Confirmed with Link: Sutter out as Flames Coach

[Fig]

Flames ownership will trying absolutely everything else before doing the right thing. At the time they were probably looking at the $8M they still owed Sutter and hoped this would all "blow over".

To be fair, things were already weird when Sutter first started with us. As much as we say he's a dinosaur and the game has passed him by, he wasn't an issue when he first showed up, but IMO I always felt he was different than his first stint and different to his LA stint. Biggest one, we didn't have any Sutterisms at all. The take a shit comments stuff were weird even for Sutter. He was a grumpy farmer and blue collar humble/rigid, but I never recalled him treating players in such a way in the media in the past, or at least at the frequency he was doing so last season. In the past I think we'd argue it was a weird straddle of old school/new school, tough love vs players coach style etc. thing... but I do think the mix did change as time went on.

I think it was Zadorov who said it best. I believe he said he liked Sutter, but understood why others did not. I believe Zadorov also said Sutter was the guy they needed at one point until he wasn't. This comment IMO is telling that Sutter was tolerable up to a certain point, until he did snap/change or wore thin with the players. This also matches up with how IMO the entire team looked rigid, snake bit and like a group who just straight up weren't having fun vs the few seasons prior. I seem to recall this past season was the first season we started seeing a major drop in stories about the guys going out to dinner together and get togethers etc.

I do think that there's something that caused Sutter to snap and go down a path of crazy that I don't think may have existed before the last two years. Unfortunately, it happened around the same time as his extension, exodus and new core. I don't know if the pressure got to him after signing the extension and/or if he was part of the ownership crew that seemed to take things personally after we lost a few guys or something else... but I do think he did have a sudden, rapid and unforeseen decline.

I'm with others. His strategies IMO are still great. But his player interaction and social skills are just next level suddenly straight up done beyond what is expected in a modern HC. I do think a public apology from Sutter plus individual apologies to the players would actually help to repair his image, but it certainly is currently quite tarnished. I do honestly believe Sutter is a bit of an ass, but unlike other coaches that rumored did mind games and threats (ie: Babcock, Hartley, Peters etc.) I don't believe I recall reading that Sutter did that. The biggest complaints were insults or cutting off communication with the player and further letting them languish. I think for Sutter, many players knew exactly where they stood or they didn't because he gave them silent treatment. Still not ideal, and stuff I'm happy we are purging, but IMO at least it's not as bad as Babcock or Peters in terms of the type of clean up and re-building of relationships as guys like that maybe?

 

[Backlund]

To be fair, things were already weird when Sutter first started with us. As much as we say he's a dinosaur and the game has passed him by, he wasn't an issue when he first showed up, but IMO I always felt he was different than his first stint and different to his LA stint. Biggest one, we didn't have any Sutterisms at all. The take a shit comments stuff were weird even for Sutter. He was a grumpy farmer and blue collar humble/rigid, but I never recalled him treating players in such a way in the media in the past, or at least at the frequency he was doing so last season. In the past I think we'd argue it was a weird straddle of old school/new school, tough love vs players coach style etc. thing... but I do think the mix did change as time went on.

I think it was Zadorov who said it best. I believe he said he liked Sutter, but understood why others did not. I believe Zadorov also said Sutter was the guy they needed at one point until he wasn't. This comment IMO is telling that Sutter was tolerable up to a certain point, until he did snap/change or wore thin with the players. This also matches up with how IMO the entire team looked rigid, snake bit and like a group who just straight up weren't having fun vs the few seasons prior. I seem to recall this past season was the first season we started seeing a major drop in stories about the guys going out to dinner together and get togethers etc.

I do think that there's something that caused Sutter to snap and go down a path of crazy that I don't think may have existed before the last two years. Unfortunately, it happened around the same time as his extension, exodus and new core. I don't know if the pressure got to him after signing the extension and/or if he was part of the ownership crew that seemed to take things personally after we lost a few guys or something else... but I do think he did have a sudden, rapid and unforeseen decline.

