Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
Hartley wont be gone until Feaster is gone...not happening anytime soon.
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One can hope.
There has to be the right person available first...a strong personality, and a guy that has proven success and is well respected in league circles for Edwards to hand over the keys with similar autonomy to what D. Sutter had for the first 4 years or so of his GM tenure. The easy answer (but not the only one) with that currently is Burke as he checks those boxes.
Internally, Edwards has to realize that himself and King making "suggestions" (don't call it meddling) to the GM, hasn't worked, and that its starting to sour the Flames solid reputation around the league, and that the current GM is tainted because of that "guidance" as well (but half the reason he was hired full time in the first palace was knowing he'd have "guidence" from above). The Flames need a fresh start of a GM, one to be able to stand on his own. He has to step back, and tell King to step back and do what he does best, or else he is out too.
Also, the perception of Feaster around the league, again, for whatever role he plays in the trifecta of power, is dragging down the reputation of the franchise. His bold statements that have fallen short, logistical mixups with ROR and Iginla, and things like Cervenka's true position, are cause enough.
Hartley is somewhat caught in the crossfire...while this team will be younger next year, something I am not sure he's suited to in the first place, it will have some NHL experience. But, I don't think he's the perfect fit for the long term and his association with Feaster likely would have him gone too.
Both him and Feaster will get paid for a year or two to not work....so we can't feel too sorry for them, and they're likely good people.
But, with the new era forced upon us, the franchise's best player gone, likely the franchise's best goalie retiring, and scraping the bottom of the league, there is no time like the present to wipe as much of 2013 out of the memory banks, for the direction on and off the ice, and to rebuild some of the poor reputation this franchise is getting, and straighten things out within the upper management of the Flames.
Let's do that sooner that later, and like a bandage, rip it all off at once rather then poking at the remaining edges, since we already have half of it off.