Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinny01
I do feel like this organization could use the POHO position as I think it allows GM changes to happen a little easier. In my opinion Burke should still be here and hiring his second GM.
With Davidson on the market it is crazy to not pursue him given the current state of the organization and this current iteration of the Flames needs significant change immediately.
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With Burke (4 yrs together):
- Hamonic trade
- Elliott trade
- Brouwer signing and BO
- Bennett's prime development years
- Gulutzan
- Michael Stone trade and signing (eventually BO)
- Mike Smith trade
- Raymond signing and BO
- Losing Byron
- Bollig trade (3rd rder)
- Lazar trade
- 2014 draft faliures (0 gp other than Bennett despite picks 34, 54, 64)
- Hamilton trade*
- Bill Peters was hired 5 days before Burke was finished...*
Post-Burke (3 yrs)
- Neal signing
- Bennett's continued development failure and trade
- Kulak trade
- Ward
- Lose Brodie/Hamonic as UFAs with no return*
- Picks for Gus, Bort, Fantenberg*
- Tkachuk contract*
- League min. guys this year not working out well*
*debatable as a 'blunder', but notable/discussion worthy
We don't know specific job descriptions and delineation of responsibilities, but IMO it's reasonable to expect that a POHO would:
- serve as a second set of sober eyes/check and balance to avoid blunders on major decisions
- help develop and guide the big-picture/long-term strategy
- buffer from ownership and translate their expectations to be prudent and sensible
- help diagnose problems and propose possible solutions
Put another way, Burke should have been a better voice of reason:
"Goaltending is an issue...(A) we probably aren't ready to contend so it's probably better to roll the dice on unproven options with long-term upside.
OR
(B) it's worth it to pay the price now for a more established guy".
"We were just swept by the big bad Ducks, and we've lost Wideman and Engelland, creating an obvious hole at RD. Not sure we can come back with Elliott, either. Not many easy solutions as UFAs. (A) we might have a log-jam brewing at C with Sean/Backlund/Bennett/Janko/Stajan; C's are always coveted...we could probably afford to move one to plug one of those holes since we've already given up our 2nd and 3rd this year.
OR
(B) here's a gun loaded with a bunch of draft picks...let's blow our brains out!".
I'm not saying Burke deserves more blame than Brad, but it's a simple fact that he was here for most of the true blunders. Harder to ascribe specific smaller operational decisions, though collectively they tie into the big-picture issues.
It's hard to parse the on-ice results. I'd argue Burke deserves plenty of credit for 18-19 even though he was gone. Conversely, most of the players we mortgaged the future for are now obsolete, and we are beginning to feel the corresponding pain.
Lastly, IMO Hamonic/Elliott/Brouwer are worse blunders than Neal, all things considered.
