Archive for the General Manager Category

Jarmo Kekalainen Announced as Columbus General Manager

By on February 13, 2013

Earlier this morning, John Davidson and the Columbus Blue Jackets announced the hiring of Jarmo Kekalainen as the third General Manager in team history. The news conference was broadcast through the Blue Jackets website, and the message seemed relatively clear and thought through.

Davidson was very complimentary of former GM Scott Howson, talking about Howson’s efforts to bring JD up to speed, his professionalism in the news being shared with him yesterday, and the desire to continue to utilize his hockey knowledge and resources in a different role with the franchise.

Moving to Kekalainen, Davidson provided ample praise. He will become the first European to become General Manager of an National Hockey League team which is both exciting and intriguing at the same time. He is a graduate of Clarkson and has seen a substantial amount of time in the NHL:

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So What Does the Davidson Addition Actually Mean?

By on October 29, 2012

A lot of people have written a lot of things so far on the Blue Jackets’ hiring of John Davidson to be President of Hockey Operations. I’ll leave it to others to discuss how this impacts the fans, what is means to the city, etc. What I can talk about regarding this hire, is how it will impact the team directly.

The first place where Davidson will have a major impact is the culture of the organization. This is something that has been in flux for a while now, and with Rick Nash gone, Davidson can step into the void. He is a proven winner, a respected voice, and has a cult of personality that can dominate the spotlight without making it look like he is trying to dominate the spotlight. This allows the players to play, Howson to manage,  and Richards to coach, without having to be in the public eye as much. When it comes to culture, Davidson’s Blues teams have always been workmanlike teams with a strong veteran presence. That should carry over to Columbus. He will not allow the ‘country club’ culture that has been persistent in the Jackets history to continue.

Davidson will also help greatly with the perception of Columbus around the league. Look at Sergei Kostitsyn’s comments the other day, Marc Crawford’s comments a few months ago, among many other quotes from people in the game of hockey regarding Columbus.  It is incredibly tough to break out of that perception. But it can be done. No one in their right mind would argue that Columbus is a “gloomier” city to live in than Detroit. But Detroit has a reputation around the league as a first class organization and a winner, which trumps the depression that is actually living in Detroit. This is in spite of the fact that Detroit had a fifteen year stretch as the laughingstock of the league, picking up almost as many insulting nicknames (“Dead Wings”) as playoff appearances (two). They brought in respected veteran front office guy Jimmy Devellano from the New York Islanders dynasty, drafted Steve Yzerman (amongst others), and the rest is history. The hire of John Davidson is on par with the Wings hire of Devellano, and with some luck, Ryan Murray could be our Steve Yzerman (not in play, but in personality and impact to the organization). In any case, John Davidson is the first step towards changing the perception of Columbus as the “Island of Misfit Toys”.

In a more direct way, the Blue Jackets will benefit from the additional veteran voice in the decision making process. Columbus has long had one of the smaller front offices in the NHL, and one of the greenest. I have long liked their approach, but more experienced voices have been needed since Don Boyd and Bob Strum were let go last offseason. A veteran like Davidson has seen the ups and downs of many players over the course of his career, and that benefit of that experience is damn near incalculable when trying to properly assess player value. Along with Craig Patrick, Davidson provides the Blue Jackets front office with as much, or more, of this experience than most other franchises currently possess.

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Blue Jackets Off-Season Game Plan

By on June 3, 2012

Rick Nash. The second overall pick. Goaltending. Defensive defenseman. Top six forwards. What do all of these have in common? I have talked about them ad nauseam over the last couple months. They all represent something that will change from the current incarnation of the Blue Jackets, to the team who takes the ice opening night. I’ve probably discussed hundreds of versions of the Nash trade; I’ve written two mock drafts; talked endlessly about Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk, Ryan Murray, Mikhail Grigorenko, et al; I’ve reviewed every UFA goaltenders statistics dozens of times; and spent far too many hours playing with the CapGeek.com Cap Calculator. So I thought I would take all that time and make it useful. I put together the moves I would make if I was running the Blue Jackets, including the Nash trade, who I would take in the draft, what free agents I would sign, and one more surprise trade that I like and I imagine every other Jackets fan will hate.

