Veteran coach fired by the Calgary Flames before his extension even kicks in; Flames still on the hook for his salary
News broke this morning that the Calgary Flames have reportedly parted ways with head coach Darryl Sutter after three seasons in his second stint with the organization.
The Flames finished with a 37-28-17 record this season falling just short of the playoffs - a rather disappointing finish for a team who ran the Pacific Division just one year ago.
Sutter was granted a two-year extension that was set to begin next season that awarded the long-time NHL coach $4 million annually. As reported by Pierre Lebrun of TSN, the Flames still owe him that money going forward. His journey as the Flames head coach comes to an end for a second time with a combined record of 102-63-28, including a Stanley Cup Final run in 2004.
With the Flames losing star players like Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk via free agency and trades, they built a new foundation around Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar, and Jonathan Huberdeau. The team struggled to find its footing until late in the season and failed to meet expectations, leading to Sutter's departure.
It was later announced that the Flames organization will be holding a press conference late Monday to discuss its decision and the next steps in the hiring of a new candidate for the 2023-24 season onward.
