Confirmed with Link: CBJ hire Don Waddell as President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. JD to serve as Senior Advisor

[koteka]

That isn't the GMs job, his job to put the right people in place to do that. Yeah sure he'll watch tape in meetings, but I highly doubt GMs have enough free time to sit around for hours at a time watching guys play.

I would think a good GM thinks everything is his job. He may delegate, and he should delegate. But before he is drafting early round guys or making major trades, I think he would want to delve into the video.

I have no question that Jarmo would be watching hours of tape.

 

[GoJackets1]

This is one of the dumber discussions I’ve seen on this board.

 

[CBJx614]

I would think a good GM thinks everything is his job. He may delegate, and he should delegate. But before he is drafting early round guys or making major trades, I think he would want to delve into the video.

I have no question that Jarmo would be watching hours of tape.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he's not watching any tape at all, just that's he's not dedicating hours a day or a set amount of time consistently watching tape.

And really it depends on their background, every GM has had a different path. I have no doubts Jarmo did either, but that stems from his path to becoming a GM through his scouting prowess. He probably knows just as much what to look for as his entire scouting team.

Don waddell and Rick Nash have entirely different backgrounds, both from Jarmo and each other. So who knows what kind of GMs they will be.

The real test will be what Waddell actually does with Nash.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

I started coming to CBJ games in 2010-11. I saw Nash play a lot of games. My impression of him was that he was a good player but nothing more. His playoff stats are horrible and the CBJ went nowhere with him as their on ice leader-not all his fault obviously.

It's unfortunate that the franchise has been so unaccomplished in its history that it has to make an icon out of a player like Nash. But that doesn't have any negative consequences on its own. But when an ownership is so tied to a player like Nash that they want to hand him the keys to the franchise when he's never accomplished anything as a manager in the game is flat out disconcerting.

I read where Waddell met John P. and asked him how often he wanted to be contacted. John P said "every other month or so". Really? Don't get overly involved, John I think the guy is so disengaged from the team and the NHL that he really has no clue about much in hockey. Rick Nash was his dad's guy and he's going to be mine too sounds like the motivating factor for John P.

This team screams for new ownership almost every time I hear what they do.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

There is a difference between out skill and out work. There is a difference between working hard for a shift or two and consistently and constantly outworking everyone. I would say Cam Atkinson doesn’t know how not to put in the work.

Nash even gave an interview once (maybe as a Bruin) where he said he spent too much of his career not knowing how to put in the work and regretted that by the time he realized what he needed to do that his body was letting him down.

Nash doesn’t seem the type that will watch more hours of video than other GMs and uncover some fact about a player that others miss. Cam seems like he would (if he were interested in GM work). Cam is a hustler. He opened The Battery.

Working hard is a weird thing. You can think you are working hard because in your frame of reference you are. Nash might have thought he was a hard worker in Columbus (and maybe he outworked other guys in Columbus) but I have a feeling he never realized what true hard work was until he was in Boston.

You literally reference that he has an awakening regarding the thing you're concerned about. If anything, that's a green flag.

 

[koteka]

You literally reference that he has an awakening regarding the thing you're concerned about. If anything, that's a green flag.

Recognizing something and overcoming it are two completely different things. For reference, see about anyone you know who keeps making the same poor life choices even though they know they make poor life choices. Heck, I keep coming back here when I could be using my time more productively is just one example.

 

[EDM]

At this point after 7 decades of life I can see that there is a difference between a dream fantasy and the willingness to put in the extra effort to achieve the dream. I know in particular that Nash played a significant part in the chaos that led to Hitch being fired. He showed no leadership, he showed no drive.

 

[EDM]

I agree with the comment that the reason Nash is in line is because he has been around so long that he seems "like family" to the MCConnells.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

The good news is that if Rick Nash came around to a way of thinking about hard work or if he didn’t, it doesn’t matter, because I get to feel the same way about him regardless.

 

[MoeBartoli]

My issue with Nash is that he had a chance to show his leadership skills when he wore the C in Columbus. I honestly can’t speak to his locker room presence, but I don’t recall anyone ever citing Nash as a great leader or captain. Any accolades pale to those attributed to Foligno. It seems to me leadership would be one attribute sought in a GM. There’s certainly other needed traits, but this would be a key one in my book.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

The notion that Rick Nash is some "can't miss" GM and the CBJ are planning a succession to him is simply mind-boggling.

I hope that it's not true.

I just hope he is up for the job if he is being groomed for it. I think we have this perception as fans tha he's just a hockey player who was gifted a front office job with the CBJ and his only management experience is knowing what JD and Jarmo taught him.