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It Starts at the Top

By on January 27, 2012

There has been a lot of commotion in #CBJ-land the last few days over the protest to be held at Nationwide Arena this weekend. I’ve mostly stayed quiet on this topic, as the protest seems very absurd to me. Among the problems are the time and location (at a place void of any decision makers or fans on this particular date), as well as the targets of the protest. The protest is aimed at convincing Blue Jackets ownership to fire President Mike Priest and General Manager Scott Howson. The problem is that this will not solve the issues facing the Blue Jackets.

Say what you will about Scott Howson, but I still believe he is a good GM and should oversee the rebuild of the roster. Similarly, I believe Mike Priest may be a competent businessman who is well suited to running a major company. Both have taken a lot of heat for decisions that were made under their command, and rightfully so. However, little attention has been paid to those around Priest and Howson who are supposed to help them with these decisions. In Aaron Portzline’s scathing article the other day, he mentioned the lack of experience in the Columbus front office. He was on the right track, but he did not take this idea far enough.

In my opinion, the relative inexperience of the Blue Jackets hockey operations staff is what has crippled this team on the ice. Many fans have clamoured for a “hockey guy” to take Mike Priest’s role as President. However, the NHL has grown too advanced for most “hockey guys.” There are far too many parts of running a team to put a former General Manager, with no business experience, in charge a multimillion dollar company. For evidence of how this can go wrong, just revisit the Doug MacLean era. The team is still paying for his mistakes, and will be for probably another decade (or at least until Anze Kopitar retires).

No, a businessman like Mike Priest is who should be in charge. However, he needs someone advising him on the hockey side of the team. This is where Craig Patrick should come in. His role should be to advise Priest on hockey matters, and provide Howson with someone to bounce ideas off of. This would provide the President’s office with both the business and hockey know-how. Now I am not familiar enough with Priest’s work to say whether or not he is the right guy for the job, but he is more what is needed as President than someone like Patrick.

As for Howson, I believe the GM of an NHL team in the salary cap era should be someone like Scott Howson. He is a lawyer, who views running a hockey team from an asset management perspective. This is the right approach to long-term success, and has proven so based on the success of many other teams that have taken this approach. The problem is that Howson is relatively inexperienced on the talent evaluation side. Were Howson surrounded with hockey veterans providing opinions based on decades of experience, this would not be a problem. Instead, the Blue Jackets front office is filled with rookies. There are more law degrees in their front office than there are ex-NHL players. Disregarding Craig Patrick and the basic scouts, the other eight members of their hockey operations staff have a combined nine years of pre-Blue Jackets NHL front office experience (seven from Scott Howson) and eight years of scouting experience (all from Paul Castron). The rest of the people that Howson has to lean on for insight received their first NHL front office job from the Blue Jackets.

Matt Wagner at the Cannon compared the dearth of experience in Columbus to the four former GM’s employed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is a good comparison, but what he doesn’t mention is the crux of why these issues are not Priest or Howson’s fault. Money. This all comes down to money. As I mentioned, most of the Blue Jackets front office started out with the Blue Jackets. Howson is a first time GM. Assistant GM Chris MacFarland got his first job in Columbus. Director of Amatuer Scouting Tyler Wright was in player development with the Blue Jackets straight from playing in the NHL, and had never written a single scouting report before this season. Compare those men to Dave Nonis, Rick Dudley and Cliff Fletcher. In terms of hockey knowledge, it’s a landslide in favour of Toronto. That knowledge also costs a hell of a lot more. Just like any business, it is much cheaper to hire someone for their first job than to bring in someone with a wealth of experience. This is where ownership comes in.

