Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Something’s Up… Craig Conroy Still Has NO Contract Extension?? Ft. TSN's Noodles | BB Clips

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

Boomer, Pinder and Rhett are joined by TSN’s Jamie “Noodles” McLennan to break down one of the more under-the-radar storylines of the season: the future of Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy. With Conroy now in the final year of the three-year deal he signed in May 2023, and head coach Ryan Huska already locked into a new two-year extension, the guys ask why Conroy hasn’t signed his own deal yet, whether he deserves one, and what it means for the direction of the Flames moving forward.VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/IXREeo25-nI#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #calgaryflames CHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I know what your answer is going to be, but I read an interesting article from our Flames Nation reporter. Yes. Bob Germany about the fact that Conroy doesn't have a contract. What's up with that is kind of the point he was making? What is up with that? Coach got an extension. I mean, he would have been the first guy I signed.

You know, he's architect here, kind of a retool. You know, I've liked his moves. He's been patient. He's been on top. He's handed a pile of muck. I was going to say it's seven years. I was kind of talking to this isn't really even his team yet. No.

In many ways, this is still the remnants of Trillivings team. This is the beginning of his team. They're not doing it. His draft picks are just starting to come in. His trades. Now again, you can say what you want about Sharon Govich and whether that's worked or whatever. But I still think that we haven't had a chance to see what Conroy's team looks like. Yeah, I think of the Lindholm deal.

Okay. Let him talk. Gridden and Bristevich are the two guys he got. Neither of them are here yet, and they're looking good. Yeah, no, you're right. These are great points because, you know, the moves that Connie have made, it was almost gunned to his head too, right? You know, like these type of deals, Lynn Holm, like you've got to figure out,

does your player, now he's, he might have a gun to his head, I don't know, but with Raspis Anderson. Are you signing him, or are you going to move him or what are you doing, right? Like that type of stuff. But Connie, it's Connie's job to maximize what you get back. and what you do with that currency. Go ahead, Ray. So if you are the owner looking and watching,

and you know the owner, and I don't think he wants a, nobody wants a Buffalo thing. And I don't think, the Buffalo thing is record setting. So I don't think that a reset has to be Buffalo. But he clearly is never and doesn't want that sort of thing. If you're Mr. Ed,

what is your analysis of what Conra has done? Has he gotten enough in the trades? Is he, right? Like whether or not the team sucks this year. They're not doing well. And Mr. Edwards is the owner might want the team to do better. But that's almost irrelevant probably when you're watching Conroy or when you're in that position, you're looking down going, okay, have the trades turned out?

Are the players coming? Do I see a progression here? Is that what's, how would you evaluate what he's done? Well, what I've evaluated is a lot what Pinder was saying. like what have you gotten back? What are you doing with your draft picks? How are you developing these players? And, you know, what is, I always try to step back and go,

what's your immediate plan, your one year plan, your three year plan, your five year plan. What do you see? Who do you see involved? Like, that's the crazy part. You could look at, again, we always talk about the whiteboard. You could lay a lot of players on that whiteboard. I could ask the four of us, how many players from the country? how many players from the current roster do you think five years from now would be on your whiteboard?

Yeah, it's not like three or four, right? Zeri Coronado, Wolf and maybe Ball, yeah. Right. So all should be, but he ain't playing. Hubert O2, but yeah. But what I'm saying is, and those are players that, you know, Connie is either acquired or signed long term. Like he, it's not like he has signed a bunch of guys and is stuck with all. these contracts. He has, he's working on flexibility. And flexibility is in, it's an asset. It's an

asset in today's world, cap flexibility and, and, and having the ability to move players in and out. So you look at it, how do you achieve it? Like you're getting a new building soon. You want, you want to be competitive with that new building. You're selling tickets. You get people fired up. There might be some short-term pain. I don't believe the Calgary Flames are just going to open, a door and wave a white flag and go, hey, we're rebuilding and don't even bother showing up. They've got to sell tickets. They've still have a product on ice. And keep in mind, I've talked about this, I feel like weekly with you guys.

When I'm in that room, I'm trying to win every night. Wret, you've been in that room where I was in that room in 01 when we were trying to win and we weren't very good. But like the players are trying to win. The manager is trying to build a winner. The fan base is allowed to judge whatever they can and, you know, whatever they want to do. same with the media. But I look at it.

I think Connie, if you ask me, and that's a long version, but I think he's done a very good job with what he's been handed. And it's still, to Boomer's point, a work in progress. So I want to give him the bandwidth. I'm shocked. You told me that? I'm shocked. He doesn't have a deal.

I'm actually got he didn't have a deal. Because in my mind, I assumed he, I assumed he signed when Huska extended as well. But I forgot that he did. And look, if this was an organization, that went out and hired established top of the market GMs, maybe you could build a case. But every time they go shopping for a GM, it's someone that's way out of the loop re-tread or somebody's first time where they make mistakes. I would be absolutely furious if Connie doesn't get an extension because they haven't paid for GMs. Yeah. But I think he's done a good job too.

