Jay Feaster: A Closer Look (Updated: Trades)

[cannon7]

We all know about Jay Feater's Executive of the Year award as GM of the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. We also know that he wasGM of the Lightning for oughly six years, from February 2002 to 2006. He also won the Excutive of the Year award as GM of the AHL's Hershey Bears in 1997 and also was at the helm when they won he Calder Cup. It's hard to overlook his track record, a Cup is a Cup after all. But what about his actual moves as a GM? What kind of moves can we expect him to make as GM of the Flames? I decided to compile some notes about his transactions as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and if any other posters would like to add to this feel free.

Draft Record

2002 (13 picks, 3 NHL players)
60th, Adam Henrich (LW), Brampton Battalion (OHL), 0GP in NHL
100th, Dmitri Kazionov (C), HC CSKA (Russian Jr.), 0GP in NHL
135th, Joseph Pearce (G), New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, 0GP in NHL
162th, Gerard Dicaire (D), Kootenay Ice (WHL), 0GP in NHL
170th, P.J. Atherton (D), Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL), 0GP in NHL
174th, Karri Akkanen, Ilves Jrs (Finland), 0GP in NHL
183th, Paul Ranger (D), Oshawa Generals [OHL], 270GP 92PTS in NHL
213th, Fredrik Norrena (G), TPS Turku (SM-liiga), 100GP in NHL
233th, Vasily Koshechkin (G), 0GP in NHL
255th, Ryan Craig (C), Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), 184GP 63PTS in NHL
256th, Darren Reid (RW), Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), 21GP 1PTS in NHL
286th, Alexei Glukhov (F), Khimik (Russia), 0GP in NHL
287th, John Toffey (F), Ohio State University (CCHA), 0GP in NHL

Thank goodness Feaster collected a lot of picks in his first year as GM because he found a few late-blooming gems in the later rounds, most notably Paul Ranger, now the center piece of the Ligthning's blueline. Out of 13 picks, 10 were blanks seeing no NHL games -- although to be fair, most of the picks were in the later rounds.

2003 (11 picks, 2 marginal NHL players)

34th, Mike Egener (D), Calgary Hitmen (WHL), 0GP in NHL
41st, Matt Smaby (D), Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn), 104GP 6PTS in NHL
96th, Jonathan Boutin (G), Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 0GP in NHL
192nd, Doug O'Brien (D), Hull Olympiques (QMJHL), 5GP 0PTS in NHL
224th, Gerald Coleman (G), London Knights (OHL), 2GP in NHL
227th, Jay Rosehill (D), Olds Grizzlys (AJHL), 19GP 2PTS in NHL
255th, Raimonds Danilics (F), Stalkers Jr. (Latvia), 0GP in NHL
256th, Brady Greco (D), Chicago Steel [USHL]
273rd, Albert Vishnyakov (LW), Kazan Ak-Bars (Russia), 0GP in NHL
286th, Zbynek Hrdel (RW), Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL), 0GP in NHL
287th, Nick Tarnasky (C), Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL), 245GP 30PTS in NHL

This was not a draft to write home about, despite the fac tthat it was a deep draft overall. If Matt Smaby and Nick Tarnasky are your big finds, you did not have a good draft year.

2004 (8 picks, 2 marginal NHL players)

30th, Andy Rogers (D), Calgary Hitmen (WHL), 0GP in NHL
65th, Mark Tobin (LW), Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL), 0GP in NHL
102th, Mike Lundin (D), U. of Maine (H-East), 191GP 29PTS in NHL
158th, Brandon Elliott (D), Mississauga IceDogs (OHL), 0GP in NHL
163th, Dusty Collins (C), Northern Michigan University (CCHA), 0GP in NHL
188th, Jan Zapletal (D), Vsetin Jr. (Czech), 0GP in NHL
191th, Karri Ramo (G), Pelicans Jr. (Finland), 48GP in NHL
245th, Justin Keller (LW), Kelowna Rockets (WHL), 0GP in NHL

If you thought the last draft was bad, this one found Mike Lundin and Karri Ramo. Mike Lundin is still with the big club, albeit as a depth defenseman.

