Flames GM Conroy Opens Up About Markstrom Regret

Craig Conroy has spent the better part of two seasons living with a decision that, in hindsight, he didn't execute the way he wanted to. Nearly two years after trading Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils, the Flames GM is publicly acknowledging that he fumbled the handling of the situation—a rare moment of vulnerability from a front-office figure who typically keeps his cards close.

The timeline reveals the hesitation that plagued the decision. Markstrom trade rumors had been swirling around the Flames organization for months before the 2024 trade deadline. Conroy had multiple opportunities to move him when the market was active, but he held firm, betting that waiting until the offseason would yield better value or more flexibility. Instead, he got neither, and he knows it.

What Conroy is really saying, without saying it directly, is that he second-guessed his instincts at a critical moment and paid for it. The Flames needed to reset their goaltending position, and there was a window to do it from a position of relative strength. By waiting, he effectively gave the market time to cool and robbed himself of negotiating leverage. When he finally moved Markstrom, the deal reflected that lost leverage.

This kind of candor from a general manager is uncommon in professional hockey, where front-office figures typically hide behind phrases like "we made the best decision with the information we had." Conroy's willingness to own the mistake suggests he's either confident enough in his current direction to absorb the hit, or he's learning that silence on regrets doesn't actually make them go away. Either way, it's the kind of acknowledgment that matters in a market like Calgary, where fans watch closely and remember.