Who should coach the Flames

[DirtDiver]

Just get 1 of the 3 mentioned and i will be happy. At this point im almost at the sell the team mode lol. Just for the picks that is. Sell tj and hammy. Maybe 1 of the core not named Lindholm or Tkachuk.

 

[Iggys Dome]

If we don't hire one of the coaches available by the end of the summer then either fire Brad for not doing his due diligence or sell the f***ing team to someone who will pay up for a coach. It's borderline unforgivable if we don't end up with one of them, throw a blank check and beg them to come here. There is something seriously f***ed with the leadership of this team, and a win against Anaheim doesn't fool me one bit.

I'm still f***ing pissed we didn't go for Vigenault when we fired Gulutzan, or Boudreau when we fired Hartley. Those are top tier coaches who would do wonders with this team.

Laviolette, Boudreau, Gallant...hell even Babcock. Actually, I'd take Babs 10/10 times over Ward. I could give a f*** about that list controversy or the dickish persona he has. This team needs somebody they can respect or at the very least that knows how to whip some consistency into this team. I have no idea what happened under Bill Peters, but the fact that there were rumours of the team tuning him out in late October just screams to me that somethings off right now. I'm glad that Ward has the boys having fun again , and I'm honestly okay with letting him ride the season out as coach (given that those others aren't getting scooped up right away) but if by the end of the summer we're not presenting one of those four as head coach I'm f***ing done. This team isn't winning shit, I repeat ISN'T WINNING SHIT without a coach with pedigree. Banking that Ward is gonna Craig Berube us to a Stanley Cup is a pipe dream, and hiring a third rate AHL or NCAA coach doesn't work unless your core has serious leadership (ala Pittsburgh and Boston) which our core (Gio, Brodie, Monny, Gaudreau, Backs) have proven to have little or none.

That rant came out of nowhere, but man I think this team has a lot more to give, and I mean A LOT MORE. Another first round exit (dude even a second round exit isn't shit) is not good.

 

[Anglesmith]

Meh, coaches with pedigree sometimes do well, and just as often do nothing. Coaches without a track record can similarly go either way. Pittsburgh probably doesn't regret hiring Sullivan, for instance.

I would like to have someone a bit more tantalizing than a guy who probably has never been on our shortlist during any recent hiring process, but at the same time, I think hiring someone with experience for the sake of experience can also be disastrous.

 

[Nanuuk]

If your team has some coach killers on it, there will be a revolving door of coaches. That being said, sometimes coaches put a system in place that is beyond some player's ability to comprehend. Too much thinking going on and not enough instinctive actions. Sometimes simpler is better which is why trapping teams have enjoyed so much relative success over the years.

 

[SKRusty]

If your team has some coach killers on it, there will be a revolving door of coaches. That being said, sometimes coaches put a system in place that is beyond some player's ability to comprehend. Too much thinking going on and not enough instinctive actions. Sometimes simpler is better which is why trapping teams have enjoyed so much relative success over the years.

The Flames are ready for a coach that is a true tactician that adjusts his style as he goes. My first choice would be Gerard Gallant but if new blood were desired Ducharme in Montreal is more than ready for a head coaching position.

 

[InfinityIggy]

The Flames are ready for a coach that is a true tactician that adjusts his style as he goes. My first choice would be Gerard Gallant but if new blood were desired Ducharme in Montreal is more than ready for a head coaching position.

We should implement the first ever AI NHL Coach, which dispenses treats of the players choice when they do something correctly.

So for example, it will dispense skittles for Johnny, toast for Monahan, a stream of Gatorade for Lindholm, and a bag of rocks for Lucic.

 

[viper0220]

If we don't hire one of the coaches available by the end of the summer then either fire Brad for not doing his due diligence or sell the f*cking team to someone who will pay up for a coach. It's borderline unforgivable if we don't end up with one of them, throw a blank check and beg them to come here. There is something seriously f*cked with the leadership of this team, and a win against Anaheim doesn't fool me one bit.

I'm still f*cking pissed we didn't go for Vigenault when we fired Gulutzan, or Boudreau when we fired Hartley. Those are top tier coaches who would do wonders with this team.

Laviolette, Boudreau, Gallant...hell even Babcock. Actually, I'd take Babs 10/10 times over Ward. I could give a f*ck about that list controversy or the dickish persona he has. This team needs somebody they can respect or at the very least that knows how to whip some consistency into this team. I have no idea what happened under Bill Peters, but the fact that there were rumours of the team tuning him out in late October just screams to me that somethings off right now. I'm glad that Ward has the boys having fun again , and I'm honestly okay with letting him ride the season out as coach (given that those others aren't getting scooped up right away) but if by the end of the summer we're not presenting one of those four as head coach I'm f*cking done. This team isn't winning shit, I repeat ISN'T WINNING SHIT without a coach with pedigree. Banking that Ward is gonna Craig Berube us to a Stanley Cup is a pipe dream, and hiring a third rate AHL or NCAA coach doesn't work unless your core has serious leadership (ala Pittsburgh and Boston) which our core (Gio, Brodie, Monny, Gaudreau, Backs) have proven to have little or none.