2005 (9 picks, 1 marginal NHL player)

30th, Vladimir Mihalik (D), Presov (Slovakia-2), 15GP 3PTS in NHL
73rd, Radek Smolenak (LW), Kingston Frontenacs (OHL), 7GP 1PTSin NHL
89th, Chris Lawrence (RW), Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL), 0GP in NHL
92nd, Marek Bartanus (RW), Kosice HC (Slovak), 0GP in NHL
102nd, Blair Jones (C), Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL), 47GP 5PTS in NHL
133rd, Stanislav Lascek (RW), Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL), 0GP in NHL
163rd, Marek Kvapil (LW), Saginaw Spirit (OHL), 0GP in NHL
165th, Kevin Beech (G), Sudbury Wolves (OHL), 0GP in NHL
225th, John Wessbecker (D), Blake School (Minn.), 0GP in NHL

And somehow it gets worse. Blair Jones, yes, that's it.

2006 (4 picks, 0 NHL players)

15th, Riku Helenius (G), Ilves Tampere (SM-liiga), 1GP in NHL
78th, Kevin Quick (D), Salisbury School (Conn. H.S.), 6GP 1PTS in NHL
168th, Dane Crowley (D), Swift Current Broncos (WHL), 0GP in NHL
198th, Denis Kazionov (LW), Tver MVD HC (Russia), 0GP in NHL

Ah, the famous Riku Helenius pick. A real head scratcher at the time, as Helenius was not that highly ranked. For good reason, it turns out.

I'm going to skip 2007 and 2008 as they're still too early to call, but suffice to say, they don't look good. I guess the lesson here is that Feaster probably should take a hands-off approach to drafting, leaving the work to his scouts. I'm not sure I would even want Feaster choosing the scouting staff, who was his head scout in Tampa anyway? Whoever it was, they should stay home. His only notable pick in six years (not counting Mr. Stamkos) was Paul Ranger, a late-round late-bloomer long-shot.

Trades

First off, Feaster was not responsible for most of the core that won the Cup in 2004. Khabibulin, Lecavalier, Richards, St. Louis, Boyle, Kubina, Andreychuk, Modin, Sarich, etc. were all acquired or drafted by his predecessors. But there were still contributions he made to that roster...

2002-03-05 Carolina Hurricanes traded Shane Willis and Chris Dingman to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Kevin Weekes.

Feaster's first trade was kind of a mixed bag. Weekes was still highly regarded at the time as a potential starter. Shane Willis was a talented forward who's career was seriously hampered by concussions. Then there's the famous Flames' bust, Chris Dingman, who was actually a pretty useful checker for the Lightning in the 2004 run. Considering Weekes didn't amount to anything, it's kind of a wash.

2002-03-15 Ottawa Senators traded Andre Roy and a 6th round selection (Paul Ranger) in 2002 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Juha Ylonen.

Feaster's second trade was to acquire tough guy Andre Roy as well as a 6th round pick which ended up being Paul Ranger. In return he gave up Juha Ylonen, who was never seen again. Overall a good minor deal, adding some much needed toughness to the roster.

2002-06-21 Philadelphia Flyers traded Ruslan Fedotenko and two 2nd round selections in 2002 (previously acquired, later traded to Dallas - Tobias Stephan) (previously acquired, later traded to San Jose - Dan Spang) to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 1st round selection (Joni Pitkanen) in 2002.

This trade was panned at the time, Fedotenko for a 1st round pick? But in retrospect it doesn't look quite as bad as it once did. Fedotenko provided some much needed goals in their Cup run and Pitkanen is nowhere near where he was once projected to be.

2002-06-22 Dallas Stars traded Brad Lukowich and a 7th round selection (Jay Rosehill) in 2003 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2nd round selection (previously acquired - Tobias Stephan) in 2002.

