Former forward Craig Conroy received the long-awaited promotion Tuesday and became general manager of the Calgary Flames.
The former club flag bearer has been with the Alberta organization since 2011 and served as assistant general manager from the summer of 2014, having previously served as assistant instructor. The man who started his hockey career with the Montreal Canadiens played for the Flames from 2001 to 2004 and helped the club reach the playoffs in his senior year when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
CONNY!
Craig Conroy was appointed #Flames Chief Executive! Additionally, Dave Nonis has joined the organization as senior vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager, while title changes have been made for Chris Snow and Brad Pascall.
— Calgary Flames (@NHFlames) May 23, 2023
In addition, Conroy would like to return his letters of nobility to the club.
“Over the past 12 years, I’ve spent the time needed to improve every aspect of our hockey operations and prepare for today. I’m up for the challenge and I promise the fans that our team will do whatever work is necessary to make them proud of our journey to the championship,” Conroy said in a statement.
To that end, he’s adamant about keeping the services of his key hockey players long-term, as he feels “we can’t afford to start the year.” [2024-2025] with seven unrestricted free agents. In a dozen months, Tyler Toffoli, Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm in particular could be as free as air.
“He’ll be one of the first to get a call,” the CEO said of Lindholm during the press conference to confirm his arrival. Certainly he’s a priority here and he’s a player we want to build on.
Departures that hurt
Because in the eyes of the new boss on board, some departures have hurt the Flames, most notably Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, who is proving his full usefulness to the Florida Panthers this spring. Moving forward requires a strong foundation in the workforce, he said.
“I had hoped and believed that Johnny would come back, but I don’t think I would let that happen again. When he decided to leave at the last minute, it was disappointing, he explained, referring to Gaudreau’s departure. We realized that we had lost one of our greatest assets. And Matthew was next. I want to make sure the players have somewhere they want to work,” he continued, citing the new arena plan as beneficial in encouraging club members to stay.
The GM was clear on Jonathan Huberdeau, who was acquired in the transaction that sent Tkachuk to Sunrise and who had a disappointing harvest of 55 points last season. “I want him to regain his aggressiveness on the ice,” he said. When I landed here, it only took me weeks to say that I wanted to get involved with the association. That’s why I want to count on people who want to play here. And it’s not just about dropping by to get a contract and some money; I don’t care. I want them to achieve something special.”
The 51-year-old will replace Brad Treliving, who left training at the end of the season. Calgary missed the playoffs with a 38-27-17 record, 93 points and ninth place in the National Hockey League Western Conference.
In addition, former GM of the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs Dave Nonis received the position of assistant GM. He will also serve as senior vice president of hockey operations.