Scott Howson and Mike Priest have a budget to work with. How much of that budget is spent on the hockey operations staff comes from Priest and the owners. It’s likely that those three aforementioned Maple Leafs staff members make as much as the entire Blue Jackets hockey operations staff combined. It’s also likely that Scott Howson, as a rookie GM, is one of the lowest paid General Managers in the league. The amount of money spent on hockey operations staff severely handcuffs how much experience Scott Howson can surround himself with. The Blue Jackets are currently operating without a Director of Player Personnel, Director of Pro Scouting or Director of Hockey Operations, positions occupied by hockey veterans in most organizations. Scott Howson is the General Manager and Vice President of Hockey Operations. The Maple Leafs have two Vice Presidents of Hockey Operations, neither of whom are Brian Burke. It would be very simple for the Blue Jackets to hire four hockey veterans, as the Director of Player Personnel, Director of Pro Scouting, Director of Hockey Operations and Vice President of Hockey Operations. Craig Patrick would stay on as Special Advisor, and this new team would provide the advice that Mike Priest and Scott Howson have needed. Only then can we truly judge whether these men are worthy of their positions. If this protest is successful, all that will be accomplished is running two men out of town who will undoubtedly be replaced by similar people, with similar inexperience, and surrounded by a similarly inexperienced hockey operations department. In other words, the problem won’t be solved, just covered in a different coat of paint.

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If I Were Scott Howson, I’d Be Asking One Question

By on January 12, 2012

Since the termination of Scott Arniel a lot of speculation has gone on regarding the job security of Scott Howson, what trades and re-signing he (or his replacement) should make, and the direction of the team in general moving forward. While I’m here to provide some more speculation and opinion, this post actually spawns from conversations with other Blue Jackets fans following the disappointing loss to the Washington Capitals on New Years Eve. One of the first steps of the Jackets new direction was hiring a coach who fit the direction and style of play that the roster necessitates. I had been leaning towards keeping Arniel for the remainder of the season, mostly because there is not an obvious replacement candidate and teams are unlikely to be willing to part with an assistant coach or AHL coach this time of year. However, this move was not the crux of the new direction. The primary problem I see when analyzing the Blue Jackets roster is players playing above their heads.

Looking up and down the Blue Jackets roster, there are a number of recognizable names. Antoine Vermette, R.J. Umberger, James Wisniewski and others have all been solid contributors on very successful teams. The problem isn’t in those players, but in the role they have been asked to play on the Blue Jackets. R.J. Umberger was a great third liner in Philadelphia, but is somewhat overmatched as a top six forward. Same goes for Antoine Vermette during his time in Ottawa. James Wisniewski had a couple great seasons as a second pairing defenseman and powerplay specialist, but was exposed defensively this season when asked to play as a top pairing defenseman. Fedor Tyutin was a good 20 minute a night defenseman in New York, but has often looked overmatched as a 24 minute a night player in Columbus.

This analysis begs the question: where do these players fit on a Stanley Cup contender? While the playoffs is the first step for the Blue Jackets, the ultimate goal has to be the Stanley Cup. For too long now the Jackets have approached player acquisition from a perspective of filling the holes on a roster with players, as opposed to finding the right position for each player. That sounds like semantics, but what else can explain the contracts handed out to Kristian Huselius, Mike Commodore and James Wisniewski? In each situation, the Jackets looked at the roster, saw a hole and acquired someone to fill that hole. Further exacerbating the problem, Huselius, Commodore, Wisniewski, Tyutin, Umberger, Vermette, Brassard and Mason were all signed or extended at a salary that fit them somewhere between where they should be playing and where they played on the Blue Jackets. For example, Fedor Tyutin is not overpaid as a top pairing defenseman, but he should be a second pairing defenseman and makes too much money for that position.

Another complex issue facing the Blue Jackets is the “country club” atmosphere that has been referenced by other bloggers, as well as ex-player Anson Carter and current player Vinny Prospal. I think there is really only one solution to solve this problem: trade Rick Nash. This has been an ongoing issue for years. The team has changed presidents, general managers, coaches, players, goaltenders, and still had a relaxed atmosphere. Even worse, this atmosphere existed under  Ken Hitchcock and Scott Arniel, two of the hard-assiest coaches out there. Hitchcock is renowned for it, but Arniel is also a tough customer. Question: has anyone ever seen Arniel smile? Exactly. In my experience, teams take their cues from their best players. Nash has been inconsistently lazy, and has made every single Blue Jackets fan aware of the term “maintenance day.” On the other hand, Rick Nash provides the team with a superstar player and a face for the team. To trade him, someone of similar caliber must come back.

