Flames seeking f ire-tested coach

stint coaching Rockford of the AHL.

As assistant’s job with Detroit led to his four-year stint running the Hurricanes.

The knock on him will be that he has no playoff experience as an NHL head coach, as the perennially undermanned ’Canes have yet to qualify for the post-season under him. His team also faded down the stretch this year, just like the Flames.

Hurricanes president Don Waddell said several teams have asked for permission to speak to Peters, who has until Friday to opt out of the final year of a deal paying him US$1.6 million.

He’s big on possession analytics, which is something Treliving believes strongly in.

He is said to have a strong desire to return to Alberta where he has spent so much of his life. Peters has never been afraid to call out players, which is something that could go a long way in Calgary.

He is the head coach of Canada’s world championship team this month, so rumours will increase if Treliving flies to Denmark to see the tourney. his eight years in Calgary ended in 2010, the 59-yearold resident of Viking, Alta., certainly ticks several boxes in terms of what the Flames need.

A taskmaster who immediately commands the attention of every team he’s taken over, Sutter wouldn’t put up with the handful of players on the Flames roster who aren’t in tune with the notion of trying to out-will opponents with whatever it takes to win.

He wouldn’t come cheap, but Treliving insists ownership has not constricted him in terms of a coaching budget.

Sutter told me last summer he’d consider returning to coaching “if the situation was right.”

Misty-eyed Flames fans remember him as a great coach (but a poor GM) who dragged the Flames to the 2004 Cup final.

He was the last coach in Calgary to establish an identity for the team, compiling a 107-73-15-15 record as a tough, relentless and physical team nobody liked to play against.

However, today’s game is no longer about brawn, but speed. 28-point improvement from the previous year.

He made a similar impact in Dallas when he started a six-year stint there by improving the Stars’ fortunes by 21 points his first year.

That’s the sort of shot in the arm the Flames are looking for.

A longtime NHL player and Olympian, Tippett, 56, has 14 years of NHL head coaching experience, winning three division titles and twice getting to the conference finals.

NHL record: 648-435-3598

Another Jack Adams Award winner who has won two Presidents Trophy and made two appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, Vigneault is armed with plenty of experience.

Recently relieved by the New York Rangers, the price tag for the former Canucks and Canadiens coach would be high.

With 20 years experience in the NHL, he has made the playoffs nine of the last 10 years.

NHL record: 736-554-78125

He spent 15 years squeezing everything he could out of the Sabres before moving onto Dallas for four more seasons.

Sixth all-time in NHL coaching wins, he was a Jack Adams winner in 2006. The 58-year-old has won three division titles and lost in the Stanley Cup final once.