Jim Nill to take over GM of Dallas

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

People get far too sad when unproven execs go on to other places. Nill maybe fantastic, who knows, but I remember the saddness around these parts that the Flames missed out on the unstoppable Nicholson / Yzerman tandum a few years back. All based around the fact that Yzerman was a good hockey player and Nicholson was Hockey Canada president and we'd just won a gold medal at the Olympics.

Assembling Canada's Olympic team is not a difficult task. People really have no idea if Nill or Yzerman would be any good at their GM jobs. Yzerman has proven to be average at best, we should stop getting sad about things we don't really have reference points for.

Nill and Yzerman should not be comparable. Yzerman was gm of an all star olympic team, while Nill started out in scouting and has worked his way up for over a decade.

There is not a long list of credible GM's to pick from. You either get an old retread, or you have to give someone new a chance. If you are giving someone new a chance, might as well be the rookie at the top of the list. Nill has been sought after for years.

Nill i belive is the top payed AGM in the NHL. He also has clauses in his contract that make him hard to get. There is a reason the Redwings have payed him the money and clauses.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

If this is true, then i have no idea what the flames owners are thinking?

First they don't go after Davidson and now it looks like they let Nill slip through their fingers. They seemed engrossed in the incompetence of Feaster and KK's hockey knowledge.

I am sure some posters will say we have no idea if either was interviewed, but i have very high doubts that either was considered.

Status quo for a management team that produced the worst season in flames history sounds about right.

yup, agree with this sentiment.

However, i'd be even more pissed as an oiler fan. Can you imagine what a smart hockey person could do with that young roster and the assets they have to play around with. Instead they go with a guy who has no gm experience simply because he is buddies with management .

Joe N. made some pretty useless trades and UFA pickups. I do appreciate him not hanging onto a pipe dream to get 8th and trying to get assets back even though the stars were in a tight race.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by browna

There are some good people, and people like the scouts and some of the hockey ops, that should be retained. But at job positions where the buck stops, that being, coach, GM, and President, IMO, there needs to be change.. KK move up, JF and BH, move on with their buyout from the Flames. Hire a strong personality to run things from top to bottom, to pick the coach and make the decision on their vision for the team the next 5 years through the draft, FA, and beyond.

Most importantly, one who will not consider "collaboration" (don't call it meddling) with the ownership group leader and President as smart hockey operations decision making.

I agree generally with your wiping the slate clean sentiments with a couple clarifications/disagreements:

1. If Button survives another regime change, the change will not be significant enough to result in wholesale improvement.

2. I believe the only place for King to go is out, not up. The idea of having him in charge of the Flames ownership's over arching umbrella (Flames, Hitmen, Stampeders, etc) is already in place. I believe that's his current role. With the big plans the Flames have for a new stadium, the resurgence of the Stampeders and the numerous moving parts within the Flames' ownership's conglomerate of financial interests, King is integral and will have to leave voluntarily.

3. My faith in Feaster was shaken with the ROR issue. It got worse with my initial reaction to the return for Iginla and Bouwmeester. I've stepped back from that a little from that position after seeing other trades and reflecting on the circumstances surrounding Feaster's options.

4. Any collaboration/meddling, IMO, exists in most (all?) franchises between hockey ops and ownership. In his press conference re the almost-Iginla trade, Peter Chiarelli said that part of these types of trades includes talking to ownership. In an offseason interview with Alex Anthopoulos, he stated that he ran the Marlins trade past Paul Beeston who told him to continue working on it while Beeston took it to ownership.

[liamenator]

Nill always looked like a good fit for the Flames on paper. IIRC he's from Calgary and played for the Dinos. But none of that means squat if the job isn't an attractive one. And based off of the last couple of years of whispers around the league and media reports/speculation regarding Flames hockey ops, Calgary has become a very unattractive landing spot. A shame, given all the work King, Sutter and co. did to re-enhance the status of the organization and the Flames brand.

This is the thing--even if baseless, the kind of speculation about ownership meddling and too-many-cooks in hockey ops that has run rampant since Sutter's meltdown damages the reputation of the organization and its attractiveness for top tier off-ice talent. I view this to be probably the single most damaging development over the last couple of years for the long term viability of the organization. The fact that Edwards & co seem unwilling or incapable of recognizing this is continuously astounding and bewildering.