With these thoughts in mind, I ran through the Blue Jackets roster and came up with a proposed lineup for the beginning of the 2012-13 season. The number one question I asked myself regarding each Blue Jacket: “Where does this player fit on a Cup contender?” Without further ado, my dream lineup for the next Blue Jackets:

Bobby Ryan – Jeff Carter – Ryan Johansen
Nail Yakupov – Derick Brassard – Dustin Brown
Matt Calvert – Antoine Vermette – Cam Atkinson
Kyle Brodziak – Mark Letestu – Derek Dorsett
Derek Mackenzie

Ryan Suter – Drew Doughty
John Moore – James Wisniewski
Marc Methot – David Savard
Nick Holden

Josh Harding – Steve Mason

This roster would fit under the salary cap (including raises for Mackenzie, Dorsett and Brodziak, Suter being signed at $7m, Harding being signed at $2.5m). While this is unlikely, this roster would fit the questions asked. Those top six forwards could all be top six players on a Cup contender. Vermette should be a third liner, as Brodziak, Letestu and Dorsett should all be fourth liners. Wisniewski should be a second pair player, as Methot should be a third pairing shutdown player. Mason is a backup goalie. The rest of the lineup is slotting in a position they have previously played and excelled in (with the exception of the rookie Yakupov).

Now the moves to get to this roster:

1) Trade Prospal, Pahlsson, Huselius, Martinek, Sanford and Boll. Move all of them for just draft picks, and fill those roster spots with players from Springfield for the remainder of the year. While none of these players are superstars, there are very few teams out of the playoff race right now, and it is likely this will be a seller’s market at the trade deadline. These picks will be very useful moving forward to replace the prospects and picks needed for the remainder of the moves.

2) Re-sign Dorsett and Mackenzie to one-way contracts. Re-sign Dekanich, Mayorov and Holden to two-way contracts. Dorsett and Mackenzie are solid depth players who could play on a Cup contender and should be kept. With the time Dekanich has missed this year, he should be able to be kept on a two-way deal as Steve Mason insurance. Mayorov should be kept to fight for a third line spot and provide depth in Springfield if he doesn’t beat out Calvert or Atkinson. Holden should be brought back to fight for the seventh defenseman’s spot.

3) Trade Rick Nash, Fedor Tyutin and additional picks and prospects to the Los Angeles Kings for Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown. The key for a major trade is to target the teams that have disappointed. The Kings are the lowest scoring team in the league, and swapping a superstar defenseman for a superstar forward is a step they could take. The Tyutin-Brown swap provides the Kings with a top four defenseman and the Jackets with a top six forward to replace the superstar dealt. Tyutin was a victim of the “where does this player fit on a Cup contender” question. Ideally, he is a second pairing defenseman. However, Wisniewski is also a second pairing defenseman. Taking their contracts and Wisniewski’s injury/suspension filled season into consideration, Tyutin is the much more tradeable player. Additionally, John Moore is an NHL caliber defenseman, looked good playing with Wisniewski, and has significant upside.

4) Trade R.J. Umberger, Grant Clitsome, Nikita Nikitin, one of Goloubef, Weber or Ruth, plus additional draft picks for Bobby Ryan. This deal is more of a stretch than the Doughty deal. However, Anaheim is having a nightmare of a season and has basically put every player on the trade block. Additionally, Anaheim is thin on defense and has three defensemen who are free agents after the season. Furthermore, Ducks GM Bob Murray has said his only untouchable players are Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. This leads me to believe the Ducks want to reload their roster and compete immediately. Trading Ryan for three solid NHL players, a defensive prospect (which they are lacking) and draft picks (I’d be willing to part with any pick other than the 2012 1st, including the 2013 1st) would give them players to compete next season and assets to help them moving forward.

