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

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I don't think getting Nash front office experience is the issue though. It's the idea that they will name Nash the GM at some point in the future regardless of his performance or qualifications. It would be like drafting Fantilli to be the 1C, letting him play wing and lower in the lineup to get experience, but after 2 seasons or so just promoting him to 1C regardless of if he is the most qualified person or not.

I think a competitive team would tell Nash that they won't make any promises and if he wants to be a GM then when an opening comes along he needs to be better than all the other candidates.

Yes it is more like that. I agree with that.

And when we are told explicitly that's the CBJ org's plan, I'll probably be a little upset about it.

 

[Crede777]

Yes it is more like that. I agree with that.

And when we are told explicitly that's the CBJ org's plan, I'll probably be a little upset about it.

That makes sense. I will be a little upset about it now before anything is explicitly confirmed. And then if it does happen and the team is bad I will be greatly upset about it. But if the team is good I will pretend like I was never upset about it and will be happy instead.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

That makes sense. I will be a little upset about it now before anything is explicitly confirmed. And then if it does happen and the team is bad I will be greatly upset about it. But if the team is good I will pretend like I was never upset about it and will be happy instead.

That seems like a reasonable course of action.

 

[Xoggz22]

We just hired a new GM and we’re already having pages long discussion on his replacement. Like can we just focus on our actual GM smh

Why? Don't you know he's the wrong guy already?

 

[Xoggz22]

I don't think getting Nash front office experience is the issue though. It's the idea that they will name Nash the GM at some point in the future regardless of his performance or qualifications. It would be like drafting Fantilli to be the 1C, letting him play wing and lower in the lineup to get experience, but after 2 seasons or so just promoting him to 1C regardless of if he is the most qualified person or not.

I think a competitive team would tell Nash that they won't make any promises and if he wants to be a GM then when an opening comes along he needs to be better than all the other candidates.

Unfortunately this is present in all aspects of today's world. I want my doctor, nurse, attorney or GM to be the best qualified for the job. Period. I don't think this will be given to him but I suspect there is enough input coming in that Waddell might see the potential Nash may have and will do all he can to train him and teach him the trade. If he's not ready, then I have a hard time thinking that a 1 in 32 job would just go to someone because the club thinks he's owed. I'm sure he'll be given every chance but if he's not right, they move on. there are talented people out there just as deserving. Much ado about nothing at the moment - in my opinion. Let's just see what Waddell does on the job and worry about the rest later.

There's a phrase.... Enjoy the moment.... I plan do do so.

 

[Youngguns80]

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

As plugged in as Schieg has been I have 100% confidence in this report.

 

[majormajor]

I listened to Scheig's podcast and it was full of good information.



They've improved it alot over the years, apparently.

My issue with considering Nash to be the heir apparent for GM is not because of Nash's qualities or bona fides. I take issue with the process itself.

This would be like Calgary saying a year ago that they will draft Tij Iginla with their 1st round pick regardless of how he does as long as he's available. Sure, he might prove to be a 1st round talent. Sure, he might end up being a good player. But that's not how teams that are good run things. Good teams draft the best player available. Good teams hire the best GM candidate available. They don't play favorites and they don't forecast or make promises.

I think if the club named Nash heir to the GM position, many of us would be pissed off about it. I don't want an heir. I hope they don't treat him that way.

There's no sign they've done that. So I won't get bothered about it now.

 

[Xoggz22]

Pretty generic presser. Managers manage, coaches coach, players play... He's talked to about 15 players but the players do not have input on decisions because he knows some have axes to grind and others may have been "given" something that sways their decisions. Indicated he has 12 candidates for the coaching position and won't interview all 12 but talking to folks around the league for input. I got the impression it would take a whale of an offer to move the 4OA pick. No decision on 36OA. Assistant coaches will be decided once a new coach comes on board. No decisions for a change at this time.