I am sure there are good candidates that would jump at the chance to be GM here, for sure, but it's unlikely a guy like Nill--who can pretty much hand pick whatever gig he wants at the point--would want any part of the Calgary organization, even if we were chasing him (which it doesn't sound like we were).

This, to me, is a major problem.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by liamenator

Nill always looked like a good fit for the Flames on paper. IIRC he's from Calgary and played for the Dinos. But none of that means squat if the job isn't an attractive one. And based off of the last couple of years of whispers around the league and media reports/speculation regarding Flames hockey ops, Calgary has become a very unattractive landing spot. A shame, given all the work King, Sutter and co. did to re-enhance the status of the organization and the Flames brand.

This is the thing--even if baseless, the kind of speculation about ownership meddling and too-many-cooks in hockey ops that has run rampant since Sutter's meltdown damages the reputation of the organization and its attractiveness for top tier off-ice talent. I view this to be probably the single most damaging development over the last couple of years for the long term viability of the organization. The fact that Edwards & co seem unwilling or incapable of recognizing this is continuously astounding and bewildering.

I am sure there are good candidates that would jump at the chance to be GM here, for sure, but it's unlikely a guy like Nill--who can pretty much hand pick whatever gig he wants at the point--would want any part of the Calgary organization, even if we were chasing him (which it doesn't sound like we were).

This, to me, is a major problem.

Could be. The thing is either the flames ownership and KK don't meddle, making to "many cooks in the kitchen" moot, or they have meddled and by now should see what the results have gotten them and bow out from meddling. Either way Nill or next GM should have full autonomy.

I don't think the flames were after Nill because i see the flames situation way better than Dallas. Iggy has been traded so the new GM is not the guy to trade franchise player. It's also pretty much starting from a clean slate and would have 3 first round picks. The biggest factor would be that a new GM would know that ownership will spend to the cap at any time. I highly doubt that Nill can go to Dallas owner and say lets spend some cash.

I personally don't see why a new GM would take Dallas over Calgary unless he was never considered.

I agree that they were probably not chasing Nill

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

yup, agree with this sentiment.

However, i'd be even more pissed as an oiler fan. Can you imagine what a smart hockey person could do with that young roster and the assets they have to play around with. Instead they go with a guy who has no gm experience simply because he is buddies with management .

Joe N. made some pretty useless trades and UFA pickups. I do appreciate him not hanging onto a pipe dream to get 8th and trying to get assets back even though the stars were in a tight race.

I agree the Oilers screwed the pooch once again. Not sure what they were thinking?

The next part if just my gut feeling and i have no fact base for it, so bear with me:

In the last couple of years i continually hear KK and Feaster taking small "pot shots" at the oilers organization. I never hear them do that with any other team in the NHL. It's starting to come across as long as the flames are better than the Oilers and just a little more competent then all is well.

Maybe, just maybe, the best thing that could have happened to the flames ownership for them to open their eyes, was for the Oilers to do the right thing and hire a competent GM. A good GM in Edmonton could easily have the Oilers back in the playoffs next year.

[Vulcan]

I think MacTavish is a step up from what the Oilers have had. I don't know how much control he'll have in making changes though.

[sureLoss]

Sounds like the Stars need a new head coach:

Renaud Lavoie ‏@RenLavoieRDS now I've been told that Glen Gulutzan won't be the Dallas Stars coach next season. #RDS

[Roof-Daddy]

Any chance the Stars hire Tom Renney as head coach then?

[browna]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Sounds like the Stars need a new head coach:

Renaud Lavoie ‏@RenLavoieRDS now I've been told that Glen Gulutzan won't be the Dallas Stars coach next season. #RDS

Another landing spot for Ruff.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Sounds like the Stars need a new head coach:

Renaud Lavoie ‏@RenLavoieRDS now I've been told that Glen Gulutzan won't be the Dallas Stars coach next season. #RDS

Man, I really don't pay enough attention to other teams in the league. There was actually a head coach in the NHL this year named Glen Gulutzan?

[jschick88]

Possible replacement could be Willie Desjardins who is currently coaching their AHL team.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by getbak

Man, I really don't pay enough attention to other teams in the league. There was actually a head coach in the NHL this year named Glen Gulutzan?

Strangely enough he was in the Flames system at one point. Dallas poached him out of our System I believe.

[OffsideSpecialist]

nm

[Flashpoint]

How come all the good moustaches come from Hanna Alberta?