You agree. Yeah. If you sat there and go, my God, like we've got a disaster on her hand. And again, I'm not here to fire bullets, but Kevin Adams, I don't know in Buffalo if he's done a good job or if he inherited a mess or it's a combination of both or the owner got involved. He's being there long enough that his decisions are his decisions. Saying it without saying it. Like that's where it's like if they decided to move on, you go, oh, I get it. 14 years, no playoffs. Traded away players that went on to win cups and do all these things that could have been

in your wheelhouse. Yep. That's not the case here with Connie. The one thing that I've really been impressed with Connie is he's built like a culture and a program there. And guys, you know, you don't see a lot of guys throwing their hands up and going, I got to get out of here. You know, there's contract status.

I get that situation. But it's not like. For conversation's sake, can I just interrupt you? Is there another side to it, though? Because let's not get ourselves. We're very biased. We love Connie. And we want him back.

I do believe in what he's doing. But, on the other hand, Rasmus Anderson, do you think he could have got, I mean, we don't know what we're going to get for him, but is that you allowed him to come back, he's not signed, and you could have traded him last year. We're assuming for more than you'll be able to trade him for this year. Right. We're expecting a huge ransom for all these guys. Have they been as good as what you, like, have the returns been as good as, or do we have a bias? Well, okay, so the only thing you could go back to and you just jog something in my name. Kevin Ball, five and a half. Is that good? Because he ain't playing worth five and a half right now.

Well, that comes back to Markstrom. You know, could you, when did you trade him? Did you trade him at the right time or did you trade him when you could? Keep in mind, the player controls a lot of this. Yeah, he kiboshed it earlier. And you got a ratione in that deal too. Don't forget that. That's the first trim. I'm just, yeah, all of it. See, this is why I need pin. because he's like the voice of...

You can have them. They hate it, but I do know who was traded for who. That's right. So this is why I need him to go, oh, by the way, that's not a complete trade because of this, X, Y, and Z. The tricky thing is you never know... You need five years. That's the problem.

You don't know what the players are going to be, and you don't know what deals were made. Like, we're led to believe there was a great deal with the L.A. Kings for Rasmus Anderson, but Anderson wasn't going to sign an extension. So, okay, that doesn't happen. We don't know what the offers were for Anderson last year at the deadline. don't know what the offers were for Markstrom. We can judge the deals that were made. Right.

But you never, well, what an idiot. You could have had way more. You could have it. But Edwards would know what was available. Yeah. It didn't sound like they shopped Erasmus last year. They were, there was too worried about it. They were too close to make here.

This group has earned the right to do it. And you're like, okay, so that is the feel good human element of not doing the trade. You always say you have to be a psychopath to be a G. Yes. The absolute asset management piece, it was a failed because you're not talking about an extension of the dead on last year. You're not allowed to sign one. It was a non-issue. So you would have, and you watch the Leafs go to Calvary and try to get asked him, can't do it, and then give a top prospect and a first of Brandon Carlo, I think at the time was an inferior player.

Like, I think there was a hall for him. Yeah. No, you're right. The word is sociopath. Psychopaths for goaltenders. Sorry. Yeah. Run path.

Helmetless goal tenders. But you're right. Like that's the, you get what you get, what the marketplace says at that time. Connie's getting paid a lot of money to figure out what is the sweet spot for Player X. Okay. Now, the only thing we don't know and we never will know is what is the messaging from above. Is Murray saying, like you said, Pender, keep the, you know, keep the band together. They've earned the right.

Okay, so maybe Connie had something in the offseason from a manager going, hey, I'll give you a King's Ransom for Player X. While he's not available because we're, you know, the directive from above is this. So, you know, comes back to what Boomer's saying. It's like, we will never know, you know, if he could have got more for Markstrom because we don't know when Connie pulled the deal. It was the right time to pull the deal. So that's what the maximum he could do.

Markstrom want to go to New Jersey. New Jersey was willing to give this, X, Y, and Z. and that's it. So that's the deal you get. With Anderson, it seems like there might be a few pressure points. It might be right now with teams that are struggling going, I need this guy sooner than later. It might be, again, as I brought up Connie's name with Doug Armstrong's name and Barry Trots' name,

it might be, you know, Kent Hughes is calling right, right, I need help right now. Because my team needs help right now. What are you willing to, you know, if this player's, willing to go, here's what I'm willing to give you. But, you know, Connie, I've said it all along. Connie has the, and Doug Armstrong and Barry Trots have the luxury of time to try and build the market for their players. Because if they believe that their season is not what it's going to be, then you're open for business and you maximize what you get coming back. And that comes back to, has Connie done a good enough job with the draft picks and putting a stamp on this team? I

say yes, but that's why I'm shocked he doesn't have a deal. I'm surprised too. I think that's the general consensus that it's a little confusing. It has been kind of how the team has done business though. There's been a lot. It's a staff, coaches, management where guys go into the last year of their deal

without extensions and they play them out and then I just remember Ken King would always talk. We're going to have a full evaluation at the season's end. Everyone's being paid. Everyone's everyone has a contract. No one's here. It's like, okay. I mean, that That is all true, but you also, there's a way to treat people in the first class organization and leaving families swinging in the wind with one month left on their contract.

