Calgary Flames Reportedly Remove Darryl Sutter as Head Coach

According to a report from Frank Seravalli on Monday, the Calgary Flames are moving on from head coach Darryl Sutter. Seravalli tweeted, the Flames “are moving on from coach Darryl Sutter. Sutter’s two-year contract extension was set to kick in on July 1.” Elliotte Friedman added, “Still working on details, but there is word today that Calgary will be making a coaching change.”

As per Pierre LeBrun, the Flames will owe Sutter his two-year extension which kicks in next season. Pays him around $4 million a year.

Sources tell @DailyFaceoff the #Flames are moving on from coach Darryl Sutter.

Sutter's two-year contract extension was set to kick in on July 1.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 1, 2023

Back in March, Friedman spoke of the issues between the Flames players and Sutter on his 32 Thoughts Podcast. During that segment, Sutter has come under fire for being the one to stick around as GM Brad Treliving’s job with the team was anything but secure. When it turned out that Treliving chose to move on and Sutter was likely staying, that really ruffled feathers in the dressing room where some key players were coming up on some important career decisions. The belief was that many had openly voiced their frustrations with Sutter as a coach and made it clear they would be unlikely to return if he was still the coach.

Friedman noted, “I’ve heard that Kadri’s been very vocal about what he sees going on in Calgary and why they aren’t firing on all cylinders.” Elias Lindholm was among those who voiced concerns and suggested he might not be back. And, of course, the struggles with Jonathan Huberdeau and others were front and center, especially knowing these players weren’t going anywhere and needed to be a productive part of the team’s future.

The concerns were also what would happen if a new GM was hired and that person wanted to bring in a new coach. Would they not have the power to hire who they wanted, simply because ownership wasn’t ready to throw out the final two seasons on Sutter’s deal?

It appears the Flames have bitten the bullet on this one and said Sutter has to go. For the betterment of the team long-term and in an attempt to salvage what’s left of the positive culture still in the room, it was time for a new bench boss.

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