Changes in Calgary

For exactly eight years, Darryl Sutter has been a substantial part of the operations in Calgary. Those times have to come to an end as he was forced to resign from his post as general manager by team president Ken King earlier today. So, he was basically fired. Jay Feaster has taken over full control of operation as this move is effective immediately.

Will Feaster hang on to Darryl’s brother Brent? What will this do for Jarome Iginla’s future, if anything at all? Let the rumors begin.

Darryl was behind Calgary’s bench for two-plus seasons as both the coach and GM; he moved to the front office permanently in 2006. It’s safe to say that Darryl isn’t leaving the Flames in great shape.

His trade for Olli Jokinen two years ago has set off a never-ending domino effect that has gone in the wrong direction. With Jokinen on board, the Flames went in a downward spiral late in the 2008-09 season, and were also unable to re-sign Michael Cammalleri in the subsequent off-season.

Last year, the team imploded at the mid-season point and Darryl sent Dion Phaneuf and Jokinen packing for a handful of enigmas and a bag of pucks. In a shocking move over the summer, Darryl brought back Jokinen with a two-year contract.

When looking down the road, the Flames are in shambles personnel wise as their future talent pool is very shallow. On their current roster, there are a good number of overpaid veterans that Feaster will have a hard time getting rid of.

In today’s press conference, Feaster showed some faith in Brent Sutter as the coach going forward. To be honest, I’d be shocked if he’s the bench boss next season, especially if the team can’t turn things around in the second half.

Once the season is over, Feaster will have his work cut out for him. If Iginla is still with the club by then, the new Flames GM must ponder whether to trade the captain and begin the rebuilding process. At this point, you can throw Miikka Kiprusoff and Robyn Regehr into that mix, too. If they wish to start the rebuilding process, trading those two – while they still have value – and gathering prospects should top the list.

Feaster was hired as the assistant general manager this past summer, which signaled the beginning of the end for Darryl Sutter. Feaster won a Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay and was ultimately forced out there by the crazy ownership a couple years ago.

I wouldn’t expect much to change in Calgary until the season ends; that’s when things will get very interesting in Cowtown.

Photo credit: Calgary Herald