I believe Jason Botterill Should Be The Flames' Next GM
Botterill was considered the driving force for the 2016 Penguins' championship, in which they reconstructed an aging roster with a faster, younger roster through a mix of internal propotions for guys like Sheary, Dumoulin, Rust, and Kuhnhackl, plus trades that brought in guys like Phil Kessel, Trevor Daley and Justin Schultz. He wasn't the GM of that team, so it's probably unfair to say he built that roster - Rutherford did - but pretty much everything I've come across definitely seems to suggest that he had a great amount of input into the wheeling and dealing that built that team to its final playoff form, which was a team characterized by speed in spades.
In Buffalo as GM he was dealt a pretty mixed hand. Although he inherited a few good pieces (Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, ROR, Oloffsson) he also inherited an ownership group that was perhaps too involved, low revenues, and some players within the organization who were essentially busts (Alex Nylander and Rasmus Ristolainen, although the latter wasn't publically considered one).
In the draft, he picked Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Middlestadt, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn in the first round but maybe didn't have much success in later rounds. But how much of a team's late round success is on the actual amateur scouting department (and its budget/staff?).
What I find interesting however are the following details:
- His hiring and firing of Phil Housley as head coach for a two year span were pretty par for the course, but there's definitely some reason to think Housley might be a good coach, and might have even turned it around the next year. Even a guy like Jared Bednar didn't quite figure it out until his third year or so, and he had better roster in his second year. Perhaps more than anything, goalie Robin Lehner's mental health struggles may have been costly for Housley.
- His hiring of Ralph Kreuger ended up a disaster as Dahlin, Middlestadt, Skinner, and others essentially performed so poorly under this coach that they were labelled busts. Something a coaching change has almost immediately disproven. This coach probably cost Botterill his job singlehandedly.
- although some unexpected pretty major health issues derailed things a few years, Kyle Okposo seems to have been a pretty decent UFA signing for Buffalo. That was the same offseason Edmonton signed Lucic and Treliving signed Brouwer, for some comparison. Okposo was younger, with more upside and more offensively skilled than the other guys. Even this year he's been a decent depth player, unlike Lucic.
- His trade of Ryan O'Rielly ended up getting negative reviews, but in retrospect, it's almost unfathomable that he managed to convert ROR into a total superstar like Tage Thompson. I think this is really one of those cases where the old adage, that you can't judge a trade for five years, really shines. To have that kind of ability to find a diamond in the rough via a forced trade... that's what Brad Treliving lacks. Treliving trades Matthew Tkachuk for two older players.
Since Buffalo, he's been AGM with Seattle. They're a 100 pt team in just their second year. Luck? Maybe. I bet Botterill would trade all that luck for the same things to have gone right in 2017-18 instead, before he let Housley go and hired Krueger
Not sure what the Flames' organizational direction is, but I would like to see Jason Botterill be given the keys.
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"May those who accept their fate find happiness. May those who defy it find glory."
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If not Tre, we need someone who can push back to ownership a bit. I thought Burke was that guy but he was clearly a corporate yes man who went into win now mode. Tre can draft well, it’s just now a question of what assets he can get back for the long term deals he signed.
You say that you want him because of his time at the Penguins, but then state he wasn't the Gm of the team that was so good? In your next sentence you show his draft history but finish up by saying his picks are poor after the first round. You finish off with a list of negatives from his GM career since.
With all of this negativity why have you stated you want him as the Flames GM??
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Botteril didn’t sign Okposo, that was Tim Murray. And it was for $6Mx7 years which was not a good signing at all. Okposo got over 40 points 3 times.
Botteril’s draft record is terrible compared to Treliving. Dahlin is a no brainer. The rest were not good picks. And his trades - aside from the ROR trade, he’s picked up Skinner (bad move), Sheary, who they moved within 2 years and who immediately rebounded. Montour (similar), Miller (similar), Vesey (1 year), Frolik and Simmonds for some reason. Signings - he signed Skinner to one of the worst contracts in history.
Looks like Skinner is bouncing back with better players and coach. 33 and 34 goals.
Still not a great deal but at least he is producing.
He’s only half way thru the deal. And in 2019 that was a lot more than it is now. The bigger point is he misjudged where the team was in giving that kind of contract.
If not Tre, we need someone who can push back to ownership a bit.
That type of power is determined at the time of the initial signing. The extent that the GM has to have prior approval of ownership for certain things would be spelled out.
That type of power is determined at the time of the initial signing. The extent that the GM has to have prior approval of ownership for certain things would be spelled out.
In theory.
But if the guy that owns the thing wants to change that arrangement I would think he just does, no?
I believe Jason Botterill Should Be The Flames' Next GM
