It’s late November, the nights are getting longer, and for Calgary Flames fans, the days aren’t looking much brighter. If you’ve been watching the product on the ice lately, you know the drill: blown leads, a power play that feels more like a power outage, and a spot in the standings that makes you instinctively start checking lottery odds.
Then, right in the middle of this season-opening faceplant, the organization dropped a bombshell that had everyone scratching their heads — not because of what happened, but when they decided to tell us.
On Friday (Nov. 28), the Flames announced that the entire front office — general manager (GM) Craig Conroy, president of hockey ops Don Maloney, and assistant GMs Dave Nonis and Brad Pascall — have been extended through the 2027-28 season.
If you’re wondering why a team sitting near the basement of the NHL just doubled down on its management group, you aren’t alone. But if you look past the ugly record, the move signals exactly where this franchise is headed.
Stability Before the Scotia Place Era
Let’s start with the logistics. The new deals keep the brass in place until the summer of 2028. That timeline isn’t an accident. It aligns perfectly with the opening of Scotia Place, the team’s shiny new barn scheduled to open its doors in the fall of 2027.
Ownership clearly wants the same hands steering the ship when they cut the ribbon on the new arena. Murray Edwards operates with a tight circle, and he values continuity. By locking this group in now, he’s removing the “lame duck” narrative that tends to plague management teams in the final year of a contract. It tells the market — and the locker room — that despite the current skid, the guys upstairs aren’t going anywhere.
Conroy’s “No-Brainer” Extension
Let’s be honest: extending Conroy was the easy part. Since taking the big chair in 2023, he has been tasked with cleaning up a significant mess. He inherited a roster with an identity crisis and a cap sheet that needed surgery.
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Despite the team’s struggles — including those seven gut-wrenching blown-lead losses this season — the consensus around the league is that Conroy is doing a “more than fine job” with the hand he was dealt. He’s been patient, he’s made savvy trades to stock the cupboards, and he’s clearly committed to a long-term vision.
The extension is a vote of confidence. It essentially gives Conroy the runway to see this rebuild through to completion. He’s earned the chance to build the team his way, without looking over his shoulder every time the team drops a game in overtime.
The Elephant in the Room: Don Maloney
While Conroy’s new deal was expected, the extension for Maloney raised more than a few eyebrows. If you’ve been listening to sports radio or scrolling Twitter lately, you know Maloney hasn’t exactly been winning the popularity contest.
His recent media appearances have been described as a “PR disaster class.” From refusing to utter the word “rebuild” to insisting on a “winning culture” while the team sits 31st in the league, his comments have felt tone-deaf to a fanbase that just wants honesty.
So, why extend him? Simple: he’s Edwards’ go-to guy. In the eyes of ownership, Maloney taking the heat is a feature, not a bug. By putting the target on his own back during those interviews, he shields Conroy and the players. He’s the corporate firewall. It might infuriate the fans, but it clearly earned him goodwill in the owner’s suite.
A Dubious Timeline?
Here is where things get “fishy.” The organization insists these deals were actually signed before the puck dropped on the regular season.
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If that’s true, why wait until late November — when the team is languishing with a 9-14-3 record — to announce it? The official company line is that there “was no good time” to talk front-office politics given the team’s stumbling start.
It feels like an odd rollout. Announcing extensions for a management group presiding over a bottom-feeder team usually invites unnecessary consternation. It overshadows the fact that locking up Conroy is actually a positive move. It feels like they were hoping to slide this news under the door while everyone was distracted by the American Thanksgiving football games.
The Green Light to Tank?
Here is the most significant implication for the knowledgeable fan: job security.
Now that the ink is dry, Conroy and his staff are bulletproof for the next two years. They don’t need to panic-trade a first-round pick for a rental player just to save their jobs. They don’t need to chase the 8th seed to appease ownership.
This effectively gives the front office permission to “bottom out.”
Conroy can now fully prioritize the draft. He’s already hoarded eight picks for the 2026 Entry Draft, including two first-rounders. With his job safe, expect him to be aggressive in selling off veteran assets at the deadline to acquire even more future capital.
We are likely looking at a “singular voice” strategy moving forward. Conroy can preach patience, knowing he has the time to execute it. The organization is asking you to trust the process, endure the losses now, and bank on the fact that by the time Scotia Place opens in 2027, the young pillars drafted today will be ready to carry the franchise.
It’s going to be a long winter in Calgary, but at least we know who’s driving the bus.
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