Started working on RFAs with Josh Flynn. Training staff out and about with players and their trainers to check on progress. No injuries to report. Laine trade is very likely with no change in position. Sounds like he's interested in moving on from him. Working with the agent. Laine still in PAP and once released (could be any day now) teams would like to speak directly with Patrik so they've given perrmission through the agent. Agent has no say on trade criteria. Hopes to make a hockey trade and not retain but not out of the question. Focused on draft and free agency. Knows activity will pick up dramatically in coming days, especially when SC final is over.

I didn't find anything earth shattering. He absolutely wants NHL head coach experience and I get the impression he wants a coach that will run the room with a strong hand but also support development. Maybe me reading between the lines but sounds like it was too loose and maybe not all on same page (heard that one before? )

 

[Fred Glover]

Pretty generic presser. Managers manage, coaches coach, players play... He's talked to about 15 players but the players do not have input on decisions because he knows some have axes to grind and others may have been "given" something that sways their decisions. Indicated he has 12 candidates for the coaching position and won't interview all 12 but talking to folks around the league for input. I got the impression it would take a whale of an offer to move the 4OA pick. No decision on 36OA. Assistant coaches will be decided once a new coach comes on board. No decisions for a change at this time.

Started working on RFAs with Josh Flynn. Training staff out and about with players and their trainers to check on progress. No injuries to report. Laine trade is very likely with no change in position. Sounds like he's interested in moving on from him. Working with the agent. Laine still in PAP and once released (could be any day now) teams would like to speak directly with Patrik so they've given perrmission through the agent. Agent has no say on trade criteria. Hopes to make a hockey trade and not retain but not out of the question. Focused on draft and free agency. Knows activity will pick up dramatically in coming days, especially when SC final is over.

I didn't find anything earth shattering. He absolutely wants NHL head coach experience and I get the impression he wants a coach that will run the room with a strong hand but also support development. Maybe me reading between the lines but sounds like it was too loose and maybe not all on same page (heard that one before? )

I listened to the presser as well
Very concise and accurate summary
Thank you

 

[JohnnyJacket13]

Don seems very keen on accountability and getting things right. Makes me feel at ease that things will get turned around. Should be an interesting few weeks!

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

I think we are turning the skill of being a successful GM into something far more complicated than it really is. Can you watch 16-18 year old draft prospects and see the talents that will translate to NHL success? Can you watch players on your team and see what you need to fill the gaps and acquire those guys in free agency or trades? Can you hire coaches that will make your players better? Any long term NHL player had exposure to those things happening around him. Can that knowledge translate to the job? Only time will tell.

 

[NotWendell]

I think we are turning the skill of being a successful GM into something far more complicated than it really is. Can you watch 16-18 year old draft prospects and see the talents that will translate to NHL success? Can you watch players on your team and see what you need to fill the gaps and acquire those guys in free agency or trades? Can you hire coaches that will make your players better? Any long term NHL player had exposure to those things happening around him. Can that knowledge translate to the job? Only time will tell.

It's the GM's job to hire the right people who can do that - and to hold those people accountable for getting the results the team needs.

 

[tunnelvision]

We're little over a month into the Waddell era, so I wonder does anybody here have a clue yet on what are CBJ's plans on roster construction in the long-term? Are they going to build a team similar to Carolina, a fast, cycle-heavy team that wants to get out of the zone quick and safely? Or is it going to be a some kind of variation from the original plan (rush-heavy puck-possession team and something?) when Jarmo and JD were the main architects, to which Waddell is going to make small tweaks? Or probably something entirely different?

And has FO even had talks about making a long-term plan? I'm asking these things because I genuinely think they're more important and interesting questions than trying to figure out who might be the next HC and what roster moves will be achieved during this particular offseason.

I recall Waddell mentioning in different contexts that he wants the team to play fast and players needing to be good skaters to survive in the league, and we could try drawing some conclusions from that. But do his words align well with his actions? Well, none of the players they drafted this year seem like poor skaters so in that sense there hasn't been anything contradicting worth of pointing out.

