Following a surprise run to the playoffs in 2014-15, the Calgary Flames regressed this season, failing to qualify for the playoffs and plummeting two spots to the No. 6 selection in June's draft as a result of Saturday's draft lottery.
After winning the 2015 Jack Adams Award for leading Calgary to the postseason, head coach Bob Hartley was fired Tuesday and now Flames brass is focused on turning the page.
Team president Brian Burke and general manager Brad Treliving share a familiar vision for the Flames.
As a guest on Sportsnet's "Prime Time Sports," Burke spoke on behalf of Treliving to outline their ideas for the team.
"He wants a physical team," Burke told Bob McCown and John Shannon. "A big, aggressive team. And a truculent team. I hate to use that term because it'll make everyone laugh but our vision is that we want that kind of team. We like that kind of hockey. Our fans like it and we think it's essential to winning in the West."
Truculence, of course, is a staple of Burke's lexicon. It was his vision for the Maple Leafs during his tenure as GM in Toronto, but the dream never came to fruition.
That could change in Calgary.
"We want to be a black and blue team," Burke continued. "A top six, bottom six type (of) team that likes it rough. A puck possession team. So plenty of skill in the top six. We think we have that core group here."
Calgary has skilled core pieces to build around up front in Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, but shoddy goaltending hindered the Flames all season long. Burke believes size was just as much of a factor in his club's struggles.
"We think puck possession is hard to come by and we prefer puck possession play to what we played, which was chip it in and go get it," he said. "We didn't have a big enough team to back it up."
A busy offseason lies ahead for Burke and Treliving, as the coaching market continues to grow and the draft approaches.
