Darryl Sutter Fired as Flames Head Coach After 3 Seasons with Team
May 1, 2023
Darryl Sutter is out as head coach of the Calgary Flames.
The Flames announced Monday that they have fired Sutter after three seasons with the team. His two-year contract extension was slated to begin in July, according to Frank Servalli of Daily Faceoff.
"On behalf of ownership and all Calgary Flames fans, we want to thank Darryl for his cumulative years of service to the Calgary Flames and to the community at large," CSEC President and CEO John Bean said in a statement.
Sutter was hired by the Flames in March 2021 after the franchise fired Geoff Ward. He previously served as head coach of the franchise from 2003-2006, leading Calgary to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2004.
In his most recent three-year stint with the franchise, Calgary went 103-63-28, reaching the postseason just once, which came during the 2021-22 campaign. After finishing with the best record in the Pacific Division, the team was eliminated in the second round by the Edmonton Oilers.
Following the 2021-22 season, Sutter won the Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the NHL and was awarded with a two-year extension from the Flames.
However, Calgary failed to meet expectations in 2022-23 after bringing in the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and Mackenzie Weegar to replace Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Flames failed to qualify for the postseason, finishing fifth in a difficult Pacific Division with a 38-27-17 record and 93 points.
Rumors about Sutter's status with the Flames arose after he failed to hold an end-of-season news conference, which is typical of coaches once teams are done for the year.
Those rumors continued after Sportsnet's Eric Francis reported Wednesday that "several key players made it abundantly clear in their exit interviews with [Don] Maloney and [Brad] Treliving that the environment in which they are working is untenable."
The Flames parted ways with Treliving, their general manager, in mid-April and hired Maloney as their new president of hockey operations.
The franchise will now undergo a search for a new head coach, and there are some interesting options available in this year's carousel, including Peter Laviolette, Brad Larsen and Dallas Eakins.