The Calgary Flames recently announced a Craig Conroy extension, as well as deals for Dave Nonis, Brad Pascall, and the embattled Don Maloney, noting that those contracts were signed over the summer. While the timing of the announcement did seem fishy, having been released to fans after the embarrassing Don Maloney media tour, new information is circulating that those contracts may have been signed far more recently.
Here’s what we know about the Calgary Flames’ management group’s contracts
Earlier, Eric Francis came out doubting whether the Calgary Flames had signed the four to contracts earlier in the summer, saying that he was skeptical about whether this was done at that time. He implied that this was likely done much more recently.
Earlier today, Frank Seravalli on the Big Show with Rusic & Rose on Sportsnet 960 The Fan came out emphatically saying, “I can tell you with absolute certainty that this was not done months ago and that these extensions only got completed last week… Like stone cold fact.”
There was not a single doubt in what he said. Both the hosts were stunned that he was that clear about it, and that he was willing to go on air and say it that clearly. When pressed as to why the Flames would not tell the truth here, Seravalli felt it was to “save face”. After the media fiasco that the team was facing, they needed to change the narrative around the team, and backdating it to the summer would make it seem like something that they did not do because of what was happening around the team, but a decision made some time back.
Seravalli went on to call the two-year extensions “chintzy”, saying that while the team has been burned by longer-term extensions in the past, to both coaches and players, the fact that they hadn’t done it earlier points to really poor organizational skills and management by the ownership group. You don’t just forget that your entire upper management is due for new contracts going into the season, and the fact that they just put these together, in Seravalli’s mind is “poor planning… poor operating from the top down”.
What to make of this report
This is a major bomb from Seravalli. It’s not surprising to find out that sometimes teams don’t tell the full truth in the media, but to lie about something like when a contract extension for the entire upper management was signed and then get called out by the team is honestly embarrassing.
Rusic and Rose did ask if there was a possibility that there was a verbal agreement that was in place before the extensions were put on paper. Seravalli did say that it wasn’t a surprise that they were signed, saying that they were all expecting to be re-signed, but Seravalli compared it to National Lampoon’s Clark Griswold Christmas Bonus, where Clark put down a deposit on a pool expecting to get a large bonus, but instead got a Jelly of the Month Club membership. You expect a bonus, but it’s not the same when you don’t get what you want.
This team has had a PR nightmare the past few weeks, and it took Craig Conroy speaking to the media to finally clear things up. Now with Seravalli dropping this news, the team is right back in the media firestorm that they just got out of. This is a mess of their own doing, and one that frankly they could have avoided a long time ago. They should have signed a Craig Conroy extension, extended the other three AGMs, announced it all this summer, and it would have all been a moot point.
