Lebrun: Flames "getting late in the process" of hiring a GM

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by transplant99

What does this even mean?

I think he's calling them fat.

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by browna

I'll disagree. So much doom and gloom around here. Yeah this year sucked becuase the team really should've made the playoffs on the ice. The off ice stuff has gotten magnified as a result and the media has whipped many I to believing that these are such dire times. I'll argue it was much worse when Treliving took over, by a mile.

A roster that should've made the playoffs, but below average goaltending, down years for some players, but even still, getting the league average in OT performance and they are in and would've given Vegas a run for the money in R1.

A roster mostly intact for next year. The chance to also work with and pick their coach. An ownership group who has spent to the cap the last decade. Hope of a new rink so that in 3 years or so, that GM won't have that restriction in attracting players.

Again, this is a better position than the one that Treliving had given the depth the teams reputation sank to under his predecessor.

Secondly, still trying to figure out what and who a top candidate is? Most of the names we've heard interviewing in Pittsburgh as the only other spot open, have some links here too. Fine, Dubas may not come here but he's likely not going anywhere this offseason.

From a GM standpoint I think this is a job that comes with a lot of handcuffs, even if you ignore whether or not the owners mandate winning and will block a rebuild which we will never know for sure so I will ignore for now.

It is an older team that is at best 2nd tier, not a Stanley Cup contender that has numerous tough to impossible to move contracts. While you can make some small moves it is hard to see a path where there is flexibility to improve the team in any substantial way.

The team is pretty much locked into to being mediocre for the next 5 years and hoping for a miracle play-off run. I would think as a GM it would be more appealing to come into a team that doesn't have its future as locked in as the Flames do.

Last summer for example would have been a perfect time for a new GM to come in as they had the flexibility to go for it like Tre did or potentially use Gaudreau leaving and the Tkachuk trade to try and rebuild.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Spurs

The team is pretty much locked into to being mediocre for the next 5 years and hoping for a miracle play-off run. I would think as a GM it would be more appealing to come into a team that doesn't have its future as locked in as the Flames do.

Weeger, Coleman, Kadri and Huberdeau are the only ones currently locked in for 4 or more seasons

[Fan in Exile]

Originally Posted by transplant99

What does this even mean?

Just joking around...although to be honest I was confusing Mark with Dale.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Fan in Exile

Just joking around...although to be honest I was confusing Mark with Dale.

Dale is smaller than Mark, who are both smaller than Tim, if that's where this is going?

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by browna

Weeger, Coleman, Kadri and Huberdeau are the only ones currently locked in for 4 or more seasons

Markstrom is 4 more years isn't he, if not 3 more years of him makes flexibility pretty tough.

And why is 4 years the important length? Mangipane for 3 more years hurts the flexibility.

So that is a lot of money locked into an ok-ish core that isn't good enough going forward.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by browna

Weeger, Coleman, Kadri and Huberdeau are the only ones currently locked in for 4 or more seasons

That's... a ton of money.

[Fan in Exile]

Originally Posted by browna

Dale is smaller than Mark, who are both smaller than Tim, if that's where this is going?

Looking it up I don't know what I was thinking. I thought one of the brothers was a real bruiser. Clearly didn't land that one. Let me crawl away.

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by Fan in Exile

Looking it up I don't know what I was thinking. I thought one of the brothers was a real bruiser. Clearly didn't land that one. Let me crawl away.

Dale Hunter was a tough, hard nosed, "old school" player so maybe that is where it comes from, but his teams in London haven't been that way.

Mark Hunter has shown in his time in Toronto and London that he isn't just an old school big=good guy either.

[GranteedEV]

Not seeing Tulsky or Botterill on the short list is disapointing.

[Fan in Exile]

Originally Posted by Spurs

Dale Hunter was a tough, hard nosed, "old school" player so maybe that is where it comes from, but his teams in London haven't been that way.