5) Draft Nail Yakupov. This requires the Blue Jackets finish in 30th place this season. They need to finish last. The NHL draft lottery is structured so no team can drop more than one position. A 30th place finish guarantees them either Yakupov or Mikhail Grigorenko. Both of these players are thought to be absolute franchise caliber players. Both players are thought to be NHL ready for next season. With this roster, they could slot into a scoring role on the second line, no problem.

6) Sign Ryan Suter, Josh Harding and Kyle Brodziak as unrestricted free agents. Suter seems like a reach right now, but with these moves made that looks like an impressive top six forward group, solid depth forwards and defense, and a nice spot alongside Drew Doughty on the top pairing. Of course the Jackets would have to back a truckload of money to his door, but Suter is worth it. Harding is the goaltender I hoped the Jackets would sign last offseason, but he re-signed with Minnesota. Unfortunately, he has had a fantastic season this year and will cost a lot more now. But he is a 27 year old goaltender, has NHL experience, and the ability to be a legitimate starting goaltender. As for Steve Mason, he is young, still has a lot of potential, and with proper sheltering, he should develop into a goaltender worth more than what the Jackets would get if they traded (or waived) him. Kyle Brodziak is a bigger, more talented version of Derek Dorsett. On Minnesota he plays on the third line, but ideally he should be a good fourth liner who can chip in offensively.

Other options: If the Kings will not do the Doughty trade, target Ryan and Cam Fowler for Nash+, and try to trade Tyutin to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Ryan Malone. This allows them to keep R.J. Umberger on the third line with Vermette and one of Atkinson/Calvert/Kubalik/Mayorov. If Anaheim won’t do the Bobby Ryan trade, keep Umberger on the second line, and play Yakupov on the top line. If the Jackets can’t sign Suter, then they should target Matt Carle. While not an ideal top pairing defensemen, he can hold the fort until Moore or Savard develop into a partner for Doughty and he has experience playing on the Flyers top pairing with Chris Pronger. If the Jackets can’t sign Harding, then target Brian Elliott, Tomas Vokoun or Al Montoya. If no Brodziak, then they should go after Jay McClement or Dan Paille. Right now I have Calvert and Atkinson listed on the third line, but Mayorov and Kubalik would battle for those spots in training camp and provide forward depth in case of injuries.

I don’t expect to see this lineup for the Blue Jackets next season. However, these are the types of moves that need to be done to accomplish the necessary turnaround. The core of this roster is very different from the core of the current team. Along with a new coach, this would hopefully remove the “country club” atmosphere. The players brought in would be playing their proper roles, and this would allow the rest of the lineup to play their proper roles as well. I expect to see major moves made by Scott Howson (or his replacement), and I only hope they ask “where does this player fit on a Cup contender?” before they make any trade, signing, or re-signing.

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Howson’s Patience – Unsettling, or Valuable?

By on December 20, 2011

A lot has been said since the comments arrived through the social media pipeline yesterday regarding Howson’s continued support of Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel.  In his mind, the players are not playing to their potential and the issues surrounding the teams success fall squarely on them to start playing better.  A very interesting commentary to say the least, considering it was his guidance that put this group together and it has been one of his major criticisms that he sits on these types of things for way too long.

I have long been a Scott Howson supporter during decision making that really tested the patience of the Blue Jackets fan base. The trades that brought Vermette, Letestu, and Carter to the team.  His decision to experiment with young goaltenders in hopes of keeping Mason competitive rather than flushing him through the minor system while he ages and matures.  Certain re-signings that seemed to give the team more of a core feeling, and later noted non-trades that would have made him look decent to the fans, but caused the team to step back a bit in quality progression.  With that said, he has been slipping in my books, with a few of the following being the front end of my concerns.

