When a team is openly in the midst of a rebuild there are certain concerns you have to worry about. Will veteran players be engaged and willing to stick it out? Will the team quit when they fall behind? How can you keep players engaged if you fall behind in the standings? How can you avoid developing a losing culture? So far, the Calgary Flames have avoided any signs of these pitfalls, and a lot of credit belongs to head coach Ryan Huska.
Flames Bench Boss Huska Sending Messages
Early on this season, Ryan Huska has done an incredible job of keeping his team accountable. During the Flames’ worst stretch of hockey this season, Huska has sent the message that effort and undisciplined hockey won’t be tolerated. He’s benched and then subsequently demoted several players recently.
Following a poor performance against Utah, Anthony Mantha spent some time on the bench and started the next game on the fourth line. Before this benching Mantha had been nearly invisible and appeared disengaged in recent games. During that contest against New Jersey Devils, Andrei Kuzmenko found himself on the bench and Mantha was then elevated. Mantha looked much more engaged than recently once he was elevated and helped record an assist in Calgary’s win.
In the following contest against their Alberta rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, Kuzmenko responded to his benching with a strong performance, looking as dangerous as he has all year. In that same game, sophomore star Connor Zary found himself on the bench for the third period. Coach Huska cited that Zary wasn’t moving his feet enough as the reason for the benching. In the very next game in Montreal Canadiens, Zary responded by scoring the opening goal of the game and looked much better all around. In the game against Montreal, Martin Pospisil found himself on the fourth line following some untimely or undisciplined penalties. Pospisil appeared to receive the messaging and looked good recording three shots on goal and five hits, all while staying out of the box.
Setting The Tone
The fear of benching a player is that they will become upset and disengaged. It’s not unsurprising to see a player who ends up on the wrong side of a coach’s good books to request a trade. However thus far, the slew of benching players have all had positive responses. It seems the Flames are responding well to being held accountable. Huska has shown a willingness to hold anyone accountable, regardless of status and role. In this way, he is showing Flames players that there are no exceptions to lazy hockey or lack of discipline. The players who are contributing to winning will play and those who aren’t will find themselves watching.
There is some concern that this strategy can’t be a long-term solution. At least not at this rate. The more frequently Huska punishes players, the more likely he runs the risk that players will become disgruntled. The hope is that players only need to hear the message once and it sets the tone for the season. In an 82-game season, there will be slumps for all players and teams. Huska may not be able to be this strict for the whole season. This is likely why he’s also been rewarding players when it’s deserved.
Rewarding Players
The focus recently has been on Huska’s benching and tone setting. He’s also shown a willingness to reward players when deserved. To start the season both Adam Klapka and Samuel Honzek found themselves in the opening lineup. Neither player was expected to be considered to make the Flames NHL roster. However, following strong training camp performances both players not only made the team but found themselves playing regular minutes.
More recently, Huska and the Flames rewarded Matthew Coronato after a short stint in the minors. The Flames called him up just six days after he was sent down. Since his return, he’s found a home alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. He’s looked dangerous and noticeable in every game and just scored two huge goals to help the Flames beat Montreal in overtime.
Positive Outlook for the Season for Huska and the Flames
The way the Flames have come out to start this season and the way players have responded to Huska’s messages seem to be setting a strong culture in Calgary. The Flames are creating an environment where no one is above discipline and lack of effort won’t be tolerated. The Flames also have a young roster pushing for more ice time. This means there is tons of competition and players who aren’t bringing their best could find themselves losing ice time.
Head coach Ryan Huska deserves so much credit for helping this team start the season off strong. He has the team believing they can win against any team in the league, while also not taking anyone lightly. We’ve seen signs that the Flames have also embraced a never-say-die attitude battling back to win games they’ve trailed in. It’s a long season ahead, but so far Huska is pushing all the right buttons in Calgary. The result is this team is currently sitting in a playoff spot instead of looking ahead to a top-five draft pick.
Main Photo Credit: Sergei Belski – USA TODAY Sports
