I don't think he's trying to force his way out, but certainly not in a hurry to join that shitshow. Maybe in a year they are in Salt Lake City or something.
IMO the timing of this decision and the Coyotes being rejected in Tempe is not coincidental.
Oh no doubt, what I meant was that he's probably not necessarily looking to force his way out of the organization, but rather taking a break because this is not the time to join that circus. In a year, things might be different.
The fun thing is Cooley will play in front of a way bigger crowd in the NCAA.
Remember when the small market afterthought teams like Edmonton and Calgary could barely keep their players and their teams were in danger of moving? Bettman and the cap saved them.
Cooley will make more from NIL than he would in Europe. NIL is gonna change a lot of this dynamic, especially for the colleges flush with cash and huge hockey donors.
Understandable given the market, but likely a mistake longer term given the rumored names. I can envision a way it works out for a season or two (and maybe even a Cup which if that happens it is a wild success), but 4-5 years down the road, the team will be a shell of what they are today given the pressures on the new GM. Dubas made plenty of mistakes (all GMs do), but he built a very good team even with being hamstrung by some bad deals he inherited.
Strangely I did think Dubas was probably the best option to handle this offseason and even try to get Matthews extended (if AM even wants to) .. curious to see how these next 5 weeks play out
Yeah he resigned a few days ago. There will be a pretty big house cleaning there. Some really bright hockey minds will be available.