Mark Hunter has shown in his time in Toronto and London that he isn't just an old school big=good guy either.

I've seen a few of you voice good opinions on Hunter. How do you assess his personal influence as an AGM? Or Conroy's for that matter. Seems very difficult for an outsider to assess how any AGM would perform as a GM.

[Bonded]

I have a slightly more optimistic view of that leaked list than others assuming it is Conroy that actually gets hired. I have been in an interview where I could tell I was being interviewed against an internal candidate and that it was being done in case the interview for the internal person went south. I’m thinking those finalists are the ones willing to stick around on the outside chance Conroy/Pascall blew it

[browna]

Originally Posted by Spurs

Markstrom is 4 more years isn't he, if not 3 more years of him makes flexibility pretty tough.

And why is 4 years the important length? Mangipane for 3 more years hurts the flexibility.

So that is a lot of money locked into an ok-ish core that isn't good enough going forward.

Markstrom is 3 starting next year.

4 isn't important, it's just the cutoff with Coleman's contract, and you said they are locked in for 5 years of mediocrity; assuming on my part you mean the same roster is intact for that long, when it's only 3 players on the team locked in for 5 years or more.

It's going to take more than 3 players (look up north) no matter how good they are to be contenders anyway, and the incoming GM will have the ability to flip the rest of the roster if they choose with in the next 4 years.

That said, I won't hesitate to say that as soon as next year they'll be more successful than this year in the mean time as the roster does get gradually transformed...1st year bump with a new coach and all that...question will be the second year with the same new coach, or does the roster run over him as they did GG and Ward? (another thread topic).

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Not seeing Tulsky or Botterill on the short list is disapointing.

Tulsky never fit the timeline. Doubt he interviews while the Canes are still in it

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by browna

Markstrom is 3 starting next year.

4 isn't important, it's just the cutoff with Coleman's contract, and you said they are locked in for 5 years of mediocrity; assuming on my part you mean the same roster is intact for that long, when it's only 3 players on the team locked in for 5 years or more.

It's going to take more than 3 players (look up north) no matter how good they are to be contenders anyway, and the incoming GM will have the ability to flip the rest of the roster if they choose with in the next 4 years.

That said, I won't hesitate to say that as soon as next year they'll be more successful than this year in the mean time as the roster does get gradually transformed.

I said 5 years because that is how long it will take to get through these contracts and then build up the talent level of the team and 5 years is a common time frame people use, I actually think it will be longer than that if I am being honest.

I think the new GM is coming into one of the least flexible situations in the NHL, maybe the least. I can't imagine that is appealing to a GM that will want to build a team he wants not just carry on the Tre/Edwards vision.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Tulsky never fit the timeline. Doubt he interviews while the Canes are still in it

Yup, agreed. The Flames have communicated a date by when they want to have their new GM, so while I really want Dubas to be the next GM, I'm already fairly certain it won't happen because of the timing. The Flames are already in the final stages and similar to hiring in the professional world, it would be really strange to have already spent the last 5 weeks speaking to candidates, trimming the list down and then starting to work on the offer packages based on a ranking to then add another new candidate into the mix.

On a related note, the Flames have always been tight-lipped around hockey decisions, so I'm honestly not even sure the list of finalists is correct or complete.

[Hockey_Ninja]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1659938330606456832

https://twitter.com/user/status/1659964768017580039

[VilleN]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

mostly because of that? Shouldn't you mostly be against it because he helped cover up the sexual assault of a player?

Shouldn’t you let other people decide why they are against something instead of lying in wait for a chance to showcase your moral superiority?

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Not seeing Tulsky or Botterill on the short list is disapointing.

I’m not sure tulsky was ever an option. Every thing I have read is if push came to shove canes would make him full time gm. Apparently he does a lot of the gm duties already for them. Giving tallon more time on the business side

[transplant99]

I still believe Chris O'Hearn is a guy who is/was getting serious consideration.