So let’s be clear right off the hop here. This isn’t going to be a deeply researched post, but I’ll have some more stuff coming when I’ve shuffled through the receipts and made a real case. That said, we’re in a sad state of affairs here in Cowtown and something needs to change now that pens have been put to paper and the front office is locked in.
First things first, Connie and Iggy are faultless angels and until they give me a reason not to trust them, I trust them. As far as the front office extensions go some are bad, but for these two, no notes. Pay them, let them cook. I genuinely believe that Conroy and Iginla understand that finishing 14th to 18th in the league every year is not a recipe for prolonged success, or prolonged employment. As fans we have struggled against the chains of mediocrity for years and Conroy gives me the sense that he realizes you either have to commit to win now or win later.
We can’t win now.
On that bummer note, let’s address some less exciting stuff. Dave “Paid Clarkson $36m” Nonis and Don Maloney the Coyote Killer somehow managed to find an extension offers in their inboxes, despite doing everything they could possibly imagine to keep this team as middling and ineffective as possible. It was a huge downer to celebrate locking Conroy in, only to be immediately told the greatest rivals of progress would also be sticking around to make his life difficult. For the first time since I moved to Calgary, the fan voices have stopped chanting “We can do this” and have shifted to “Sell the team” because our ownership is the only thing worse for us than the President and VP of Hockey Ops.
Murray Edwards, the oil tycoon who bought himself a hockey team and thinks that means he knows hockey, recently said a few things that all are bad as it pertains to our current situation. Firstly he said he doesn’t want to trade Kadri because “he believes in the core of this team”. I love our core, but they’re not gonna win us a cup. You can like someone and know they’re not gonna get a certain job done for you. Secondly he said that Flames fans who embrace the tank are not real fans, and went so far as to imply that we are losers. Tough. Look. My dude.
Truthfully, I have a list of desires, hell let’s call them Christmas wishes, for this squad moving forward but I’m certain they won’t pan out. Rasmus Andersson needs to be traded to a contender. As Texas’ Own Jeff Fink quoted me as saying yesterday, the Stars are somehow still finding success despite the fact that the person who writes the “(Player Name) will be out for (timeframe) with a (injury description)” posts is the hardest worker in the building right now. They have a serious contagious case of boo boos and ouchies. They’re in a spot now where they have to be willing to overpay for a top pair blueliner. Kadri could represent an incredible middle 6 presence for a contender who lacks depth. Coleman is a grit guy who finds the net more often than someone of comparable skill based on raw effort. Deal them all. I love each and every one of them but they need a legitimate chance to win, and we need to start filling the shopping cart of the future. I don’t think anyone other than Maloney or Treliving is dumb enough to swallow any amount of Huberdeau’s contract, so unless we can trick the Leafs, he’s going to represent the veteran presence in the room for the future.
Wolf hasn’t been playing his best hockey this year but he’s coming off a Calder candidate rookie campaign. This is nothing more than the sophomore slump, he’ll be back. That said, Cooley has been a) solid in terms of letting us know he can be a part of a winning tandem and b) tremendously fun to watch on social media. See below:
We have a legitimately deep prospect pool of future NHLers. Parekh, Kerins, Gridin, Brzustewicz, Reschny, Potter, Wyttenbach, the list continues. Are all those guys future Hall of Famers? No. Can those guys all be developed into contributors to a successful franchise? Hockey Gods willing, I hope so.
So with all that said, here is my list of priorities that Murray Edwards (and, as you’ll see, his successor) should focus on for this team:
- Sell the team to someone who has any remote amount of knowledge about how hockey works.
- Fire Maloney and Nonis, hire a President and VP who will support Conroy through a real rebuild.
- Stop acting like rebuild is a bad word.
- Trade Raz, Coleman, and Kadri for as many draft picks and legitimate prospects as you can.
- Check on Devin Cooley’s well-being regularly.
- Let. Connie. Cook.
- Be good in 2-3 years so I can get hammered on The Red Mile before I turn 40.
As always, stay frosty Flames Nation. The thing about rock bottom is that there’s no oil below us, so even Murray can’t force us to go deeper.
The Morning Skate 