That rant came out of nowhere, but man I think this team has a lot more to give, and I mean A LOT MORE. Another first round exit (dude even a second round exit isn't shit) is not good.

Totally agree with this post, if this ownership is not willing to spend money on a good coach, than just sell the team and if Brad Treliving won't hire a good coach than fire him(I think his time has come and gone anyways).

In the offseason, there has to be major changes to the core and we need to get one of Laviolette, Boudreau and Gallant as one of the coach. If this is not done than Brad Trevling should be fired and if ownership is afraid of not hiring a good coach, than just sell the team.

 

[HugginThePost]

I, like many, see no hope for this team. We are not built to compete for the Cup.

We have no #1C, we have a mediocre blue line, with potential. And the forward corps are built around a winger with no heart.

I would love to see one of those coaches brought in, but how does the old saying go......"Can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit".

We will forever be a bubble team that occasionally has a good year and goes on a run.

We have been this way, since, well, forever.

Wasted Iggy's career, now they are just wasting our time.

 

[Volica]

Tre should have been on the phone with Gallant yesterday.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Meh, coaches with pedigree sometimes do well, and just as often do nothing. Coaches without a track record can similarly go either way. Pittsburgh probably doesn't regret hiring Sullivan, for instance.

I would like to have someone a bit more tantalizing than a guy who probably has never been on our shortlist during any recent hiring process, but at the same time, I think hiring someone with experience for the sake of experience can also be disastrous.

One of the biggest things Mike Sullivan brought was familiarity with guys like Sheary, Rust, Dumoulin, Kuhnhackl, Murray who all played for him in Wilkes-Barre Scranton so he had no hesitation to throw them into big situations at the NHL level over established veteran players, based on actual performance.

It seems no one in the entire Flames organization knows what they have in guys like Czarnik, Bennett, Kylington, Dube, Davidson and would rather spin their wheels with the likes of Monahan and Hamonic and Rieder and Stone.

Yes Sullivan is a tactical genius and yes he inherited Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and MAF. But what he really did was decide how he wanted his whole team to play and simply made it happen. He needed those aformentioned guys from Wilkes-Barre Scranton to implement his vision.

I wish there I could foresee a solution to our woes but it's just not there. Bob Hartley still knows how to harness this group better than the last three coaches or Huska or Maclean.

 

[Mobiandi]

Not to go all Kevin Lowe, but if you look around the league, I don't think there are a lot of playoff/bubble teams that are clearly better than us on paper.

NYI
Philly
Columbus
Carolina
Florida
Vancouver
Edmonton
Nashville
Arizona
Dallas
Winnipeg
Maybe Vegas

I think at our best, we're better than all of those teams above. But they're all getting superior coaching than us and that can't be understated.

Coaching matters and only Bob Hartley and Darryl Sutter have ever had the Flames playing better than their potential.

If we keep spinning our tires with second-rate coaches, we might as well blow this core up. People give our players too much credit - they need more guidance than they've received

 

[Dack]

Not to go all Kevin Lowe, but if you look around the league, I don't think there are a lot of playoff/bubble teams that are clearly better than us on paper.

NYI
Philly
Columbus
Carolina
Florida
Vancouver
Edmonton
Nashville
Arizona
Dallas
Winnipeg
Maybe Vegas

I think at our best, we're better than all of those teams above. But they're all getting superior coaching than us and that can't be understated.

Coaching matters and only Bob Hartley and Darryl Sutter have ever had the Flames playing better than their potential.

If we keep spinning our tires with second-rate coaches, we might as well blow this core up. People give our players too much credit - they need more guidance than they've received

Vegas, Carolina and maybe Philly all have better rosters than us, we really aren't a very good team. I don't think any of those other teams are serious contenders. Coaching is a big factor and Ward clearly isn't the right guy for the job but I don't think getting a new coach would just fix this mess. It would have helped and should have been done a month or 2 ago but it's not going to save us and I'm beginning to doubt anything happens before the offseason.

 

[Mobiandi]

Vegas, Carolina and maybe Philly all have better rosters than us, we really aren't a very good team. I don't think any of those other teams are serious contenders. Coaching is a big factor and Ward clearly isn't the right guy for the job but I don't think getting a new coach would just fix this mess. It would have helped and should have been done a month or 2 ago but it's not going to save us and I'm beginning to doubt anything happens before the offseason.

I think Carolina has a slight edge when it comes to their best 4 players (Aho, Teuvo, Svech, Dougie vs. Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Lindholm, Gio) but I think I'd still take us in a 7 game series if we had a coach who knew how to utilize our Dmen as well as Rod uses the Canes guys.

I'm still (naively) waiting for Vegas' run to come to a screeching halt. Seems like they always pull an opportune goal out of their ass with some lucky bounce to win their games.

Philly's depth is junk. I don't think highly of Alain but I think he's got them playing over their heads by a lot

 

[DFF]

I read apparently Ward is the only reason Lucic wants to play. And since Lucic needs to look good for Trev. My illogical conclusion is Ward must stay.

LOL.

