Following the 2015-16 season, it became evident the Flames needed a new coach. It wasn't just because they had been in the playoffs the year before, and failed to make it this past season - it was because Bob Hartley, who had been hired under the previous regime before the lockout in 2012, had taken the Flames as far as he could.
There was a semblance of year-to-year growth as Hartley inherited a suddenly-rebuilding team, and the futures of the franchise - the Sean Monahans, the Johnny Gaudreaus - learned how to play under him. But without overall notable improvement, it was time to move on.