ESPN REPORT: The head coach of the Calgary Flames is fired because of…
After three seasons, the Calgary Flames confirmed on Monday that Darryl Sutter had been sacked as their coach.
Sutter, who coached the team for three seasons from 2002–03 through 2005–06, is being let go by the Flames for the second time. During the 2003–04 season, he guided the Flames to the Stanley Cup Final twice, where they were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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The Flames did not make the playoffs in his first and last seasons, therefore his most recent tenure with the team was not as successful as his first.
After Sutter finished 11-11-2 in the shortened 56-game 2020–21 season, the organization signed him to cover the final 32 games for Geoff Ward. This marked Sutter’s second stint with the Flames.
In his second season, Sutter led the Flames to the Stanley Cup playoffs, where they were defeated in the second round by their local rivals, the Edmonton Oilers.
The campaign that ended up being Sutter’s last saw the Flames take on a somewhat different appearance. They lost Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, two players who scored 100 points apiece. In a transaction that sent defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and another 100-point forward, Jonathan Huberdeau, to the Florida Panthers, Tkachuk was dealt to them. Gaudreau signed a free agent contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Flames acquired Nazem Kadri in free agency following their trades for Huberdeau and Weegar. Kadri finished with a career-high 87 points while assisting the Colorado Avalanche in winning the Stanley Cup.
Huberdeau, Kadri, and Weegar were all there, but the Flames’ ability to score goals on a regular basis remained in doubt. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flames had the second-worst save percentage in the NHL during 5-on-5 play, despite ranking 19th in terms of goals scored per game.
As a result, the Flames were an inconsistent team going into the last few weeks of the regular season, when they were fighting for a postseason berth. They missed the playoffs by two points, after finishing 6-2-2 in their last ten games.
Less than a month has passed since the club declared that general manager Brad Treliving, who was in the last year of his contract, had decided to leave the company amicably. This is the reason behind Sutter’s firing.
The team’s acting general manager is Flames senior vice president of hockey operations Don Maloney, who was promoted to president of hockey operations.
Maloney stated, “It became clear to me we needed a new voice,” on Monday at a press conference in the afternoon. “Unless you have winning … changes are made.”
Maloney claimed that in order to make the choice, he spoke with representatives of notable upcoming free agents, assistant coaches, and 25 players.
“I do feel like this is the best way for us to proceed as a club,” Maloney stated. “This is a thrilling moment. We have quality players on our team. Observing playoff hockey over the past two weeks has shown us that anybody can defeat anybody at any moment. I’m eager to return to the rink in 2019–20 with a new general manager and coach and to the playoffs.”
Reuters helped to write this article.
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NHL postseason standings: Carolina Hurricanes’ route to the top seed Play Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: Highlights of the game (1:49)
Tim Kavanagh from ESPN
April 17, 2024, 8:00 A.M.
There’s some excitement occurring at the other end of the playoff-bound spectrum, even if six clubs are still in the running for the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card place in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2024.
More specifically, will the Carolina Hurricanes mount a strong enough comeback in their remaining 15 games to secure the top spot in the Metro, above of the New York Rangers, or possibly the conference title, above the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers?
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Winger Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov were acquired by the Canes via deals with divisional rivals, and the early results have been positive: Kuznetsov scored a goal and Guentzel assisted in Carolina’s 4-0 rout of the Panthers on Thursday. Gaining that top spot requires more than just winning regulation games against clubs they are following.
Tragically, taking that idea into account, the Canes still have two games remaining in their season—April 4 in Raleigh and April 9 in Boston—but none against New York or Florida. However, they still have five games remaining against teams that are in danger of going down to the minor leagues, starting on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on NHL Power Play on ESPN+ against the Ottawa Senators. In addition, they will skate against the Chicago Blackhawks once (April 14), the Columbus Blue Jackets twice (April 7 and 16), and the Montreal Canadiens once (March 30).
On Sunday, the Canes trail the Bruins by seven points (though they lead them by three in regulation victories) and the Panthers by six points and three regulation wins. Carolina is currently four points and two regulation wins behind the Rangers in the Metro.
Even though it might sound like a lot of ground to cover, keep in mind that this is a team that recently welcomed back No. 1 goalkeeper Frederik Andersen to the ice and added two top-six difference-makers. This club appears to be the one that could pull off a season-ending blowout like this.
It’s time to keep an eye on all the playoff races and the teams vying for a spot in the 2024 NHL draft lottery as we approach the latter stretch of the regular season.
