Coach: Flames should choose Ryan Huska

At the time of writing, the Calgary Flames are officially one of the last NHL teams without a head coach in place for next season.

Unless a club (in Ontario?) fires its man, that leaves the Rangers, Blue Jackets and Flames to formalize the identity of their new pilot for the remainder of the season.

And unofficially, Mike Babcock is off to Columbus next month.

Now the Calgary Flames have decided to name Ryan Huska as the club’s next driver. At least that’s what Elliotte Friedman is reporting, though nothing is official yet.

As mentioned during second intermission tonight, nothing is done until it’s done, but Ryan Huska is the leading contender to be the next head coach of the Calgary Flames

– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 9, 2023

Huska has been an assistant in Calgary for the past few years (2018). He was also the pilot of the school club from 2014 to 2018 and has been a coach in the WHL in Kelowna for years. In 2009, he was WHL champion and lost in the Memorial Cup final in Rimouski.

He played one NHL game with the Hawks – against the Flames.

He was a high-profile candidate from the start of the process in Calgary, which considered in-house guys. We’re talking about Kirk Muller (associate coach) and Mitch Love, coach in the AHL.

What does this mean for them?

.@FriedgeHNIC was first with the news about Ryan Huska being the frontrunner for the vacant #Flames head coaching job.

I have plenty of questions: what does that mean for Mitch Love? Will they hire a PP specialist to assist Ryan? Kirk Muller’s fate?

– Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) June 9, 2023

There were also a few outside names floating around, but obviously that wasn’t the option. Craig Conroy has worked with Huska for years and is his man.

Quebecers like Patrick Roy and Pascal Vincent, whose names were not circulated in Calgary, will obviously not get their chance in the NHL this year as pilots. After all, their names aren’t circulating in New York.

Extension

We also thought the Flames might have appointed a man like Gerard Gallant, who has known Jonathan Huberdeau well in the past. But that’s obviously not the case.

We’ll see if it works out.