You have to believe that the presence of Jakob Pelletier around the Calgary Flames Darryl Sutter didn’t like it at all.
It even bothered him.
As proof, he poirot it in the press box for two weeks.
Why did you remember the young man who was dominating the American League back then?
Probably because he’s small. That it is not at all in line with the leadership advocated by the Flames coach. But management has decided to deepen its workforce due to the playoff race that promises to be grueling to the end. And who else but Pelletier, the organization’s top skater in the lower ranks, to provide more backup if injuries should ever thwart the company’s plans.
It was a very legitimate decision, especially as the Flames haven’t been all that prominent in the list of recruited players over the years. In fact, on Saturday, Pelletier became the first player selected by the Flames in the first round to appear in an NHL game in the past five years.
But two weeks after his recall, Sutter never spoke about Pelletier. On the contrary, he was irritated by the reaction from fans and journalists who asked him when Pelletier would play a first game. Undoubtedly, on the urgent advice of General Manager Brad Treliving, we decided to add Pelletier to the lineup for the game against the Lightning.
But Sutter never broke the news.
On Friday, during the daily press briefing, he delegated Kirk Muller to take questions. Regarding Pelletier, the door was left open, but with no confirmation that he “would be there”.
However, Jacob’s family had received a call from his son informing them of the wonderful news. He was close to entering the NHL. An unforgettable moment.
The team’s veterans demonstrated in their own way. As tradition dictates, they gave him the entire playing surface before the warm-up. A magical moment for a young hockey player.
Sutter’s reaction should prompt management to reconsider their coach’s stance. Humiliating a first-round pick or a young player who has made it to the NHL shows a glaring lack of respect.
The young man had just lived a dream…although Sutter had kept him to under seven minutes despite a first appearance in which he nearly outended Andrei Vasilevskiy. Sutter behaved like a complete jerk after the game, like an irresponsible and disrespectful manager, and we can assume that Flames management took stock of him.
Because he planned everything. He prepared a scenario in which his stubbornness towards the little players dictated every sentence, uttered with a dose of contempt.
Don’t think the team’s veterans, particularly Jonathan Huberdeau, who was skinned by Sutter this season, appreciated the manager’s number.
Additionally, Andrew Mangiapane, who was asked about Pelletier’s first game and no doubt informed of Sutter’s remarks, said: “I would say he set the tone for the game when he first came out. We have to think we were inspired as we dominated throughout the meeting.
The big winner will be Pelletier. The young man has character, he is persistent, he wants to fulfill his dreams.
And Sutter left a very bad image of a coach using outdated methods.
Caufield: nothing changes
Photo Martin Chevalier
Cole Kaufield
Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes have no intention of changing their business model.
Cole Caufield and his 26 goals leave a big gap but nothing will change. We will continue to develop young people, we will ensure that we stay the course to bring a new culture to the organization and we are already seeing interesting results.
Why should we change daily training management?
This will be an opportunity to allow some players to increase their status within the corporation. Didn’t Josh Anderson put in a solid performance against Toronto on Saturday? And Samuel Montembeault impresses, Kirby Dach takes on more and more insurance and confirms he has the talent to become a high-level center. The door will also be open to other skaters and they will be able to make a solid impression after spending the first half of the season in Laval, with Raphaël Harvey-Pinard leading the way.
Then again, why is Jordan Harris playing less than 12 minutes per game? Do we blame him for losing the puck to Mitch Marner? Still, if you look closely, Edmundson’s pass had put the young defender in a vulnerable position.
As the trade deadline nears, Kent Hughes will hold talks with his colleagues as he continues negotiations with agent Pat Brisson over the terms of a multi-year deal with Caufield.
Hughes was certainly asked about Joel Edmundson and Sean Monahan by some general managers. No doubt some teams will be inquiring about David Savard’s status. Joel Armia? An interesting case while he recovers quickly.
In short, the next few weeks will surely have some surprises in store for us. And so far, Kent Hughes has made a name for himself quickly and remains a formidable negotiator.
