New Flames GM Conroy wants Calgary to be destination for NHL players

CALGARY -- Craig Conroy is determined to make the Calgary Flames a destination for NHL players.

A native of Potsdam, New York, Conroy played for the Flames and stayed with them as an executive after retiring in 2011, and was promoted from assistant general manager to general manager Tuesday. He takes over for Brad Treliving, who the Flames announced on April 17 would not be returning after nine seasons.

"We're on the no-trade list, I get it," Conroy said during his introductory press conference. "I want to make it where we're not on the no-trade list and that is to bring a culture of winning and fun. Players talk to each other and if you build that culture here, they'll tell each other, 'Calgary is actually a pretty good place to play,' and I think that's what we need, the word to get out.

"But we have to do that, it doesn't start today just because I say that, that starts this year and moving forward."

Conroy's comments came after two of the Flames' biggest stars and best offensive players in recent memory left Calgary within two weeks of each other last offseason.

Forward Johnny Gaudreau left as unrestricted free agent July 13, 2022, signing a seven-year, $68.25 million contract ($9.75 million average annual value) with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Had the Flames known he would leave via free agency, they could have traded Gaudreau before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, but instead they got nothing in return for a player they selected in the fourth round (No. 104) of the 2011 NHL Draft and who led them with 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) last season.

"As far as Johnny leaving, it was a learning thing for me," Conroy said. "I was hoping Johnny was going to come back, I thought Johnny was going to come back, but I don't think I would let that happen again.

"I told (Flames president of hockey operations) Don [Maloney] in the meeting, I truly thought John was going to come back, and when he didn't, it was disappointing. It came right down to the last minute. Then you think, 'Uh-oh, you just lost an asset, one of your best players of all time and you didn't get anything for him.' That was a real eye-opener for me. I sat in my office for a while with the door closed. Then Matthew [Tkachuk] was the next one to fall."

Nine days after Gaudreau's departure, the Flames traded Tkachuk, who had 104 points (42 goals, 62 assists) in 82 games in 2021-22, to the Florida Panthers.

Tkachuk, selected by Calgary in the first round (No. 6) of the 2016 NHL Draft, played his first six NHL seasons with the Flames and was a restricted free agent after last season. When it was clear he did not want to stay in Calgary, the Flames traded him to the Florida Panthers, with a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, for forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and forward prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

The Flames signed Huberdeau to an eight-year, $84 million contract ($10.5 million AAV) on Aug. 4, 2022. They then signed forward Nazem Kadri to a seven-year, $49 million contract ($7 million AAV) 14 days later.

Kadri had 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) in 82 games this season, and Huberdeau had 55 (15 goals, 40 points) in 79 games.

But the Flames (38-27-17) missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card from the Western Conference. After Treliving and the Flames agreed to part ways, coach Darryl Sutter was fired May 1.

Conroy said there is a sense of urgency with the coaching search but that he doesn't want to rush it.

"We obviously want to get going sooner than later, but we want to get the right person," Conroy said. "I mean, I think like Don said, we want to go through the process and interview [candidates]. I think we should just look at everybody and then as a group, when we do the interviews, come up with the right person that fits that role here in Calgary."

He also wants to find the right players that will fit with the Flames. The to-do list is quite long.

He has five players who can each become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and seven more who will become UFAs after next season.

But he doesn't just want to plug in holes. He wants to build a team with players who are committed to Calgary.

"I want people that want to be a part of the Calgary Flames and that want to be here, not just coming here to get a contract and get the money. That doesn't interest me at all," Conroy said. "I want them to come to be a part of this and do something special here."

He said the new arena that will be built in Calgary will help make the city and the Flames more attractive and that if players give it a chance, they will love it.

He should know.

"I'm American and I did it, so I'm going to speak from experience to them," Conroy said. "It's a great place to play, it's a great place to raise your family. I think what they don't understand, it's a world-class city, we have the mountains right here. A lot of players I talk to around the League, if they love hunting, if they love fishing and they do all this kind of stuff, if they love to go on hikes, a lot of people enjoy that and that will attract them here."