You can treat people better than that if you know better what they do. Agreed, especially if you believe that that person or player is staying. Right. That's the other thing. It's like, I will say, you know, for all of Daryl's warts, Daryl was a guy when he was a manager was like, I want you, you know, I want you in my organization. Let's figure out how to make it work. That's it. Like he, there was no messing around, no mind games.

It was like, you know, we got to figure out a price point. Darry was great to me. I remember he was going to sign me back. And we had negotiated a price. And he said, hold on a couple weeks. He goes, I might be able to get you 25 extra grand. Like I, I've never had a manager do that. Yeah.

You know, it was like, you know, I can't remember what I made. Murray is furious right now. I think I'd have said that. But if he had a budget to work with, meaning he might have been able to move some money around and got somebody a little cheaper and found. So Murray wouldn't be mad at that. Darrell hit a budget.

It's more about how he allocated the money. So my point being is like, I don't know, you know, comes back to what you're saying, Pinder. Like, how you treat people. Here's the other thing. Craig Conroy, if he doesn't have a contract next year, there'll be other teams looking at. at him. Like he's, you know,

Huffalo. Exactly. Like there's other teams that their manager position might come up and go, I like that guy. You know, he's a forward-thinking guy. I like what he's done with what, you know, what's happening. The New York Hockey Hall of Fame. He's a picture on the wall. The thing that he's done best that he doesn't get credit for in the just the big market because it's way too zoomed in is the last two draft classes have been exceptional

that he's had. And I know what's early in these kids haven't arrived. It doesn't mean they're all going to make it. but when you talk to the scouting community and you talk to the analytics nerds, these guys are all way ahead of their brethren in those same rounds. That is,

and that's the hardest thing you get credit for because Merk can be like, yeah, I haven't seen any on the roster. I think the other thing too, and not to jump on you, but the other thing he's done to, and I know we kind of worried about it,

just as observers, but when you come in as a GM, I think sometimes the easy thing is, oh, just, we're just going to sign him. He didn't sign Elias Lindholm. He didn't sign Noah Hanifan. Like he didn't,

he didn't take the easy, route with because there was a lot of business for him to make and he did not have the hammer in any of those deals really it was him over there he had all these ufas and all of this i think he's done a good job in terms and he july first has been a non-issue he signed mat the last year no whatever no no harm no foul did nothing this year yeah the the trade he made last year for frost and ferreby you know it hasn't been a home run but that was an easy deal to make you got a young center you got some young guys you had cap space kuzmanko was what he was wasn't home run for philly either yeah because i i don't know i just think when you and this trade well can we eat some money

we don't know what if they can eat money because that was the thing with the marxstrom deal it felt like if if the team was going to eat some money some salary and they ended up doing it but i like you say it's so hard to know on on just on the surface yeah but i you know like how to judge it i'm shocked he doesn't have a deal. I'm, yeah. No, for sure, yeah. You know, but it, maybe it is, maybe it has been worked on behind the scenes we don't know. Might be a non-issue. Yeah, it might be just a, you know, it's sitting on his desk and he hasn't gotten around to it. I don't know. But I just, I look at it. It's funny because I, I think, I'm excited about the flame's future. I know there's pain, but I look at it and I go, there's, there's real opportunity. And, you know,

Pender, you talked about infusing young players into the lineup, allowing guys to kind of grow within their own. Getting, you know, if you get a trade, for example, if, if, what's just say that you trade Pasmus and you get a live roster player and a high pick and a prospect, that type of stuff, maybe that live roster player, let's see what he's got and he needs an opportunity to grow. You're a great bank for other teams. You have enough players that contribute can contribute on really good hockey teams where they should be wanting your guys. You should be able to have a massive bank account. And the thing too is like Connie's built a culture where, you know, Calgary is still a destination where it's not a lot. Like I feel like it's not on a lot of

like no fly zones for for other players. Like I still feel like, you know, there's there's, there's teams where you're like, you know, for example, I love Kevin Shevoldeuf. I played with Chevy. I love him the death. We were talking about it. I was in Winnipeg the other day. That guy has had to deal with so many different things. He plays in a market that's on a lot of no trade list just because of Winnipeg and, you know, the temperature, all of that type of stuff. Mosquitoes. Well, mosquitoes are bad. I'll sit inside on that one. But like there's just so many different factors he's had to battle. But you look at, he's drafted, he's developed,

he's been able to keep a lot of the players that play there and love it there because they found a home. That organization was in the crossroads a couple years ago when Shifley and Helibuck came up. Because that could have, those players decided, check please.

All of a sudden, Kyle Connor's going, what am I doing here? You know, and then now Eilers leaves, I get it. But Morrissey's committed. Like they, I look at it. My point being is that Connie's building a culture there. And, you know, it's not a place where people get to and they got to get out of. It's more about, you know, can you be a part of the future and part of the ride?

And he's got to figure out who he wants their long term and who he's going to kind of move in and out along that. Losing sucks. But I think the environment that's built there between the coaches and Conroy, I don't think it's a miserable place. I think the guys like going to work. It just sucks that they're not. And Husk is a great coach.