But 5x5.5M for Monahan is such a head scratcher for me. Yes, good veterans are needed to set right standards for younger players and to help them develop several aspects of their games, but that price and term for a player as slow and worn out (possibly) as Monahan is just too much. I'll be surprised if that contract isn't going to a significant problem for us sooner or later.

Second reason why I found the signing a bit baffling was the trade rumor regarding 4OA for Necas+ which allegedly didn't happen because Necas didn't want to sign an extension here (btw it sounded like a catastrophic deal for CBJ imo). Now, let's assume Waddell wants to add fast players. Necas is a fast player so he fits their plans well. Let's also imagine Necas "accepts" the trade and signs a big contract with CBJ. Then we move onto free agency. Monahan expresses he interested in signing with CBJ. Is Waddell still going to offer him 5x5.5 as what ended up happening in reality? If Waddell said yes to that, would you have been happy with that decision? And if Waddell said no, would it make you wonder why? After all, Necas and Monahan are fundamentally different type of forwards, they don't bring same elements to the Jackets top-6.

So far I haven't got the impression that Waddell has been very patient and strategic with his moves, and it's making me uncomfortable. I hope he or someone here could prove my concerns completely unnecessary.

 

[koteka]

So far I haven't got the impression that Waddell has been very patient and strategic with his moves, and it's making me uncomfortable. I hope he or someone here could prove my concerns completely unnecessary.

I kind of see it as draft a potential 1c or high end 2c to go with a guy we already hoped would be a 1c and then sign a mentor for those guys plus Voronkov and Sillinger and maybe even KJ. Lindstrom is at least a year away from being in the NHL and probably 3-4 years away from being a solid NHL center. I don’t think we would start 25-26 with Fantill-Lindstrom-Sillinger-Voronkov and feel good about all of our centers being thrown into what we hope are their eventual roles. “Hey guys, go figure it out,” doesn’t seem like a wise approach. So we’ll probably start Lindstrom on the wing next season if he is in the NHL and let Fantilli and Sillinger have 2 or 3 more years without the pressure of being a 1c.

 

[tunnelvision]

I kind of see it as draft a potential 1c or high end 2c to go with a guy we already hoped would be a 1c and then sign a mentor for those guys plus Voronkov and Sillinger and maybe even KJ. Lindstrom is at least a year away from being in the NHL and probably 3-4 years away from being a solid NHL center. I don’t think we would start 25-26 with Fantill-Lindstrom-Sillinger-Voronkov and feel good about all of our centers being thrown into what we hope are their eventual roles.

It all would be more understandable for me if they never were after Necas, but if the reports are true, they were. And then we wouldn't have been able to get that potential 1/2C with 4OA pick.

What do you think Waddell saw in Necas? Because he basically would've been another winger.

 

[koteka]

It all would be more understandable for me if they never were after Necas, but if the reports are true, they were. And then we wouldn't have been able to get that potential 1/2C with 4OA pick.

What do you think Waddell saw in Necas? Because he basically would've been another winger.

I am ignoring the Necas stuff. In the end it didn’t happen. I don’t trust a lot of hockey media. I really don’t trust people who regularly tweet about the CBJ. My guess is we wanted Lindstrom but we had a trade back if Lindstrom wasn’t there, possibly with Chicago but who really knows, and a bunch of rumors got conflated and some people think maybe we were trading 4OA for Necas but that was probably never on the table.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Wadders

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Wadders

Well as tunnel said, things have been kinda muddy.

 

[ClevelandJacketFan]

My understanding of the Necas+ for 4ova was only on the table if Lindstrom was not there.

 

[VT]

My understanding of the Necas+ for 4ova was only on the table if Lindstrom was not there.

Nečas for 4th would be bad trade for us.

