Craig Conroy is part of the Calgary Flames solution

While teams like the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks are ready to sell their veterans, the Flames are in absolutely no rush to do anything. However, I don’t believe this is entirely Conroy’s fault.

Based on Maloney’s comments, it’s the owner who’s calling the shots. I’m not entirely sure Pope could do much differently if Murray Edwards owned the team.

Good luck with the design

While there is a somewhat dark cloud hanging over his trade history, he is shining in the NHL draft.

Conroy has taken two for two in his checkers. He has landed Zayne Parekh, Cole Reschney and Luke Misa. There are still some ways to go in their development, but there haven’t been any real swings and misses yet.

Have experts praised the recent designs. It’s a 180 degrees from where they had been. The draft can go as well as you want, but what matters now is developing the prospects and allowing them to reach their full potential through consistent playing time at the NHL level.

What is on the cards?

All this to say: Conroy is the guy you want. Conroy came in and took charge of a situation that wasn’t going to be resolved overnight. When you look at the first three years of Conroy’s term, you have to look at it that way. It was like taking a mop to Niagara Falls. Even if he had complete control, there was no chance he would completely rebuild a team and give the fans a true Stanley Cup team by the end of his first contract. This is unlikely to happen in the next two years.

The “we don’t want to be Buffalo” mentality will only get you so far. You’re already moving in that direction. This Flames team hasn’t made the playoffs in three seasons and will most likely extend that this season. You’re entering a whole new taxpayer-funded arena less than two years. The least the organization can do is work to shelve a product that can be viewed.

Can Conroy divert the ship?

Frankly, I find it hard to believe that this team needs much help bottoming out. They are last in the competition. Dustin Wolf is having a hard time. Generating offense can be more difficult than brain surgery. The Flames are targeting a top-five pick whether ownership likes it or not.

Trades need to happen to make room for this emerging generation of Flames. If the team is bad enough, you might be lucky enough to have Nazem Kadri knock on your door and ask for a trade. There is no reason why Conroy shouldn’t take calls from all players. You don’t have to entertain, but you do have to have something to offer, whether you’re presenting it to the owner or to another team to call their bluff.

Introducing a new voice at this point would disrupt the progress Conroy had made. A revolving door of coaches and general managers can do more harm than good. If you need to rely on someone else in these situations, I think a coach could be the “better” option. The San Jose Sharks have undergone an aggressive rebuild with one general manager. They’re finally clawing their way back into things.

If there was a tagline for this season it would be “too many chefs in the kitchen.” That could apply to the front group or to too many decision makers at a higher level. Conroy should be the one to take charge during this transition period.

Now that he has some job security and the Flames hate laying people off, they’ll have to pay up; perhaps Conroy will be a little more aggressive heading into the trade deadline.

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