Calgary Flames: Power Play Coach Dave Cameron Needs To Go

The Calgary Flames are now 1-4-1 and have the worst power play success rate in the entire league. Something needs to change and people need to go.

The Calgary Flames have now gone 22 power plays without registering a goal and it’s taking a toll on the team. In the game against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night, they had two power plays in the third period where they had some good chances, but alas, no scoring happened. If they had scored on maybe even just one power play throughout the game, they could have potentially won. Not only by getting the one extra goal to tie the game, but if it was early on, the momentum of the game could have been different.

So what needs to change?

Who’s coaching the power play?

For starters, we should look at who’s behind the power play. Assistant coach Dave Cameron was hired in the off season to be the Calgary Flames’ power play coach. But something leaves me a little baffled as to why Brad Treliving would hire Cameron in the first place.

In his last two seasons with the Ottawa Senators as the head coach, the power play gave them some difficulties as well. The last two seasons, they ranked 21st and 26th on the power play, respectively. Each year, that was worse than the Flames position in the league for their power play numbers. So probably not wise to hire him as the power play coach.

On only Pierre Dorion’s third day as the Senators GM, he gave the boot to Cameron. He pretty much just gave a list of everything Cameron was doing wrong and showed he means business.

Oct 31, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators head coach Dave Cameron speaks with referee Steve Kozari (40) in the third period at Canadian Tire Centre. The Red Wings defeated the Senators 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Cameron, working alongside head coach Glen Gulutzan, are making interesting pairings. For tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, many fans don’t agree with some lineup changes they decided on.

Burke and Treliving are going to give the boot

For the last decade, we know that the Calgary Flames don’t typically like to make coaching changes mid season. That being said, if the Flames continue to play as poorly as they are right now, something’s going to change come end of November, mark my words. If the Flames power play continues to do poorly for the next couple weeks here, GM Brad Treliving and President Brian Burke are going to have some things to say about that.

We know that Burke is a very outspoken man. He says what he thinks no matter how harsh. That’s why Cameron has no job security right now. If he’s not gone mid season he’ll most likely be gone at the end of this season, even if he gets these pp numbers up somehow.

Look at former coach Bob Hartley for example. After a couple of slow seasons under Hartley, Flames managed to finally make playoffs in the 2014-2015 season and Hartley won the Jack Adams trophy that year. The following season, Flames weren’t able to make playoffs and Hartley got let go by the organization. It doesn’t happen often that a coach gets fired the year after he wins the coach of the year award, but hey, anything is possible.

It’s still super early in the season. Flames have the opportunity to turn all of their numbers around.

But something needs to change.