SportsHockeyFlames

MacKenzie Weegar has nothing but praise for Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
May 22 2026, 9:11 pm
MacKenzie Weegar has nothing but praise for Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy
Rob Gray/Imagn Images

Calgary Flames fans are quite impressed with the job Craig Conroy has done since being named GM.

The organization has opted for a rebuild approach under Conroy and is quickly stockpiling plenty of assets in the form of prospects and draft picks to help build for the future.

And, while Conroy has done an excellent job from a transactions perspective, it’s his communication with his players behind the scenes that is quickly turning Calgary into an attractive destination for others around the league.

We’ve heard from several Flames players, both past and current, about how well Conroy treats everybody within the organization. The most recent to do so was MacKenzie Weegar.

The 32-year-old was dealt in a rather surprising move to the Utah Mammoth at the trade deadline. After taking some time to think things over, the veteran defenceman agreed to waive his no-trade clause.

Despite admitting at the time that he was somewhat caught off guard by the move, Weegar still has nothing but positive things to say about Conroy.

“He’s a great guy. He’s super honest, he communicates the right way,” Weegar said on the Missin Curfew Podcast.

The 2025-26 season wasn’t very kind to Weegar, as he struggled immensely up until the trade occurred. He admitted that while the deal did catch him off guard, he was starting to see signs that something could go down.

“The team didn’t start very well at the beginning of the year, and my game didn’t start very well at the beginning of the year,” Weegar said. “It was tough. I wanted to play better for the team, and then seeing the team go in the direction it was going, I could sort of start seeing the writing on the wall a little bit.”

The trade seems to have benefitted both parties, as the Flames received three draft picks, along with defenceman Olli Maatta and forward prospect Jonathan Castagna. As for the Mammoth, who are much closer to being a Stanley Cup contender, they were able to add a top-four defenceman in Weegar, who still has five seasons remaining on his contract.

ADVERTISEMENT