I'm with others. His strategies IMO are still great. But his player interaction and social skills are just next level suddenly straight up done beyond what is expected in a modern HC. I do think a public apology from Sutter plus individual apologies to the players would actually help to repair his image, but it certainly is currently quite tarnished. I do honestly believe Sutter is a bit of an ass, but unlike other coaches that rumored did mind games and threats (ie: Babcock, Hartley, Peters etc.) I don't believe I recall reading that Sutter did that. The biggest complaints were insults or cutting off communication with the player and further letting them languish. I think for Sutter, many players knew exactly where they stood or they didn't because he gave them silent treatment. Still not ideal, and stuff I'm happy we are purging, but IMO at least it's not as bad as Babcock or Peters in terms of the type of clean up and re-building of relationships as guys like that maybe?

Sutter worked with the other core but with the new guys there was a change needed and he was the easiest person to get rid of. It looks like Rhett Warrener was right when he said he knew he would be worse because he won the Jack Adams because he would want to prove that it changed nothing and would ride the guys harder for it. It would've worked with the other group of guys but the new guys stepping into that without having the prior experience all crumbled trying to deal with him to the point where Kadri gave up in the middle of a playoff push late in the season.

People who think Sutter can't coach in the NHL anymore are either delusional or just trying to fit their narrative. Even Lucic in a recent podcast said Darryl would see things on the ice in real time and make adjustments without having to look at replays. Sutter was here for a cup and nothing else would do and the group of players assembled just didn't have what it takes to be successful under him. This is why I keep hoping for a rebuild but I know one isn't coming.

 

[Church Hill]

10 games into the new season: any consensus on Sutter or the new guy? What do people generally think now?

 

[DomBarr]

10 games into the new season: any consensus on Sutter or the new guy? What do people generally think now?

That Sutter had to go and that the Flames took the easy but wrong way of promoting from within as opposed to going external to get a brand new voice and system coaching the team.

That said if Sutter had stayed I do not think we would have Conroy as GM, Hanifin, and Lindholm would have been traded at the draft. Toffoli and Zadorov would have been extended. Backlund and Tanev would be deadline bait. Huberdeau and Kadri would have been sold off using the returns from the Hanifin and Lindholm trades and retention to do it. Coronato would be in the AHL. The Ritchie bros would be playing 2nd and 3rd line wing AND we would be competing with the Sharks to see which team gets their first regulation win as opposed to sitting pretty with a 2-7-1 record.

 

[madmike77]

10 games into the new season: any consensus on Sutter or the new guy? What do people generally think now?

Same thing as before.

Sutter’s a great coach, but many players don’t like him.

And he’s an awful coach for a rebuilding team, which is what the Flames should be. Huska has more experience dealing with younger players and at this point I’d value that more.

 

[Mobiandi]

I’m about 85% sure Sutter was trying to power-struggle Treliving out of the GM position either for himself or for an ownership puppet.

 

[Lunatik]

I’m about 85% sure Sutter was trying to power-struggle Treliving out of the GM position either for himself or for an ownership puppet.

I'm about 85% sure you wrote that donning a new shiny tinfoil hat

 

[Fig]

Same thing as before.

Sutter’s a great coach, but many players don’t like him.

And he’s an awful coach for a rebuilding team, which is what the Flames should be. Huska has more experience dealing with younger players and at this point I’d value that more.

Sutter has the better experience and expertise, but the worse relationship.

Huska has better relationship, but worse experience and expertise. He is completely overwhelmed as a rookie coach right now, gotta work through it. He deserves more sample size for evaluation. His AC crew is also much less experience than previous coaches too including Gulutzan and Ward. He's a good development coach, but I think he's struggling to instruct the team at an NHL level speed. Once he starts to get more comfortable with that stuff I think it'll start to come together. He's also seemingly struggling with a crew that might be divided. Lots of young dads on the team vs young guys. Not sure how that contributes to the team dynamic as well now that key glue type players are gone (ie: Lucic for family gatherings).