Thank you. This a well thought post and I agree with almost all of it.
The only omission in this report card is that Brad thought bringing Keefe back was a good idea. When to me, if you decide to keep the core intact, why was the coach brought back as well?
Something had to change. Rolling it back should not be the go to plan.
This was my thought about the timing of the firing of Dubas. I mean if you feel your GM hasn't done a sufficient job, yes you should fire him. No sense holding for too long.
Whether it was too late, I think Dubas finally learned about what it means to have a complete team. The 2023 deadline to me showed he changed in his thinking, I think it goes back further than that, but the deadline really exemplified it. The moves were good and that roster should have at least made it to the Conference finals, but the stars let the team down.
People talk about loyalty, and yes he was loyal too often and for too long. But he trades away Engvall at the deadline, one of his Calder Cup Marlies. Plus, he traded away one of his own picks in Sandin, knowing he no longer fit and needed to help refill his draft capital.
Where am I going with this? A GM finally learning what kind of team is needed and not being as loyal. Fresh off a loss where he had now been burned, what 5 times? If there was any time that a cutthroat move was going to happen, it was after that. Yes, maybe like 2 years too late. But better late than never.
Bringing in an outsider, naturally, there would be the thinking of "Look at the talent. He couldn't surround them, but let me try and put my stamp on things." Treliving may have conjured up thoughts of a reset, but he may have just prolonged the reset.
Treliving has only been here a short time, so maybe within a calendar year, a lot of things will have happened, including cutthroat moves and a pivot in direction.
My biggest questioning with him though, is why make utility an afterthought? I find that odd, especially given the personnel he had in Calgary.
