Todd isn’t getting paid $25M to spend five years collecting moral victories and developing outstanding young men. He’s getting paid to win more than he loses over the course of the deal. So you need to make hay starting year three or everyone’s position is tenuous.
I don’t blame nhl coaches for favoring vets. They all do unless explicitly told not to. Blake tells Todd you need to win more games and develop some kids because that is politically correct. But Todd knows that the only part that really matters is the games won component. And he’s going to flog the shit out of all the guys that make the most money.
Because if they win more games, everyone looks like a genius. And if they don’t, well no one can point to the coach not using what the GM paid the most for this season. It’s hack 101 and like I said, I get why nhl coaches work this way and don’t fault them for it.
What I don’t get is how any fan shares this attitude. You get the most fans by being entertaining. Promoting kids over vets makes the game more exciting. The people who are fans but pretend to be in the business of hockey are a small fraction of the overall audience. No one should listen to any fan who says they know how hockey decisions are really made.
