A lot of things went wrong for the Flames in 2017-18, but the league’s third worst powerplay, sitting at a paltry 16.0%, was chief among them.
So, Geoff Ward to the rescue? The Flames’ new assistant coach is known as a powerplay guy, and if he can right that particular ship, the 2018-19 season could turn out much better from that alone.
Ward has been an assistant coach in the NHL for 10 seasons now, splitting his time between Boston and New Jersey, without working in the NHL during the 2014-15 season. Granted, there are always other factors involved – player personnel, other coaching decisions, just plain ol’ luck – but here’s how his teams’ powerplays performed each year.