from Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald,

Ever wonder what National Hockey League general managers discuss when they get together and stand around the water cooler?

More or less, it’s similar to the banter usually taking place around any office water cooler — last night’s game, the NHL playoff race, and hotshot players.

So when first-year GM Brad Treliving sauntered up and started talking casually at the three-day long NHL general manager get-together in Boca Raton, Fla., he was pleased to hear the league-wide impression of the Calgary Flames.

“It’s nice,” Treliving was saying over the phone Friday, a few days after things wrapped up. “Guys were really complimentary of where the team is at and how they compete on a nightly basis. People were saying it’s a tough outing, Calgary is a tough (opponent). Those things are nice to hear. So, we’re starting to establish an identity as a team.”...

“Our goal in the next two and a half or three weeks is to get into the playoffs,” Treliving said. “You spend a lot of time with (the other GM’s at the meetings) and you talk not only on the agenda items, but everyone is talking about their situation and you’re talking to other teams about their situations.

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