Seravalli: Craig Conroy the ‘odds-on favourite’ for Flames GM job as search enters final stages

The Calgary Flames are entering the final stages of their search for a new general manager and Craig Conroy is the “odds-on favourite” to land the gig, according to a new report by Daily Faceoff hockey insider Frank Seravalli.

Conroy, 51, has worked in the Flames’ front office since his retirement as a player in 2011. Brad Pascall, Chris Snow, and Conroy currently serve as the club’s assistant general managers under president of hockey operations and interim GM Don Maloney.

Brad Treliving departed his post as Flames general manager in April, kickstarting a search process that has now lasted more than a month. Treliving had served as Flames GM since 2014.

According to Seravalli, the Flames spoke to four external applicants for the GM position in Calgary last week. He listed Dave Nonis, Stan Bowman, and Marc Bergevin being among those candidates; current London Knights general manager Mark Hunter, who won the Stanley Cup as a player with the Flames in 1989, has also been linked to the vacancy.

The Flames finished the 2022-23 season with a 38-27-17 record and 93 points in 82 games, missing out on the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by three points. Shortly after Treliving’s departure, the Flames elected to relieve head coach Darryl Sutter of his duties with the team.

With a tenure of just under nine years, Treliving was the second-longest-serving general manager in Flames history, behind only Cliff Fletcher (who remained with the team from their infancy in Atlanta through the end of the 1990-91 season). Seravalli reported on Friday that the Flames will not intervene if Treliving decides to pursue an executive position elsewhere in the NHL.

Under Treliving’s watch, the Flames qualified for the playoffs in five out of nine seasons. He drafted top winger Matthew Tkachuk in 2016 before trading him to the Florida Panthers in 2022; Treliving also oversaw the departures of longtime players Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett, and TJ Brodie.

Treliving embarked upon a dramatic restructuring of the Flames’ roster in the wake of Gaudreau and Tkachuk leaving the team in 2022, bringing in and signing players Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, and MacKenzie Weegar through a series of offseason trades. As a whole, the Flames were one of the NHL’s most disappointing teams in 2022-23 and will enter the 2023 offseason with fresh faces at both the GM and head coach positions.

Maloney has stated that the Flames will focus on identifying the best possible candidate for their general manager position before shifting gears to hiring a new head coach, a process in which the new GM will undoubtedly play a significant role. One obvious candidate: Mitch Love, who has guided the Flames’ AHL affiliate to consecutive strong seasons and deep playoff runs.

Seravalli hinted that the Flames may be aiming to make an announcement related to their general manager position next week. Beyond that, the 2023 NHL Draft is slated to take place in Nashville on June 28 and 29, while the UFA period will begin on July 1.