One of the major discussions going on right now among Flames fans and media is the job Ryan Huska has done this season as head coach.

It’s turned into a fascinating debate because there are strong arguments to be made on both sides.

Let’s take a look at some of the positives and negatives of the job Huska has done and give out a letter grade at the end of the article.

The most important job Ryan Huska has done since being hired as the head coach in June of 2023 is rebuilding the culture.

Huska took over the job after a tumultuous 2022-23 season under then head coach Darryl Sutter.

Sutter was a brilliant Xs and Os coach. He’s regarded as one of the great hockey minds of his generation. But he unfortunately wasn’t able to build a healthy culture off the ice during his second tenure in Calgary. The room was fractured. We heard about multiple players not wanting to return to the Flames with one of the main reasons being Sutter.

The culture of the team was in ruins and it was Ryan Huska’s job to rebuild it. And he has done exactly that.

Huska, alongside Craig Conroy and veteran players like Mikael Backlund, MacKenzie Weegar, Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson and Jonathan Huberdeau have helped repair the culture of the team. It went from being a toxic work environment, to one players want to be part of.

Through communication and a clear vision, Huska has been able to get the players to pull on the rope in the same direction, which is something that was not happening over the previous two seasons.

You can tell the players respect him by the effort levels on the vast majority of nights. This is a Flames team that works hard and sacrifices their bodies by blocking shots and playing a physical brand of hockey.

Another aspect of the job that needed repairing was the relationship between the coach, media, and the fans.

One thing you have to appreciate about Huska is his willingness to answer questions from the media in a thoughtful and respectful manner. The media is the conduit between the team and their fan base. Because of that it’s important that the team has a strong communicator to deliver messages to the fan base. Huska does just that.

It may not sound like an important part of his job, but when you speak to the media after every single practice and game day, it is important. The head coach becomes the spokesperson for the organization. It’s important that they clearly communicate with their fans and Huska has done just that. He’s been a great representative for the Flames organization.

Huska is thriving off the ice. But the on ice results have been awful in Calgary this season.

Every aspect of the Flames game has been in the bottom half of the NHL, and in most cases near the basement of the league.

Let’s start with the offence. The Flames are the lowest scoring team in the NHL. Since Nov. 1, the Flames have scored 139 goals. The next closest team is the Nashville Predators who have scored 146 goals in the same amount of games. It’s not like the Flames are at the bottom of the league in goals for by a slim margin. It’s 7 goals since Nov. 1.

At 5-on-5, Calgary is 20th in scoring chances/60,  26th in expected goals/60, and 26th in high danger chances/60. They’re not scoring goals and they’re not creating dangerous scoring opportunities at 5-on-5.

No forwards are having career years outside of Matt Coronato who is playing in his first full season in the NHL. Kadri and Huberdeau are the only forwards producing at a decent rate.

Special teams are below average. They have the 19th ranked power play and the 27th ranked penalty kill.

And despite the fact there is a lot of discussion about how good the Flames have been defensively, they really haven’t been.

They give up a lot of chances at 5-on-5.

The Flames sacrifice offence in the name of defence, yet they’re a below average defensive team according to Natural Stat Trick.

They are the worst offensive team in the NHL and they are below average on defence and special teams. On top of all that, they play a boring style of hockey that leaves the fans wanting more at the end of a lot of nights.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know Huska does not have the best roster to work with. But they should be putting up better results, especially in the offensive zone, with the talent they have on the roster. On paper this is not a team that should be 32nd in goals for.

The one thing Huska and the Flames have going for them this season on the ice is a special 23 year old rookie goalie.

Dustin Wolf has been Ryan Huska’s saving grace.

Without Wolf, the Flames would be in the basement of the NHL standings with the San Jose’s and Chicago’s of the world.

The Flames have the 2nd best team save percentage, and 6th best high danger team save percentage in the NHL at 5-on-5.

Dustin Wolf is 7th in the NHL in goals saved above expected (GSAA).

Without Wolf, this team would be a mess and no one would be having any discussions about Ryan Huska getting Jack Adams votes.

With all that in mind, how should we evaluate the job Huska has done this season?

In my opinion, I think he’s been just OK. Not as bad as a lot of people on social media are making it out to be. And not as good as the mainstream media is making him out to be.

You have to respect and appreciate the work he’s done with this team off the ice. His leadership and culture building qualities have been incredibly valuable to this organization that was in disarray when he took over the job.

Off the ice, he deserves a ton of credit.

On the ice is a different story. There is absolutely no doubting that Dustin Wolf has kept this team afloat this season because every aspect of the Flames game has been below average or worse.

Few players are thriving playing his style of hockey. Who on this Flames team is playing above expectations? It’s a small list.

His on ice work this season deserves close to a failing grade.

Overall I would give him a C+ or a B-. Should he get votes for the Jack Adams? Absolutely not. Should he get fired after this season? Absolutely not. It lies somewhere in between.

Huska will be back next season. But he’s going to need to drive better results in every facet of the game if he is going to want to be this teams long term head coach.