Ryan Huska is in the midst of his second full season as the head coach of the Calgary Flames, and many fans have been quick to blame him for the team’s mediocre performance this year. The Flames sit at a record of 29–23–10 and are currently just one points above the Vancouver Canucks in the race for the second wild card spot. The Flames were projected prior to the year to be firmly in the basement by most, with many predicting that this season would be the true start to a rebuild.
| Source | Preseason prediction for CGY |
|---|---|
| ESPN | 27th |
| Sportsnet | 31st |
| The Score | 31st |
| The Athletic | 28th |
| USA Today | 27th |
| Calgary’s Current Spot: | 15th |
Those predictions would not come to pass, though; the Flames have continued to hold strong in the middle of the pack. Despite rather massively overperforming, Ryan Huska has continued to get criticism all year long; why is that?
Unwanted playoff berth
A major reason many fans have been unhappy with his performance has been because many fans wanted the team to struggle this season. A bad season for the Flames could have meant a high draft pick and potentially the superstar that this team has been missing for years. Without that star, many believe that the team will never be able to get over the hump.
With their current spot in the standings, it is looking more and more likely that the Flames will be taking on the top-ranked Winnipeg Jets in the first round. The Jets have been dominant this season, going 42–16–4, which is good enough for first in the entire league. A matchup against the Jets is quite obviously not one that the Flames would be favoured in.
The conversation has quickly become whether or not minor short-term success is worth losing out on top draft picks. Is it fair to blame a coach for doing a better job then expected?
Benefiting from Wolf’s performance
It has seemed that the majority of the media attention given to Ryan Huska has not be positive. When he has gotten credit for his work, many have quickly dismissed it. A major reason for this has been the drastic overperformance of Dustin Wolf.
While many expected Wolf to find success this season as a full-time NHLer, nobody could’ve predicted that he would have a shot at being the first Calder Trophy winning goaltender since 2008. While Wolf has certainly been a major reason for the team’s success, is it fair to not give any credit to anyone else?
Under Huska’s command, Calgary has seen the development of many prospects. Players like Matt Coronato and Connor Zary come to mind as players who have become major parts of the team during Huska’s regime.
Should Wolf be given all the credit for the team’s success when it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Huska was likely a major part of him growing into the player that he has become? Say what you want about Huska’s in-game strategies and general coaching decisions, but it would just be incorrect to say he hasn’t developed Calgary’s young players well.
Unpopular lineup decisions
Making controversial lineup decisions is just a part of the job for NHL coaches. Every coach gets criticized for their gameday decisions no matter who they are. With that being said, it has seemed that Huska has gotten a lot of flack this year on his choices.
Ryan Huska putting Connor Zary on the fourth line #Flames pic.twitter.com/2G3xKJHXK3
— The Win Column (@wincolumnCGY) March 5, 2025
A recent example of this was his decision to move Zary down to the fourth line against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 4. The Flames had just recently gotten Zary back from injury, and many saw it as punishing a player who was deserving of maybe a bit more slack. This gamble paid off, with Connor Zary scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes and quickly being elevated back up through the lineup.
That is an example of a good lineup decision by Huska, but unfortunately, many more come to mind that haven’t quite worked out for him. An easy example of a very unpopular decision has been his utilization of Kevin Rooney. Rooney has made it into 81% of the Flames’ games this season despite only putting up points in 12% of the games he has made it into.
While an argument could certainly be made that penalty kill specialists and fourth line forwards are important as well, at times this year, it has been pointed out that his spot could very easily be given to a younger player with more potential.
Rory Kerins: 2A in one period
— The Win Column (@wincolumnCGY) January 14, 2025
Kevin Rooney: 1A in 33GP
Rooney may be very well-liked in the locker room as a leader, but is that worth having him take up the 12th forward spot 81% of the time?
Is Huska suffering from success?
No matter how you feel about Huska’s decisions, it is hard to take away his achievements this season. Whether the fans wanted it or not, Huska has turned a team that at the beginning of the year was ranked second last in the NHL into a fringe playoff team.
Does a lot of credit deserve to go to Dustin Wolf? Yes, absolutely, but to give no credit to Ryan Huska would just be cruel. Whether he can turn the success he has found this season into legitimate long-term success has yet to be seen, but it would be a shame to see him not given the opportunity.
