Ward wasn't "the right fit" for Flames' AHL team

Neither head coach Troy Ward nor assistant coach Robbie Ftorek had his contract renewed by the Calgary Flames for the organization's AHL affiliate.

The Calgary Sun notes Brian Burke had actually indicated after the season the Flames would approach Ward about a new contract, but Ward explains how things changed with new GM Brad Treliving on board.

“In this business, after being in it for a while, the one thing you understand as a coach is you hope to have a contract, but you never do until you sign on the dotted line,” Ward said. “I certainly respected Brian’s comments and had a good initial meeting with Brad, and he was very complimentary about where I was in the organization and how I did. But in the end, Brad had to make a decision about what he felt was the best move going forward. That was the decision he made.

“Brad was first class through the whole thing. As a new employee to the Flames, I thought he was really classy and very truthful with me. I’ll let what he said remain between the two of us, but he was really, really complimentary. But it was a fit thing — that’s the words he used — ‘the right fit.’

“Sometimes in this business, it becomes about the fit. It doesn’t mean I’m not qualified. He’s a new guy, and he has to find the right fit for the group of coaches, and how it’s put together. Things didn’t work in my favour, but he was really classy, wished me well and wants to help me get a new job.”

Source: Randy Sportak, Calgary Sun