Craig Conroy’s run as Calgary Flames general manager hasn’t produced the kind of record that jumps off the page. Since taking over for Brad Treliving, the Flames have gone 113-105-28 over three seasons and missed the playoffs every time. On paper, that looks like a team stuck in place.
But the bigger picture tells a different story.
Conroy has spent his time in charge reshaping the organization around the future, not patching holes for the present. That approach has brought frustrating hockey at times, and the Flames still don’t look like a team ready to make noise right away.
In fact, they will likely struggle again in 2026-27. Even so, the work being done now is aimed at building something sturdier down the road.
Before Conroy arrived, Calgary’s identity seemed to shift from year to year. One season the Flames looked like a real Stanley Cup contender, and the next they were out of the playoffs. The front office kept making moves that suggested it believed the roster was closer than it really was, and that disconnect wore on fans.
That has changed under Conroy. Since he took over, the Flames have not made the playoffs, and that has largely been by design.
He has moved out a long list of veterans, including Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom, Andrew Mangiapane, Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, Nazem Kadri, and Blake Coleman. The roster got worse in the short term, but the reaction from the fan base has been overwhelmingly positive because of what came back in those deals.
Conroy has loaded up on draft picks and prospects, and that is where the optimism comes from. Several of those young players look close to NHL ready, and Calgary’s scouting and management groups have hit on a number of strong selections in recent years. The result is a system that looks far healthier than the standings suggest.
The Flames also have pieces that other teams around the league will notice soon enough. Dustin Wolf gives them a young, highly talented goalie, and the blue line pipeline is packed with names like Zayne Parekh, Carson Carels, Hunter Brzustewicz, and Henry Mews. Up front, the organization has added Matvei Gridin, Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, and Ethan Wyttenbach.
Calgary is still chasing a true number-one centreman, but beyond that, the future roster is starting to take shape. Conroy also seems willing to let this rebuild keep unfolding until the time is right to shift gears. After the recent trade of Coleman, it looks increasingly clear that 2026-27 is going to be a long season in Calgary, and that pain could come with another valuable draft pick next year.
Conroy may not be getting the league-wide credit yet, but the direction of the Flames is hard to miss. He has been patient, aggressive when he needed to be, and focused on building the right foundation. For now, that makes him look like the NHL’s most underrated GM.
In Other News...
Flames Rebuild Feels Far From Over As More Moves Loom
The Flames rebuild still looks like a work in progress, and the recent movement around the roster only reinforced that sense. Calgary has already shown a willingness to keep reshaping the group, and the expectation is that trade chatter will continue to pop up throughout the summer as the front office weighs what fits the next phase of the roster.
Morgan Frost remains one name still circulating in those discussions, while Zach Whitecloud is also drawing interest from teams that could see him as a useful addition. Nothing is done yet, which is part of the point for Calgary right now - the club appears comfortable keeping its options open, even if the next move does not come right away. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Power Play Reset Could Change Everything Next Season
The Flames power play was one of the clearest reasons last season never really found a rhythm, finishing near the bottom of the league and leaving plenty of room for a reset. Now the group around it is changing, and Calgary is heading into 2026-27 with a very different look on the man advantage, one that will depend less on familiar faces and more on whether the next wave can turn opportunity into something more dangerous.
Matvei Gridin, Jonathan Huberdeau, Morgan Frost, Matt Coronato and Zayne Parekh are among the names expected to be mixed into those new looks, which gives the staff a lot of options but not necessarily a finished answer. Simon Nemec also looms as an important piece, and the bigger question is whether Calgary can build enough balance and shot variety to make the reset matter when the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Tkachuk Just Revealed How Wild Edmonton Got During That Rivalry
Matthew Tkachuk has never been a stranger to the Battle of Alberta, but he recently revisited just how charged things felt when he was wearing a Flames sweater and heading into Edmonton. The former Calgary winger talked about the hostility he ran into from Oilers fans, a reminder that this rivalry went well beyond the usual boos and jeers and into something far more personal whenever he showed up at Rogers Place.
Tkachuk also put that era in perspective by noting how much attention and security the Flames needed around those visits, which says plenty about the temperature of the series at the time. Since then, he has moved on to Florida, and the Panthers have gone on to beat Edmonton in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, but his comments still underline how deep the edge ran in those Alberta showdowns. [Read more 🡒]