 

[NinjaTurtle]

Tired of how Ward and before that, Peters utilized this roster this year. So reliant on GML line even when they are not clicking at all. Hanifin-Hamonic pair being terrible and stapled together. Keep seeing the team dump the puck in, when we have almost no forwards with the speed or physicality to properly chase! So many skilled players which I can accept, when you adjust your strategies to carry the puck in or make good, clean passes.

Seems like there are no smart in-game adjustments. First power play looks like dog crap; why not start the second unit?

My gut says the path for success for this team requires trading one or both of Johnny and Mony, but if we are going to keep them, why not make a play for Boudreau? Feels like the perfect coach to get a lot out of an underachieving talented team.

Personally, I’d also like Gallant, and could see him getting the most out of the roster (especially if changes were made). Maybe he doesn’t want the job and is waiting for Stevie to bring him to Detroit like others have said?

Or maybe, it’s just that the organization doesn’t want to spend on a coach with a resume. Sad face.

 

[Calculon]

Since Darryl Sutter stepped down as head coach in 2006:

Jim Playfair (2006-2007) - In over his head. Lost the room to AHL plug Byron Ritchie. Bounced between assistant positions in the NHL to head coach in the AHL. No NHL head coaching opportunities after leaving the Flames.

Mike Keenan (2007-2009) - Brought out of semi-retirement from Europe. Went to back to Europe after. No NHL head coaching opportunities after leaving the Flames.

Brent Sutter (2009-2012) - Poached from the Devils. Stubborn, boring old goat. Never made the playoffs while with Calgary. No NHL head coaching opportunities after leaving the Flames.

Bob Hartley (2012-2016) - Nepotism brought him here from Europe. Lack of it sent him back. No NHL head coaching opportunities after leaving the Flames.

Glen Gulutzan (2016-2018) - A joke. No NHL head coaching opportunities after leaving the Flames.

Bill Peters (2018-2019) - Racist; apparently annoyed by naggers. Virtual guarantee there'll be no NHL head coaching opportunities after leaving the Flames.

Geoff Ward (2019-Present) - An associate masquerading as a head coach. Wildly in over his head. Highly unlikely there will be any NHL head coaching opportunities after leaving the Flames.

Either the Flames, as an organization, are a special kind of coach killers or they just take their pick from the scrap heap and send them back when the obvious becomes, well, obvious. I think we all know the answer (it's literally ownership and their paltry budgeting) because when the Flames likely fail to land one of Laviolette, Boudreau or Gallant, it'll really just be more of the same.

 

[Rubi]

I'd be happy with either Laviolette or Gallant.
Unfortunately neither are going to want to take over coaching a team with 16 games remaining.

We're stuck with Ward for the rest of the year boys. Lucic will be happy. And really, isn't that all that really matters?

 

[Mobiandi]

Said it before. I would gladly forfeit being a cap team if we used the money left over on a coach. Would have the additional benefit of preventing us spending on UFA trash

 

[NinjaTurtle]

Said it before. I would gladly forfeit being a cap team if we used the money left over on a coach. Would have the additional benefit of preventing us spending on UFA trash

This isn’t a bad idea.

 

[super6646]

I'd be happy with either Laviolette or Gallant.
Unfortunately neither are going to want to take over coaching a team with 16 games remaining.

We're stuck with Ward for the rest of the year boys. Lucic will be happy. And really, isn't that all that really matters?

He can honestly f*** himself. I don’t have all that much sympathy for a player who loses his love for playing a child’s game and making 6 million a year doing it.

 

[viper0220]

I think our problem is with our GM, he wants this team to play a certain way, which may not suit our team. The same thing that is happening with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

[DFF]

I think our problem is with our GM, he wants this team to play a certain way, which may not suit our team. The same thing that is happening with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Good point

 

[Fig]

We should implement the first ever AI NHL Coach, which dispenses treats of the players choice when they do something correctly.

So for example, it will dispense skittles for Johnny, toast for Monahan, a stream of Gatorade for Lindholm, and a bag of rocks for Lucic.

Paid rent invoices for Tkachuk...

 

[DCDM]

Either the Flames, as an organization, are a special kind of coach killers or they just take their pick from the scrap heap and send them back when the obvious becomes, well, obvious. I think we all know the answer (it's literally ownership and their paltry budgeting) because when the Flames likely fail to land one of Laviolette, Boudreau or Gallant, it'll really just be more of the same.

Oh yeah, it's definitely the latter. To be honest, I almost wish the Flames could be considered a coach killer, because at least that would imply the team hires notable guys. Repeatedly hiring washed up has-beens like Keenan and Hartley, or uninspiring nobodies like Gulutzan (and Ward is trending that way too) is like putting a AA battery in a car engine and then wondering why it won't go.

 

[Nanuuk]

I didn't mind Hartley as a coach. But success or lack thereof is everything in this business. We need more of a Badger Bob or Terry Crisp type coaches, one with infectious joy for the game, the other the let's go for a beer afterwards dude. Both were high end motivators aided and abetted by a GM that got them the right type of players.

There is an old business axiom, "Structure follows Strategy". You set your strategy, e.g. "we want to be fast and heavy" and then start building your structure. The coach says I need this and that for this structure and the GM goes out and gets this and that, not the other way around.