Can't quote Rikster:
Thanks for the additional info on Brzustevicz.
As for Conroy being the rookie the GM - yes, I can understand that take, unquestionably. However, I wanted Conroy in that chair personally because I felt that a rebuild would probably be coming sooner rather than later, and Conroy has shown himself over the past decade in being a good evaluator of talent, especially at the amateur level, and has worked extensively on scouting.
Speaking of the past decade - he has had his hands in everything in the organization. Started under Feaster in all areas of the organization, continued under Burke, and spent a lot of time with Treliving. He has been getting groomed for this since the day he retired. That's why I have a tonne of faith in him. I can definitely understand that people feel that he is a 'rookie GM', and I guess you never really know until he starts making moves, but it was the decade of being groomed and surrounded with knowledgeable people who made good moves AND poor ones, which only help him learn.
From the outside, it can definitely look like the "old boys club" thing. Conroy paid his dues. He will make mistakes - everyone does - but I bet that he will turn out to be a good GM, and so far, so good. I am hoping that he is successful enough to become the Flames' longest tenured GM (and yes, I am aware of Fletcher's 19.5 years). If he breaks that record, that means the Flames have been a pretty well-run team with a decent amount of success.
|