On the same day his team's main rival in Alberta named two familiar and formidable names to their coaching staff, the Calgary Flames may have taken a step toward filling their opening.Last week, Mike Keenan was axed after two years, with general manager Darryl Sutter saying that the team wanted to move in a different direction as they try to bring Calgary a Stanley Cup. That direction might be backward, as Sutter is sending overtures that he wants his old job back.
Sutter held a press conference Tuesday, and he was asked about candidates to become the Flames' next head coach. He says that his top three outside candidates are all under contract with other NHL teams. Stunningly, he wouldn't name names.
"I have high standards," Sutter said Tuesday. "We have high standards.One of the points cited by Sutter in his decision to oust Keenan was the overuse of goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. Whether Sutter or someone else takes over, this simply has to be remedied immediately. There is no reason for Kiprusoff to have played 300 regular-season games over the last four seasons, other than the Flames have been unable to sign or develop a quality backup. Blame former head coaches Keenan and Jim Playfair all you want, but the ultimate responsibility for this falls on Sutter. He's been the general manager, and he hasn't solved the problem by making the right acquistion.
"I can separate general manager and head coach pretty easily if you're surrounded by good people. ...If I find out at the end of the search that I'm the best candidate, then I'm the coach."
Naming himself the head coach isn't going to clear up this problem, and it isn't likely to make the Flames' injury-riddled defense any healthier. Of course, if a healthy Flames team makes more noise next season, Sutter would look like an absolute genius.
