A problem the Flames had in 2016-17? They took too many penalties. A problem they had in 2017-18? They took too many penalties. A problem they might be having at times this preseason? … Well, penalties.
Over Glen Gulutzan’s tenure as Calgary’s head coach, the Flames were among the league leaders in penalty minutes: in 2016-17 they led the NHL in both minor penalties taken and total penalty minutes, and in 2017-18 they were fourth in minor penalties, and second league-wide in total penalty minutes. While we likely can’t attribute this entirely to Gulutzan, you have to go all the way back to the 2009-10 season to find another year in which the Flames were in the upper half of the NHL in terms of penalty minutes.