Of course we don't really know much about him and how he interacts with people and how his hockey smarts translate to a business job. For all we know he could be pursuing a formal education in business in addition to working for the team. I think that would be a prudent thing to do so he's not seen a just a "dumb hockey player" who never went to college.

 

[Indy18]

My issue with Nash is that he had a chance to show his leadership skills when he wore the C in Columbus. I honestly can’t speak to his locker room presence, but I don’t recall anyone ever citing Nash as a great leader or captain. Any accolades pale to those attributed to Foligno. It seems to me leadership would be one attribute sought in a GM. There’s certainly other needed traits, but this would be a key one in my book.

Different skill set. We know Nash has an excellent skill in back channeling with players to get them interested in the idea of coming to Columbus for example which is a very good skill to have in a FO.

 

[MoeBartoli]

Different skill set. We know Nash has an excellent skill in back channeling with players to get them interested in the idea of coming to Columbus for example which is a very good skill to have in a FO.

Disagree. A GM has a significant staff under them, where leadership is always required. One skill among many needed, but still one of them.

Also can you give me some examples of Nash’s magnetic attraction o getting players to Columbus? And please don’t say Johnny.

 

[Indy18]

Disagree. A GM has a significant staff under them, where leadership is always required. One skill among many needed, but still one of them.

Also can you give me some examples of Nash’s magnetic attraction o getting players to Columbus? And please don’t say Johnny.

Severson

 

[KJ Dangler]

The buzz around the NHL when Nash takes over .. and this is assuming Waddell turns things around and we are competing for cups , he will draw free agents here , he’s a well liked Dude and connects well with people . It’s easy to point fingers and say as a player he didn’t give it his all, honestly like Laine who let Columbus know last year he wanted moved , at some point highly competitive players get tired of the hopeless losing . We trade for Laine , and he’s stuck with Boone Jenner as his center . You honestly should be more upset that we never have known we need a top center since the franchise was started , and the best we did was PLD for a short period . That’s utter incompetence.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Severson

This isn't a resume-building "accomplishment"

 

[Napoli]

I'm just not at all surprised they want to make Nash the GM someday (or even soon). I hinted at it in another thread as a joke because I thought it would be below this franchise to do something so asinine.

Ultimately this is what you get with a very unserious ownership group. It's 20+ years of pretty God awful decision making.

Nash has no business being this team's GM, other than, "he really knows Columbus." There are much more qualified candidates and I hope common sense prevails in the long run.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Nash has no business being this team's GM, other than, "he really knows Columbus." There are much more qualified candidates and I hope common sense prevails in the long run.

He has no business being this team's GM TODAY. Maybe a few years working with a GM with extensive experience not named Jarmo and it could be quite different. Succession plans generally need to show progress towards a goal to be completed.

 

[majormajor]

So far this whole treatment of Nash as heir apparent seems to be just an assumption of media types like Marek.

We know our ownership and Nash are close. But we don't know whether they think Nash is a couple years away from taking over from Waddell, or whether they'd consider in ten years, or whether they think he can play some other role in the FO and all talk of Nash as GM is made up.

 

[EspenK]

Verbeek,Yzerman,Drury,Grier,Blake. All ex-players who are GMs. I agree with IBM that Nash doesn't appear to be a GM candidate right now but he also doesn't appear to not be one, say,3-5 years from now. Time working under Waddell will be make or break time.

Edit: Add Sakic to list

 

[Xoggz22]

I'll come back when this moves back to relevance with Waddell moves and the CBJ.

Nash, Worthy Successor or Useless sounds like it's own thread

 

[CBJx614]

Verbeek,Yzerman,Drury,Grier,Blake. All ex-players who are GMs. I agree with IBM that Nash doesn't appear to be a GM candidate right now but he also doesn't appear to not be one, say,3-5 years from now. Time working under Waddell will be make or break time.

Edit: Add Sakic to list

Add Alex Steen now as well, he has been named as the next GM of the Blues.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1801268862823936127

 

[Cujorulesdtown9]

Geez had I known how much people hated Nash maybe we should have drafted Kari Lehtonen and he could be our future potential GM.

Remember when Howson was ready to bring Prospal to the front office, but he got fired and Jk said like a villain "I know of no such deal" ?

Anyway, full plate for our current gm, esp with the laine stuff now... and all our needs. Nothing like getting a pass fail exam on day 1!

 

[Napoli]

He has no business being this team's GM TODAY. Maybe a few years working with a GM with extensive experience not named Jarmo and it could be quite different. Succession plans generally need to show progress towards a goal to be completed.

This team can't even develop prospects in the AHL and somehow they're going to develop a GM?

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

This team can't even develop prospects in the AHL and somehow they're going to develop a GM?

You know the guy responsible for this going forward is new right?