Normally, when a team ranks 32nd in the league and is heading for its worst season ever, management fires the coach. Although when it comes to the Calgary Flames, there isn’t a world where, in the near future, we will see Ryan Huska get the boot. This is Murray Edwards’ guy, this is Don Maloney’s guy, this is Craig Conroy’s guy. They brought him in as the Head Coach. In fact, just this past offseason, they handed him a contract extension after the Flames overachieved last season. So, while many call for management to fire him after making moves like playing Yegor Sharangovich in the top-six or neglecting the young stars, it seems that we won’t be seeing that for at least a couple of years. Today, I get into both perspectives.
Why he should be fired
Mind-boggling coaching decisions
The first thing that I touched upon was the complete mess of lineup decisions he has made this season. The first being the constant and unwavering belief in Yegor Sharangovich. In his first season in Calgary, he hit 31 goals, 28 assists, and 59 points, all being career-highs. Ever since then, it has been a steady decline. At 27 years old, Sharangovich is one of the team’s worst-performing players. Last season, it was a measly 32 points playing top-six minutes; this year, he is on pace for 26 points, and not even 10 goals, playing in a similar role. Yet, despite all that evidence, the organization still trusts him, and it is shocking. Especially considering his lack of effort, which former NHL player Kevin Bieksa called out on Sportsnet this season.
Sitting of young stars
The next is his complete lack of regard for the talent that is sitting in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers or in his press box. Along with Sharangovich, someone like Ryan Lomberg has been in the lineup every game since he rejoined the Flames up until last night against the Buffalo Sabres. This part is not so much about him but rather about management; older players like Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri are still here. What this means is that someone like Rory Kerins barely plays even when he is succeeding at the highest level.
The players available, such as Matvei Gridin, Aydar Suniev, Andrew Basha, and Hunter Brzustewicz, are all buried in the AHL. The excess amount of wingers, especially older left-shot wingers, like Coleman, is a problem. Something that just got even worse after they claimed John Beecher off waivers earlier this week. This is a team content with running it over and over again with the same veterans who are underperforming.
Huska plays a large part in this. As the Head Coach, he controls the lineup, so while management makes the moves, he decides who plays. Something that has been all too common in Flames history is mismanaging younger players. Calgary never gave Sam Bennett a proper role and, as a result, Bennett left the team. When he left, he flourished with the Florida Panthers, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups and the Conn Smythe Trophy. As they say, history repeats itself. You can see the Sam Bennett situation airing a re-run currently through Connor Zary. Huska is stunting Zary’s growth; he’s not giving Zary enough playing time. It’s only a matter of time until the 2020 first-round pick will be wanting out of Cowtown.
Why he won’t be fired:
Organizational trust
Why we shouldn’t expect Huska to pack his bags soon is due to the organization’s false faith in him. On October 2, he signed a two-year extension for the overachieving season of last. He was rewarded for a season in which his goalie bailed him out on multiple occasions. The same mistakes that were evident this season were also evident last season. Although he is fresh off an extension, he absolutely won’t be fired. History tells us this team won’t want two coaches on the payroll at once, meaning he will stay for a while. Potentially after Gavin McKenna plays a game for Calgary?
