Adam Proteau discusses the Calgary Flames' three key tasks for new GM Craig Conroy, why Patrick Roy could be a fit for the New York Rangers, and why the Buffalo Sabres should pursue Matt Dumba.
Adam Proteau discusses the Calgary Flames' three key tasks for new GM Craig Conroy, why Patrick Roy could be a fit for the New York Rangers, and why the Buffalo Sabres should pursue Matt Dumba.
This is Screen Shots, a regular THN.com feature in which we tackle a few different hockey topics and comment on them in a few short paragraphs apiece. Onward we go.
The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday afternoon their decision to hire former NHLer Craig Conroy as their new GM. As we noted last month, Conroy was a likely internal promotion to replace longtime GM Brad Treliving, and his hiring will be hailed by those who had worked with him as Calgary’s assistant GM since he took the job in June of 2014.
The key tasks for Conroy as the Flames’ new architect are:
1. Hire a replacement for former coach Darryl Sutter – whether that person is Calgary’s AHL affiliate coach Mitch Love or someone currently outside the organization.
2. Make the team younger – which is something Conroy specifically mentioned in his news conference Tuesday – with more salary cap flexibility than they have at present. The Flames currently have only $1.25 million in cap space to work with, according to the indispensable CapFriendly.
3. Improve their overall depth, especially their fourth line of forwards and third defense pairing.
The Flames also will need a major bounce-back season from veteran goalie Jacob Markstrom, but Markstrom’s subpar play wasn’t the only reason Calgary failed to make the playoffs this year. The Flames’ new direction under Conroy does not herald a tear-it-all-down rebuild, so Conroy is going to be under immediate pressure to produce positive results as he tries to hit the ground running.
After a letdown season like the one the Flames just endured, nobody should feel safe or comfortable. There are few, if any, untouchables on this team, and it’s Conroy’s task to figure out who to move on from and who to double down on.
The QMJHL’s championship series was decided, and the Quebec Remparts – led by coach-GM and former NHL superstar goalie Patrick Roy – won it all to qualify for the 2023 Memorial Cup.
The spotlight on Roy brings to mind his future as a bench boss – and whether he might be a candidate for an NHL job, particularly when it comes to replacing Gerard Gallant as the New York Rangers’ coach.
Roy does not lack an ego, but that’s not a bad thing. You want someone who exudes confidence and competitiveness, and Roy exudes both of those characteristics.
Some people think it’s still in his destiny to one day become coach of the Montreal Canadiens, but with Martin St-Louis on board and generating hope for the future of the Habs, that opportunity may not be there for Roy for many years to come. This is why some see him as the Blueshirts’ new coach. Same cosmopolitan type of city, Original Six team, and full support from ownership.
Roy is forcing his name into the conversation because he’s demonstrated this year he can take a young team, motivate it, and be on the winning side of the ledger far more often than not.
Finally, as we draw closer to the NHL’s UFA period, it’s fun to project which teams may be bidders for a low-quantity UFA market – specifically the Buffalo Sabres, who are looking for a defenseman with an edge. They could be one of the many teams interested in Minnesota Wild blueliner Matt Dumba.
The Sabres are projected to have more than $19.4 million in cap space this summer, and they’ve got 20 players already signed up, so they can make a major splash via free agency. They’ve got young studs Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin serving as the bedrock on the back end, but a physical competitor like Dumba would be a solid calculated risk by Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.
There will be other bidders for Dumba’s services, but Buffalo has the wherewithal to outbid most teams for the 28-year-old Dumba.
The Sabres were an excellent team on offense this past season, but they weren’t a physically demanding group as often as they needed to be. That’s where Dumba comes in.
Dumba isn’t producing points at the 36-assist, 50-point pace he was on with the Wild in 2017-18 – he had only 10 assists and 14 points in 2022-23 – but Dumba still would be a notable upgrade for Buffalo. Dumba had a $6-million cap hit this past season, and while he may not get a huge bump in pay, it’s clear that Dumba will likely get a lengthy term in his new deal, and the Sabres can afford to give that to him.