Yeah, Conroy has been nothing if not consistent in his approach. Rebuild, retool, whatever, what he said he wanted to do and what he’s proceeded to do can be simplified into clear goals:
- Improve the culture
- Be competitive
- Add youth
- Manage assets appropriately
He has yet to do anything that strayed from that plan, which is what he outlined in his first press conference.
The team is younger, more competitive, the culture is vastly improved, and assets have been managed well.
I’m sure he’d love if the team performed better or if he got even more for the assets he traded, but he’s working in reality. I don’t see a guy who sold anyone one thing and has been cornered into doing another.
I think people struggle with the fact that he’s actually balancing his priorities. They want him to be one thing, or manage in a way that’s more binary so it’s easier to understand, but instead he’s focused on what is best for the team.
Keeping a vet over Pelletier isn’t prioritizing youth, but it is prioritizing competitiveness (with a risk/reward impact on asset management). Trading Markstrom isn’t prioritizing competitiveness, but it is prioritizing culture and asset management.
What takes priority has been situational. But you can point to one of the four main things in every situation and see why he did it. They’re simple enough that I don’t see why people need it to be just one thing. And I like that he’s not afraid to make hard decisions that might put one thing over another, and then swap those priorities if another situation calls for something different.
|