Craig Conroy recently celebrated the third anniversary of his appointment as the Calgary Flames General Manager. Conroy’s early years in the lead role have been poor on the ice, but could lead to future success.
The Flames GM has built a war-chest of first-round draft picks, leaving the question of whether the Flames are rebuilding with an obvious answer.
He is just the fourth long-term, permanent GM of the 21st century for the Flames. His predecessors all had mixed records, but which of them had the best record, and where does Conroy rank amongst them?
Darryl Sutter – Conservative Success
Darryl Sutter started his tenure with multiple Playoff appearances, during which time he was also the head coach. This included a run all the way to the 2003/4 Stanley Cup Final, although ending in defeat to Tampa Bay. The Flames haven’t come close to replicating this since then.
In terms of trades, Sutter had (mostly) hits. One of his earliest acquisitions was Miikka Kiprusoff from the San Jose Sharks. The goaltender was acquired for a 2nd round pick and became a franchise cornerstone. Kiprusoff won the Vezina and was pivotal in the aforementioned Stanley Cup Finals run.
On the flip side, he did trade Dion Phaneuf to the Maple Leafs. The young star had been under Norris Trophy consideration before that. He was traded with Keith Aulie and Fredrik Sjostrom for four players, including Matt Stajan. This was seen at the time as somewhat of a panic buy.
The contracts handed out by Sutter were generally value-oriented, and this is what led to the early success.
Brad Treliving – Mr. Win Now
Brad Treliving was a man on a mission when he succeeded Brian Burke, who was acting as the GM following Jay Feaster’s departure. Treliving had the longest tenure of any Flames GM this century, stretching nine years.
Despite having the longest stint, time is seen as inconsistent, at best. The Flames reached the 2nd Round of the Playoffs in both 2014–15 and 2021–22. It would also be argued that the 2021–22 Flames flopped by being eliminated in five by the Oilers. The Flames also went out to the Avs in the first round in 2018–19, despite winning the Pacific.
Many consider that what he handed over to Conroy wasn’t adequate, despite just making the 2nd Round of the Playoffs. The reason for this is that Treliving traded away a lot of decent picks in a “Win Now” approach to the market. Dougie Hamilton was a success of his, but cost a 1st and two 2nds. He was eventually traded away for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, the latter of whom matched the inconsistent theme.
His time at the Flames ended with what was viewed as a blockbuster trade. Following the loss of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk made it clear that he wasn’t going to re-sign in Calgary. Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a 1st. At the time, the Flames were viewed as the big winners and that Florida overpaid. That opinion has widely changed since then.
Jay Feaster – Future Builder
It seems harsh to call Feaster the least successful, given some of the pieces he brought to Calgary, but on the ice, it wasn’t great.
Feaster inherited a Flames side that was on a downward trend, and they didn’t make the Playoffs during his run. Whilst Conroy hasn’t achieved that yet either, Conroy still has time.
Jay Feaster was the man who brought Johnny Gaudreau to Calgary, along with Sean Monahan. laying the foundations that Brad Treliving ran with. He focused on the infusion of youth.
There were some questionable trades, though, specifically how the Jay Bouwmeester trade ended up. The trade saw Reto Berra, Mark Cundari, and a 1st Round pick. That first-round pick eventually turned into Emile Poirier. He was also the GM who traded away Jarome Iginla.
In terms of a like-for-like, Feaster is the closest equivalent to Conroy.
So, where does Conroy rank?
As hinted at in the previous section, Conroy is most like Feaster in terms of achievements so far. Whilst the assessment of Conroy’s time will likely only truly come after the haul of first-rounders has been used, his spell mirrors Feaster’s so far.
Calgary is unlikely to feature in the Playoffs for the next few years, but like Feaster, this is largely down to what he inherited. In terms of on-ice results, there can be no doubt that there is a downtrend during Conroy’s time. This is, however, seemingly a case of a “short-term pain for long-term gain” approach.
Until he makes the Playoffs for the first time, Conroy won’t be able to be in the same conversation as Treliving or Sutter. How he uses the haul of first-round picks will ultimately help decide Conroy’s fate and how his time is viewed in the long term.