First, the re-signings.  I look squarely on the Umberger and Tyutin re-signings as brash, as he had a full season in which to allow them to provide a quality look at their progression as players and give him further ammunition on what type of dollar amount to offer them.  Admittedly they could both be having career years, forcing their potential free agent value higher and costing the team more, but the simple fact is, they are not.  I can also understand those who would suggest I only have an issue with the signings because they are struggling, but again that is not the case, as I have been vocal on my dissatisfaction regarding both deals, in which I feel like the team paid a premium for (at least to the point where they did not re-sign for a ‘discount’).

My solution on the day of signing each player, was to extend the discussions through till Christmas.  This allows the player to ‘showcase’ their abilities while still being early enough in the season for the team to not feel like they are scrambling to make a deal before free agency.  In this case, both would have weaker legs to stand on, and I could see at least one signing for less money — or on the other hand, both players could be playing above their potential right now, working to get a better deal from the club.  Howson on the other hand seems to believe that contract talks get in the way of players work during the season, and likes to get things done before the season begins. While I can respect that logic, it has put Columbus in a bit of a bind if Tyutin and Umberger can’t get back to previous season form.  Tyutin is now playing second line minutes and RJ has been a shadow of his former self.  While it was not expected that he would be a top line player, at 4.6 million on the cap, you would think he would factor in on a nightly basis in the top six.

Second to those concerns, were the concerns to bring in a question mark like James Wisniewski.  With Columbus in great need of stable defensive help, he went out and acquired a free agent defenseman who, in all fairness, has the tools to be a tremendous defenseman.  He is quick footed, with silk-like hands that effortlessly corral the puck, yet his decision making has become increasingly terrible as the year has progressed.  It is interesting in that a number of teams he has played for previously have suggested he is slightly cancerous in the locker room, and many have been quick to move him to the next team.  I also can’t help but wonder if there is some sort of external factor that is causing him to be different.  He was top tier for a solid number of games in his return after suspension, yet something caused him to lose his touch. Suddenly his passes were intercepted, and his pinches were terrible.  Maybe Jeff Carter isn’t the partier on this team.  In any case, Wisniewski may have been Howson’s least cautious move as GM of the Blue Jackets, and I would hardly suggest it is working at 5.5 million per season and second only to Eric Staal and Rick Nash at a league worst -17.

With those points made, I have to touch base on Scott Arniel and his ability to convince management that he is the appropriate coach for the job, even with his immediate jump to line juggling and inability to convince the players to play sixty minutes of hockey.  While I can appreciate his success in the AHL, I am not under the impression that he can deploy a system that will work for the Blue Jackets or their current roster.  Not unlike Hitchcock, the players have made it relatively clear that regardless of what he puts them through, they will make a muted effort during games, and one that never stretches throughout.  Considering that, I would think Howson would be limited to two options (three if you have a sense of humour)..

1 – Trade away the core and build again
2 – Drop coach in favour of the 5+ veterans now looking for work
3 – Pull out all hairs, and move to somewhere warm

Clearly, he has done none of the above.  With fan interest still showing relatively high (for some incredible reason, 16,ooo+ have shown up to the last handful of home games), no moves are being forced on him, and he’s content to see it through.  Maybe it’s him being incredibly stubborn in that he built this specific team and plans to make it work.  I really don’t know.  But if it were me, I’d do the following:

1 – Deal A top six player.  Realistically it would be one of Vermette, Umberger, or Nash.  Three players who have been with the team for a while and who seem fairly stable on the roster.  This should provide an uneasy feeling in an otherwise country club style locker room, forcing players to essentially ‘nut up and shut up’ rather than coasting around with their ‘frustrations’ after another 35 minute effort.

2 – Fire Arniel.  It’s a simple enough solution, but with the sheer quality of top tier coaches sitting on the open market, the timing could not be better.  It would allow the team to bring in a coach who knows the game better than the back of his hand, and one with decent tenure in the NHL that would hopefully force the players to respect him.

