After news broke a couple of days ago that Craig Conroy would be signing an extension for another two years in Calgary, the news cycle went a little quiet with no formal confirmation. Well, now we know why. The Flames have officially extended not just Conroy, but the entire front office to two-year extensions through the 2027-28 season.
Conroy was a no-brainer
It’s no surprise Conroy has earned an extension from the franchise. Has he made some mistakes? Sure. However considering the mess he’s had to clean up, Conroy has done a more than fine job so far in the role. If we also think that Murray Edwards has Conroy on a tight leash, it makes his time as general manager look even better. He hasn’t been perfect, but given the constraints from ownership and the tough situation he was dropped into, he has more than earned a chance to see his vision through and into Scotia Place.
Nonis and Pascall stick around
In addition to extending Conroy, the Flames also announced that assistant general managers Dave Nonis and Brad Pascall would remain in their roles for another two years. All in all, this shouldn’t be too surprising. It would’ve been quite strange to extend Conroy but leave his two assistant general managers out of the equation. If you’re continuing to follow Conroy’s vision, there’s no reason not to bring along his two sidekicks.
Maloney sticks around despite the backlash
The only surprising news here is that Don Maloney has also earned a two-year extension after being called out by fans and the media last week. Although is it really that surprising at the end of the day? Despite the PR disaster class from Maloney last week, he’s clearly Edwards’ go-to guy. Maloney likely earned a lot of goodwill within Edwards’ circle for putting the target solely on his back in front of a national audience last week, and he’s been rewarded with a two-year extension.
It was also reported that these extensions were already signed before the start of this season and the Maloney mess, although that certainly seems fishy. Why hold onto that news until a random Friday in November?
What does it mean for the future?
To me, these moves aren’t surprising in the slightest and will ensure the status quo continues in Calgary. The team wasn’t going to start over in their front office just a couple of years after kicking off their retool plan. The team will continue to operate as they always have under Edwards. At the very least with the front office secured now, it could signal that the team is ready to fully bottom out this season, given everyone has job security regardless now.
