Quote:
Originally Posted by OzSome
It doesn't matter who Burkie hires, he'll be running the team anyways whether we have a GM or not. He might hire someone before Christmas or by January and let the new GM run the team until he's done with the US Olympic team, then it's back to Burke again. Whoever he hires is going to be his puppet just like when Dave Nonis was working for him.
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All of this puppet talk I do not understand. Reality is that this is a business, and corporations have philosophies and strategies. The responsibility for these roll up to senior management. In what business would an executive set a vision and have a GM that is not philosophically aligned?
Now the interesting thing about Burke is that as a GM, he demanded autonomy and responsibility. So I see it in that regard.
Ownership and management in Calgary always would have to approve major transactions as far as I know.
Now Burke is in place as a presumably competent approver. This is a franchise that for over a decade had a very marketable face of the franchise, a player that up until recently was on a playoff team, and regularly in the top of statistical categories. Big change to a business letting a franchise player go. Ownership was able to coast in a sense for a few years as Iggy and friends guaranteed butts in seats. After 3-4 years of shortcoming, the major shakeup introduced a challenge beyond the hockey ops depth of ownership involvement.
So there is a new structure, where Burke has likely more infłuence and power to supplant or support that of ownership/KK previously. They have a successful business but are out of their depth hockey wise.
Doesn't make the new GM a lame duck