3 – Look for a deal involving Tyutin or Wisniewski.  I know they both just got signed, but they cannot continue to work towards becoming a better team with 10 million of the future defensive cap in underachieving players.  The team needs a quality 1-2 defenseman who can play a two way game, but focuses on the defensive aspects of the game.  Their recent disasters have left massive holes in their own zone, and while Methot has attempted to fill in the number two role, he is far better suited on the second line, and has found success there.

4 – Pursue a deal that would find Mason a new home, but bring a similarly talented young goaltender to Columbus.  While the team (and fan base) have seemed to give up on Mason for long stretches of time, he remains one of the best goaltending assets in the NHL, with being five years below the NHL average goalie age, and only really his confidence that seems to pull him back.  While I would hate to see Columbus lose an asset like him, as I believe he has to tools to be a franchise goaltender, I can understand the need for change in all areas of this team.  If they can acquire a player of similar potential, I think it’s for the best.

5 – Convince the fan base that losing is not an option.  While we as fans have endured ten years of ‘the suck’ I have confidence that the team is on the cusp of something great.  With that said, the expectation of losing has not been higher with the current team in place, and I think it’s important for the franchise to give the fans very obvious signs that players will not continue to be paid by this team if ‘the suck’ continues.  That is not to suggest they would simply stop paying them, but rather find a deal that brings different players into the system in favour of them.  While I don’t care for a ton of player turnover, I find it increasingly concerning that the two basically non-rostered players who we have traded for are now essential to this team.

The trade freeze is now active until December 27th, so don’t expect a trade any time soon.  If I were Howson, I would certainly be hammering the phones if I wasn’t firing my coach at 9-20-4 with a -31 goal differential trying to make a trade.  In any case, I sure hope some resolution is found with this team sooner rather than later, although Nail is starting to look like a tremendous opportunity for a season lost in ‘the suck’ before the midway point.  Here’s to change, soon.

Carry the Flag!

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An Open Chat…

By on November 12, 2011

Yesterday was an Open Letter, today, is about an Open Chat. I went to the Season Ticket Holder Morning Skate and Q&A with Scott Howson.The morning skate was just that…with free coffee and hot Chocolate (thank you Tim Hortons!). And after stalking #DD via my camera phone, it was time to move to the Q&A. Scott Howson started off by saying he welcomed any question and he knew he’d be facing the tought ones (which he “is asking himself every day”)-and there were some snipes for sure-as many feel are justified right now. I wanted to share some salient points from the time we spent with Scott Howson…