A minor deal at the time, but one that should not be overlooked. The Lukowich acquisition really turned Dan Boyle's game around. The Boyle-Lukowich pairing solidified the Lightning's defense and was a big reason for their success in 2004.

2003-06-21 St. Louis Blues traded Cory Stillman to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2nd round selection (David Backes) in 2003.

This was a steal for the Lightning, as Stillman was a big contributor offensively for the Lightning in their 2004 run.

2004-01-27 Columbus Blue Jackets traded Darryl Sydor and a 4th round selection in 2004 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Alexander Svitov and a 3rd round selection in 2004.

Sydor was nearing the end of his career and it showed, but he did add some leadership and stability to the Lightning's blueline. And all it cost them was Svitov. Not a bad deal in retrospect.

then there's these...

2007-02-24 Tampa Bay traded Gerald Coleman and 2007 first-round draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Shane O'Brien and a 2007 third-round draft pick.

2008-02-26 Tampa Bay Lightning traded Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist to the Dallas Stars for Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen and a 4th round selection in 2009.

2008-07-04 Tampa Bay Lightning traded Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to the San Jose Sharks for Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, a 1st round selection in 2009 and a 4th round selection in 2010.

2008-10-06 Tampa Bay Lightning traded Shane O'Brien and Michel Ouellet to the Vancouver Canucks for Lukas Krajicek and Juraj Simek.

Now as terrible as these trades may be, Feaster claims that Lightning ownership was interfering at this time. So I'm not sure we can blame Feaster entirely for these moves. And to Feaster's credit, he is not alone in making that claim.

I mean do these trades look at all consistent with his trading strategy prior to Koules/Barrie?

Signings

Feaster, despite being a former agent, was not very active in free agency as the Lightning GM between 2002-2005. Mainly because he couldn't afford to be in a pre-CBA era.

2003-06-19 Signed Eric Perrin as a free agent.

A depth acquisition, but Perrin was surprisingly useful in the faceoff circle during the 2004 run.

[Vinny01]

2008- Steven Stamkos

[wooohooo]

Probably fair to say his drafting is pretty bad, but a lot of the information a GM gets is from his scouts. So perhaps his scouts sucked... not that our drafting is anything to write home about.

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

2008- Steven Stamkos

A door knob could make that pick.




Door knob for GM anyone?

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

2008- Steven Stamkos

I could probably have made that pick without watching a hockey game.

[Ren]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

2008- Steven Stamkos

Pretty hard to screw that up.

I really hope it was just a scouting issue because, to be honest, Feaster's track record kind of scares me. His drafting makes Darryl's picks look good, and I was not impressed with the returns he got on Richards and Boyle. But he has said that he's going to lean heavily on Michel Goulet who did a pretty good job with the Avs, so maybe there is hope.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by cannon7

A doorknob could make that pick.




Door knob for GM anyone?

Can't we at least wait a full day before we hate on the new GM?

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

2008- Steven Stamkos

I don't think he gets points for that. It was a no-brainer at the time.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Can't we at least wait a full day before we hate on the new GM?

No. Early bird catches the worm.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Agreed that scouting staff didn't get the job done there.

That covers drafting. Say, was he GM when they picked up St. Louis from Calgary? Or was that Dudley with Jay as assistant?

Seems like Feaster wants Michel Goulet as his right hand man. I wonder what difference that will make

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Agreed that scouting staff didn't get the job done there.

That covers drafting. Say, was he GM when they picked up St. Louis from Calgary? Or was that Dudley with Jay as assistant?

Seems like Feaster wants Michel Goulet as his right hand man. I wonder what difference that will make

I had a feeling when both these hires were announced in the summer that if Darry failed we would see Jay shift into the GM chair with Goulet getting the AGM duties.

I wonder if they both took the jobs knowing these promotions were probable?

[Dagger]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Agreed that scouting staff didn't get the job done there.

That covers drafting. Say, was he GM when they picked up St. Louis from Calgary? Or was that Dudley with Jay as assistant?

