Sutter?

Is Darryl Sutter the next head coach of the Flames? @DamoSpin thinks it’s a perfect fit: https://t.co/hxDwXGgco0 pic.twitter.com/CXuPcIVeOE

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 10, 2016

So this came through my Twitter feed the other day and I read it, let it marinate, thought about it some more and am now ready to address it. Let's be clear: there is no link to the Flames and Sutter. Damien Cox of Sportsnet is playing the "What If" game and why not? It's the off season in Calgary and they are looking for a coach. Would Darryl Sutter be the best choice for the Flames next head coach? We all know Darryl had a great run with the Flames from 2002-2006, getting them to the Cup Finals in '04, but is a retread coach what the Flames need? And furthermore, would he even be interested in a return to the Stampede City?

Darryl Sutter has won 2 Cups in the last 4 years with the Kings. He’s going to get PAID in LA if he chooses to stay, oh and he has this kid named Jonathan Quick. I’m not going to be the wet blanket on a “what if” piece, but I don’t see Calgary going in that direction or Sutter for that matter. That’s not saying I don’t like the idea, but I just don’t see how it would happen. Sutter has had a great run with the Kings. He’s 186-112 and owns two Stanley Cups in his 5 years in LA. And let’s not pretend that the Kings are some dumpster fire of a team that is ready to rebuild. LA has pieces and more importantly a true #1 goal tender in Jonathan Quick. Who does he have waiting in the pipes in Calgary if for some reason this scenario were to happen? Still waiting….exactly, no one. Having a stud goal tender is huge in the NHL. Are they as important as say a franchise QB in the NFL? I’d argue they are almost as important. Look at what happened to the Flames this season when they had no true, #1 stud. Could Sutter find one? Sure. He fleeced San Jose for a relatively unknown backup named Miikka Kiprusoff when he got to Calgary, but those kinds of trades are a rarity.

If the Flames were to sign a "proven" commodity as a head coach, Sutter would be a good choice. He's a proven winner and he knows the city and it's fans. It's not like he'd be walking in to a foreign locker room or building. Yes, the front office and players have changed, but the "C" on the jersey is still the same. Sutter would have a very talented team to start with, but he'd need a goal tender and this rebuild would have to turn into a playoff run quickly. Could it happen with him on the bench, sure, anything is possible. However, I just don't see him coming into a continuing rebuild, where he has no true goalie and he could make a good chunk of change where he currently is and just reload.

Would I be open to Darryl Sutter coming back to the 'Dome and leading the Flames as their head coach, sure. Do I think it will happen? Probably not.

What do you think? Vote in our poll below.

by Mark Parkinson