Sutter out as Flames head coach

In the end, the players’ voices were heard.

Since the end of a season that began with Stanley Cup aspirations but ended without a playoff game, Calgary Flames interim general manager Don Maloney spoke to 25 players, staff members and agents about what went wrong this season.

The consensus was Darryl Sutter, in his second stint behind the bench for the franchise, could not come back to coach the team next season.  

“You look around the league and the tenure of coaches and you realize that after two, three, four years, players stop listening,” Maloney said at a press conference Monday after the franchise made Sutter’s departure official.

“This is not something new to the Calgary Flames. It’s very rare that…looking at other head coaches around the league, after that time period generally, unless you have winning, changes are made.”

The players absolutely had a role in the Flames moving on from Sutter.

“Ten years and 20 years ago, they wouldn’t say boo,” Maloney said. “Now, players want a voice. They have a voice, and you have to listen to that voice…they had some real observations in how we should move forward.”

Sutter, rehired by the Flames after Geoff Ward was fired in March of 2021, ends this run with a 103-63-28 record in 194 games. The two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings signed a two-year extension in October at about $4 million a season that runs through the end of the 2024-25 season.

Maloney said he spoke with Sutter for more than two hours in delivering the news.

“It was, in my mind, very thorough in trying to understand what he did, how we do things,” Maloney said. “I think in today’s world, he’s a firm coach, a hard coach, and a demanding coach. There’s a shelf life to that type of coach. Unfortunately for us, I felt that his time had expired with us.” 

Maloney would not go into detail about what was said in the players’ exit meetings. There is strong speculation that Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Elias Lindholm, and others did not see eye to eye with Sutter during the season. While Huberdeau and Kadri are signed to long-term contracts, Lindholm could move on from the organization next summer as a free agent.

Maloney did not get into players potentially requesting trades if Sutter had returned, but he

did concede that player agents did play a role in the decision.

“They have influence on players staying here, attracting new players,” he said. “They have lots of voices. You try and touch base with everybody to say, ‘What’s your take on it? What’s your read on it? What do you think has happened here with your client or other clients?’ That’s why it’s taken the two weeks it’s taken.”

Beyond the firing, Monday’s news conference was light on specifics. Maloney first needs to find a general manager to lead this group. He closed the door on long-time general manager Brad Treliving coming back after he resigned in April, saying that Treliving would have another NHL opportunity when he wants one. It is believed Treliving left, in part, because of his relationship with Sutter. 

The new GM will be tasked with managing a group many feel is still good on paper, as well as hiring that different voice behind the bench.

“We need a new manager and new coach that can connect with today’s player and drive this group of Flames to where we want to take them,” Maloney said.

Beyond managing the personalities, Calgary’s new head coach will have to modify the on-ice systems and how the group practices. The Flames relied on a simple, dump-and-chase system that opponents were very adept at handling.

Calgary had major issues generating quality scoring chances, and Huberdeau’s 60-point drop-off from last season was the biggest in NHL history. The team seldom practised its power play and almost never worked on its three-on-three overtime, two areas in which the Flames struggled.

Kadri, Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Jacob Markstrom, and others also took significant steps back, while young players like Jakob Pelletier and Matthew Phillips could not earn the coach’s trust. 

Publicly, Sutter’s antics were starting to hurt the credibility of the organization. The coach often critiqued his players through the media, wondering if Huberdeau had to use the bathroom during a game and refusing to acknowledge Pelletier’s NHL debut. The latter earned Sutter a meeting with Calgary Sports and Entertainment president John Bean, who was present at Sutter’s next media conference to ensure the coach got the message.

Monday’s news conference was noticeably lighter than the last time Maloney was speaking publicly in the Saddledome media lounge to announce Treliving was moving on. The interim general manager even cracked a couple of jokes in explaining the new direction. He also offered an optimistic take on the state of a franchise that’s at a crossroads both on and off the ice, but one he feels can contend next season.

“I think we’re moving forward with a new voice and new vision,” Maloney said. “I’m excited about it. I think it’s going to be good for Calgary hockey.”