Seems like Feaster wants Michel Goulet as his right hand man. I wonder what difference that will make

MSL came in 2001, Feaster was promoted to GM in 2002.

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Agreed that scouting staff didn't get the job done there.

That covers drafting. Say, was he GM when they picked up St. Louis from Calgary? Or was that Dudley with Jay as assistant?

Seems like Feaster wants Michel Goulet as his right hand man. I wonder what difference that will make

The St. Louis acquisition pre-dates Feaster's involement with the Lightning. That was in 2000 and Feaster was hired by the Lightning as an assistant GM in 2001 I believe.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Feaster's 'strength' is contracts. I really hope he has learned from his mistakes. Yes, Vincent was a top player in the NHL at the time, and they won the cup. However, that is a very, very ugly contract regardless of how you look at it. Compare his to Crosby or Ovie's.

His drafting has been bad. His trading has been bad. Yes, he can DEFINITELY have learned from his mistakes, and become a much better GM. I just see him as a 'legal guy' who knows how to talk well. I would be much more comfortable if Michel Goulet.. heck, even Jim Playfair - would be the GM to be honest. Yes, not fair to 'hate on the guy' right away, but definitely fair to look at his track record.

Yes, he won the Stanley cup, and really it is 'arguable' how much of a hand he had in building up that franchise - considering the GM and him at the time were butting heads (I searched for the article again, but couldn't find it). Likewise, it is 'arguable' how much of a hand he had in 'destroying' Tampa after the cup, signing those players to their contracts (though the new ownership group had an impact on that).

He gets a second shot with the Flames - however temporary it is (or not). I am just not convinced he is 'the guy' to go with. However, trading away assets for draft picks and prospects is probably a heck of a lot easier than trading for NHL players and trying to build a contender, I would think. I would really hope he starts making use of his scouts as well as Playfair who sees a lot of the other team's prospects regularly.

[PeteLFan]

To be fair to Jay Feaster, he did talk about how he does believe in the draft, and building through the draft. He then owned up to having a bad track record in the draft, so its not like hes out there talking about how he drafts well. This will have to dramatically change this year, and he has already talked about getting a lot of picks.

[wooohooo]

If he is our GM, I hope he hires a hockey-savy GM that knows his hockey and have Feaster handle the business side of things.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Ren

His drafting makes Darryl's picks look good, and I was not impressed with the returns he got on Richards and Boyle. But he has said that he's going to lean heavily on Michel Goulet who did a pretty good job with the Avs, so maybe there is hope.

In that case, maybe Goulet should've been the Acting GM!

[PeteLFan]

I just hope Bill Barber doesn't make his way here.

[mac_82]

How about some of his trades?

1st rounder + Gerald Coleman for Shane O'Brien + 3rd

That is his worst.

[Sylvanfan]

When it comes to a GM's draft record much of it has to do with his scouting staff, and how many resources ownership provide them with to do that job. Although that is my biggest concern here is that Feasters drafting in Tampa wasn't that great but a couple years away and time as an assistant may give him a new perspective. It might also help to have some better people around him to work with. IMO it was a lack of good depth on the Lightning to complement those star players that really hurt that team after they had to pay the big boys. But in fairness to Feaster the Lightning never were a very strong organization and had ownership issues from pretty much inception.

Also Lecavaliers post lockout contract was something like 22.5 million for 3 years which wasn't that bad for a 26 year old Number one center. This latest debacle was more of a result of the Len Barrie and Oren Koules disaster ownership tandem. Brad Richards was very highly regarded when he signed his 5 year 7.8 million dollar deal, and St.Louis...was more or less making a similar salary to what Alex Tanguay used to make, thats pretty good value for a guy who is an elite offensive player. He did eventually end up making a bad deal for Richards, so again...hopefully there is a lesson learned there.

At the least he's qualified to keep the seat warm and more or less deal with the movable pieces for the rest of this season, until the team decides what direction they want to go and name a full time guy.