The NHL news of the day: Bob Hartley has been fired as the coach of the Calgary Flames.
The move seems like a bit of a jab at us Canucks fans after Hartley so thoroughly outmaneuvered Willie Desjardins in the 2015 playoffs, but don't forget that Hartley was the Jack Adams winner as coach of the year for 2014-15—and that award was voted before the beginning of the playoffs.
Hartley's dismissal comes just a few days after Bruce Boudreau came on the market after being relieved of his duties in Anaheim. Given the Flames' defensive challenges during the Hartley regime, some are wondering if there's a connection between the two moves, but the official party line is "no."
Hartley joined the Flames at the beginning of the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, so he predates both team president Brian Burke (hired in September of 2013) and GM Brad Treliving (hired in April of 2014).
The Flames' braintrust will now have the opportunity to choose its own coach, though I expect it will be at least a few weeks before an announcement is made. Treliving is co-GM of Team Canada at the upcoming World Championships, so he should have a full plate for the next few weeks over in Russia.
Interestingly, his Team Canada coaching staff includes two men who are on the job market. Dave Cameron, formerly of Ottawa, and Mike Yeo, formerly of Minnesota, are working as assistants to head coach Bill Peters.
As more coaching opportunities open up around the NHL, that could mean more job opportunities for Travis Green.
As of today, jobs are available in Ottawa, Anaheim and Calgary—and possibly Minnesota, where John Torchetti still holds the "interim" title.
More on Drake Caggiula
At
The Province,
Ben Kuzma has an interview with North Dakota assistant coach (and former Canuck) Dane Jackson about this week's hot free agent, Brock Boeser's college linemate Drake Caggiula.
Though Caggiula is listed at just 5'10" and 180 pounds and was never drafted, Kuzma indicates that nine NHL teams, including the Canucks, have been courting the feisty forward, whose game draws comparisons to Brad Marchand of Boston or Andrew Shaw of Chicago.
Jackson says Caggiula has a "heaviness" and a "fearlessness" in his game.
He actually got hurt this year hitting another guy and we had to tell him to be smart as a top scorer and at the next level, it’s not going to be his game running around and hammering guys. But he’s got that mentality and there are no worries about his compete level and willingness to go to hard areas. He’ll need time to develop, but he has a lot of tools. I’ve been here 10 years and have seen a lot of guys come and go and he’s right up there with the ability to make the jump. I don’t want to oversell him, but a team is going to get a real good prospect.
Here's how Jim Benning says he presented the opportunity for Caggiula here in Vancouver:
“I’m confident in that we were straight up with him and he understands the depth of our prospect pool on the left side and he had good chemistry playing with Boeser,” said Benning. “We can offer as much as other teams on the path to the NHL. Our conviction to work with kids and develop them went over well.”
Benning also shone a little light on the thought process that went into signing college free-agent goaltender Michael Garteig, whose future position in the Canucks organization remains a bit unclear.
Benning said that Garteig was eager to sign with the Canucks, though he also attracted interest from other teams. The future of free agent Joe Cannata sounds like it'll play a big part in determining where Garteig ends up playing.
“We’ve had him to development camps, so we know him as a person. He’s kind of been an underdog, but everywhere he played he won. He gives us depth and covers us if Cannata decides to sign somewhere else. But he had a good year and we have to decide what we might want to do with him.”
Vancouver Giants Moving to Langley
To wrap up today, a WHL note. The Vancouver Giants held a press conference on Tuesday to announce that, as expected, they'll be shifting their base of operations to the Langley Events Centre in the City of Langley starting next season.
Capacity at the new rink is listed at 5,276, which will create a much more intimate hockey experience than the big old Pacific Coliseum.
The team will keep its name, and will still return to the Coliseum for the annual Teddy Bear Toss, which typically attracts more than 10,000 fans.
The Giants finished last in the WHL's Western Conference in 2015-16 with a 23-40-5-4 record. They're still looking for replacements for general manager Scott Bonner, who announced his resignation in January, and head coach Lorne Molleken, who was fired with two games left in the regular season. So—it really is as good a time as any to make a fresh start.
As a result of this move, the Junior A Langley Rivermen of the BCHL will be relocating to the George Preston Recreation Centre in the Township of Langley.
Possibly the most exciting note to come out this press conference—the prospect of another round of World Juniors in our city!
If they win the bid, the Giants will host the gold-medal game at the Coliseum in 2019, and Edmonton will host in its new rink in 2020.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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