Craig Conroy isn’t leaving much room for debate when it comes to Ryan Huska’s place behind the Calgary Flames bench.
With fan frustration still hanging around a team that has been stuck in low-expectation territory, Huska has taken plenty of heat. That comes with the territory when you’re coaching a rebuilding club, and it’s especially true for a head coach who has already become one of the NHL’s longer-tenured names despite being only three seasons into the job. Huska is currently the league’s eighth-longest tenured coach.
But if there was any sense that his runway might be shrinking, Conroy pushed back hard in an appearance with Mike Richards on The Raw Mike Richards Show. The Flames GM made it plain why he believes the 51-year-old is still the right fit.
“He does a great job,” Conroy explained. “He’s a teacher; he’s articulate when he’s explaining what he wants from the players.
If you didn’t even know hockey, you would understand what he wants out of you, what he expects, and how we’re going to get there. He does a great job with our young guys.”
That part matters, especially after one of the louder criticisms of Huska last season centered on how much, or how little, he leaned on younger players. Whether that complaint was fair or not, the picture in 2026-27 should look different. Conroy has moved out a number of veterans, and that shift is going to force a new balance in how the roster is handled.
Conroy said Huska is always trying to do what gives the team the best chance to win, even when people around the club want different names in different spots.
“People are going to be mad if he didn’t put this person out or that, but he’s always doing the best for the team, and I never question [the team] being prepared, focused, and having a game plan,” said Conroy. “Now, it’s about going out and executing. He does a great job with that.
“It is exciting to have Ryan here, and the whole staff. They do an amazing job.”
Huska’s first three seasons produced a 113-106-29 record, and he’ll be looking to build on that in 2026-27 as the Flames enter what Conroy described as something of a new era for the organization.
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Flames Quietly Made Four Staff Moves Right Before Camp
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It is the kind of housekeeping move that rarely draws much attention outside the organization, but these jobs matter once the pace picks up and players start filtering in for camp. The staff shuffle also adds another layer of experience around the Flames' development group, with Seymour stepping into a role tied to player growth and skills work while the club gets its camp infrastructure in place. [Read more 🡒]