Calgary Flames in contract talks with Ryan Huska: report
The Calgary Flames have begun the initial stages of working out a contract extension with head coach Ryan Huska.
Huska is set to enter his third season as the head coach of the Flames after taking over the role shortly after the 2022-23 campaign. He had spent five seasons as an assistant for the Flames prior to the promotion.
Though the 50-year-old has been unable to guide his team to the playoffs, his defensive-minded system saw the Flames miss the postseason by just a single point in 2024-25, a season in which they were projected to finish near the bottom of the NHL standings.
Thanks in large part to the impressive season, as well as his development alongside some of the organization’s young talent, including Matt Coronato and Connor Zary, Flames management is hoping to get Huska signed to an extension.
“Ryan Huska, the head coach of the Calgary Flames, [and] Kris Knoblauch of the Edmonton Oilers, are both entering the final year of their contracts,” TSN’s Darren Dreger said on Tuesday’s edition of Insider Trading. “They’re in the very early discussions on both fronts, but no formal contract offers have been made by either club.”
In the 164 games under his guidance, the Flames have amassed a record of 79-67-20. A significant determining factor in whether Huska will receive an extension will likely be how his team performs this season, although expectations, at least externally, are once again quite low.
Though it doesn’t sound like the Flames are in a major rush to get things done, this report from Dreger suggests that GM Craig Conroy and the rest of his staff are quite pleased with the job Huska has done to date. Fans should expect to hear more about his future in the coming months.