  • GMSH started with a review of what was already trickling out – Carter will play, Dex is hurt (MRI this morning) and Kris Russell went to St. Louis
  • Scott spoke at length about the Russell trade. It actually was done before the game but he didn’t want it announced prior, (and is still amazed it got out on Twitter). Kris was aware something was going on, and was obviously upset to be traded. Scott also spoke to Kris’ character and dedication to this team and that he will be missed (Dannie sobbed quitely next to me…well not really but almost.)
  • In response to the need for more senior advisors, “we are moving down the path of hiring more senior people to advise this team”
  • In response to the Hitch question he flat out said “Hitch was not interested in coaching here….and his time here had passed”.
  • In response to the Letestu trade: we can never have enough centers, and while not a precursor to any trade, GMSH hinted that we certainly don’t have to worry about the position of center should we be making moves with others.
  • GMSH does still believe that Mason can be (note “Can”) a good goalie but when pressed if he was thinking about another goalie perhaps a seasoned guy to mentor Mase for a bit (and yes the guy said “Nabokov”) GMSH replied, with a smirk (the only of the day) “Every minute”.
  • Realignment is still very much a topic. The GM meeting is upcoming, and while we still would petition to go to the east, it seems most are in favor of the “4 division” plan particularly as it eliminates at least two big west coast trips for us each year
  • GMSH said in hindsight, he felt he misjudged our D. He hoped to get at least 60 games from Martinek and felt that Savard and others would be more ready to step up
  • He also talked about Jan Hejda’s non-signing (in response to an either very devastated or very nervous fan) and said the money just wasn’t there as some was shifted to getting Wiz. He misses Jan and is glad he got what he got.
  • JOHAN: Scott said (as he did numerous times) that lineup decisions are the purview  of the coaching staff, and he would love to see RyJo playing every single night, but knows that he will have some games off where he will take the necessary time to adapt to the NHL game. (he also made a reference to the movie “Moneyball” and that if RyJo doesn’t play for 10 straight games he might make trades to show Arniel his displeasure…it was a joke…but…)
  • Cam! (Yes, I asked this question!) Cam had issues of confidence after being sent down to Springfield the first time after making the team, but Scott has spoken with him and wants him to develop more in the AHL and to expect that he will be going back and forth between the clubs for a while. He also admitted that they do NOT want the young young guys around the crisis of confidence that is going on (OMG I hypothesized that a while back…I got something right!). But he spoke of Cam’s undeniable skill and that two games ago in Springfield, when Howson was there that Cam was the best player on the ice – not on the team – on the ice.
  • The “Why Nash wears the C” question was asked. And the answer is that three years ago, Nash made a commitment to this team and the team made a commitment to him. And that includes wearing the “C”. GMSH spoke to the fact that Nash feels the frustration more than anyone, and has the “weight of the world” on his shoulders. He believes Nash is an elite player and there is no question he is our captain.
  • Of course the “why is Arniel still coach?” question was raised. GMSH straight out said “we are not looking to make a coaching change”.
  • In perhaps his most honest moments, Scott spoke to the attitude of the team. He spoke to the fact that Prospal’s comments carried great weight in the organization and that this is a topic of strong conversation with the coaching staff. He knows this team has issues of confidence, fight and determination right now that must be fixed. His words were “mental weakness”.
  • He also, in response to the question “why should we have faith in YOU?” and “Can you give us any hope?” said he knows this feeling and understands. and that he is asking that of the players right now – what are we doing to give hope to this team’s fans.

Now, I have tried to present the content as objectively as I can. If you’ll allow me a bit of commentary.

In reflection, regardless of your opinion of Scott Howson, I would like to say that he deserves respect for sitting in that room taking the questions he did for over an hour. He knows we’re in bad shape. And, I would NOT want to have to answer to a large group of people who don’t do a job like mine about why all my work has resulted in suckitude thus far. Scott answered every single question and looked every single person in the eye as he addressed their issue. As a crowd, the fans asked the same things many of us have asked and debated, and sometimes not too nicely. To remain composed and own up to what is going on right now, well in that, Scott Howson deserved my applause and thanks for showing up.

That aside, the session crystallized for me my conflicting emotions so far this season. For this team, we are facing an issue of performance and an issue of character. I just spoke to the issue of character. Again, regardless of performance, Scott Howson faced up to his critics today in a mature, fair and very open manner when he didn’t always get that in return. Also, in his sharing the back story to the Russell trade, he shared how devastated Russell was and how much he loved this team. Character.

That leaves us with performance. Scott admitted to the fact that trading now is better than trading later, because it costs less to get what we need, but that teams are less likely to be willing to bargain since everyone still has high hopes and plans…(well except us? :( )  We have now officially acknowledged the issue of “mental toughness” but, with the talent we believe we have on the ice, I do have to say, its turning to coaching more and more. I have stayed completely away from the judgment of Arniel thus far. I have not felt informed enough to truly evaluate that. But, given Howson’s statements of what is and is not his responsibility and what is and is not Arniel’s, I have to wonder if Howson does in fact share many of opinions that Arniel is not right for this team. And I cringe even writing that, because, again, these are real people facing real challenges and I want to be clear that Howson stated that they are not looking to make a coaching change (of course what else would he say?)

The point was made vividly clear: the job of a GM is not the job of a coach and the job of a coach is not the job of a GM. It would seem that Howson did his job fairly well this year…and now it falls to coaching. And character….can our players rise to the occasion even if their leadership isn’t all it can be.

Some in that room supported Howson, some did not. Right now, you can put me in the catagory of the former.

Oh and dang it Matt! You beat me to the punch!!! I’m sure you’ll find better analysis over at the Cannon! :)

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