series, but he was still severely handicapped by Gully.
 
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Bounces R Way

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I bet some of you would blame Gulutzan if your car ran out of gas, or your dinner got cold.

Agree with OKG it should be someone that prioritizes offence and relentless pressure. Not so sure Capuano would be my choice. Whoever it is they need to do a better job of instilling some discipline in the team. The Flames took so many idiotic penalties under Gulutzan.
 

Turning Mangiapanese

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Jun 18, 2011
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I'd go with Lindy Ruff. He's replaced Gulutzan once already in Dallas and got them playing some high-scoring hockey. Always seen him as a no BS kind of guy as well.
 

Mr Snrub

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The biggest shake up to the room would be a Daryl Sutter hire. Vigneault and trotz I would also be fine with. Bill Peters I’m not 100% sure on. I think Tim Hunter would be a good associate coach.

Sutter is so completely different of a coach from Gully - the team might actually have some respect for him. He's not a mean bastard like Hartley but he puts the hammer down when it needs to be put down, it would go a long way towards establishing a winning culture in the locker room.
 

JPeeper

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My only problem with Sutter is the low scoring aspect. Not sure the Flames have the players to grind out 2-1 wins when a lot of them are shortish soft guys. LA had the beef to do that, Flames don't.
 

Fig

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Dec 15, 2014
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Sutter + Tippett! Let's mend fences like fences have never been mended before!

I guess we're making do with 3rd line equipment managers on the top coaching role... but I think some of us would be ok with it.

...and Iggy as 13th F plz. Let's try and repeat Lanny's run to the cup old ish school! He might be able to fix our PP.

:sarcasm:
 

Anglesmith

Setting up the play?
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That seems to be a very vague and arbitrary qualifier, AS. I mean let's compare those four coaches:

Capuano has won a playoff series.
Gulutzan and Peters have never won a playoff game.
Maclean has won a series.

Capuano has posted two 100 point seasons.
Gulutzan, Peters, and Maclean have never posted a 100 point season.

Capuano over a four year stretch (2013/2013-14/2014-15/2015-16) had his team averaging 8th in the NHL in goals scored. The only year they missed the playoffs in those four seasons they had league-worst goaltending comparable to our unforgettable "Hiller Year." He probably wore out his messaging at the end of his Islanders tenure but that's true of every coach after that many years.
Peters has never had a team finish top 20 in goal scoring.
Gulutzan has had two finishes in the teens and two finishes in the twenties for goal scoring.
Maclean had his team finish at different times 4th in scoring, 2nd in goals against, and 9th in scoring.


The resumes and situations are not similar. Capuano and MacLean are legitimate options who have had more than middling results. They may be right for this team.

Just look at how much time and continuity Capuano was given in order to achieve those results, though. We're replacing Gulutzan and in doing so indicating that we aren't wanting to wait around with a coach who will slowly get this team to where it needs to go as Capuano did on Long Island. Like, let's be realistic here. They don't trust Gulutzan to do the job here, but by no means is it case closed that he wouldn't end up with exactly the same kind of track record as Capuano if he did stay for 4 more seasons. I just don't see him as a big step up.
 
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Calculon

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They need someone experienced and who has their own presence in the dressing room so to say. So from the current pool of candidates/likely choices, top pick for me is Trotz. Although I'd ideally prefer a system that's more up-tempo and aggressive. All the best teams right now seem to play with relentless, attack with speed style; would be nice if the Flames could do something similar.

Vigneault has a great resume but seems to carry too much personal baggage.

D.Sutter would be horribly boring hockey. And the cult of personality around him is still too strong.

Tippett is kind of like Trotz but there's probably too much history with him and Maloney/Treliving.

The rest are unpalatable for one reason or another. This might be Treliving's last coaching hire; he really can't afford to screw it up or go with a longshot again.
 
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