 

[ColumbusTrill]

We're little over a month into the Waddell era, so I wonder does anybody here have a clue yet on what are CBJ's plans on roster construction in the long-term? Are they going to build a team similar to Carolina, a fast, cycle-heavy team that wants to get out of the zone quick and safely? Or is it going to be a some kind of variation from the original plan (rush-heavy puck-possession team and something?) when Jarmo and JD were the main architects, to which Waddell is going to make small tweaks? Or probably something entirely different?

And has FO even had talks about making a long-term plan? I'm asking these things because I genuinely think they're more important and interesting questions than trying to figure out who might be the next HC and what roster moves will be achieved during this particular offseason.

I recall Waddell mentioning in different contexts that he wants the team to play fast and players needing to be good skaters to survive in the league, and we could try drawing some conclusions from that. But do his words align well with his actions? Well, none of the players they drafted this year seem like poor skaters so in that sense there hasn't been anything contradicting worth of pointing out.

But 5x5.5M for Monahan is such a head scratcher for me. Yes, good veterans are needed to set right standards for younger players and to help them develop several aspects of their games, but that price and term for a player as slow and worn out (possibly) as Monahan is just too much. I'll be surprised if that contract isn't going to a significant problem for us sooner or later.

Second reason why I found the signing a bit baffling was the trade rumor regarding 4OA for Necas+ which allegedly didn't happen because Necas didn't want to sign an extension here (btw it sounded like a catastrophic deal for CBJ imo). Now, let's assume Waddell wants to add fast players. Necas is a fast player so he fits their plans well. Let's also imagine Necas "accepts" the trade and signs a big contract with CBJ. Then we move onto free agency. Monahan expresses he interested in signing with CBJ. Is Waddell still going to offer him 5x5.5 as what ended up happening in reality? If Waddell said yes to that, would you have been happy with that decision? And if Waddell said no, would it make you wonder why? After all, Necas and Monahan are fundamentally different type of forwards, they don't bring same elements to the Jackets top-6.

So far I haven't got the impression that Waddell has been very patient and strategic with his moves, and it's making me uncomfortable. I hope he or someone here could prove my concerns completely unnecessary.

What would you have done differently to address our lack of centers? I don’t think running it back with last years group would have been good for anyone

 

[tunnelvision]

What would you have done differently to address our lack of centers? I don’t think running it back with last years group would have been good for anyone

I haven't put a lot of thought into that honestly, maybe I would have tried to trade for some good faceoff dude like Pageau, assuming he can still have a small bounce back closer to his former level of play. Or maybe I would have taken Wenny for the term the Sharks got him signed, idk.

But this is all irrelevant to the main point of my post anyway. I want to get a sense or some sort of confirmation from Waddell that there is a carefully though out long-term plan for the team, and that they're willing to stick to that plan. So far I'm not getting it, based on the lack of talk about outlining a long-term vision in interviews and slight incoherence between Waddell's words and actions.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

It’s funny - not wrong, not bad, not misplaced, just funny - that we’re all “need to solve the center problem” and now we’re building lineups and we don’t have room for Boone, Fantilli, Voronkov, Sillinger and Kuraly to play center.

 

[Nanabijou]

I'm pretty happy with what Waddell has done with the forwards. Monahan checks a lot of boxes - helps with faceoffs, veteran mentoring, hopefully kicks Johnny into increased production based on past history, lets the young kids grow into the #1 spot. Texier seemed pretty superfluous at this point so no issue there - gives Malatesta a chance to compete for the 4th line spot, and if not, can run with Kuraly-Danforth-Olivier.

There was no easy fix at goalie. That Elvis contract is an anchor at this point. Not ideal, but I get that the plan this year is to hope that Elvis bounces back and if not, that Tarasov and Greaves can step up.

Defense is an issue and we haven't seen anything meaningful done there besides clearing the chaff. Jack Johnson will hopefully fill the role of a good #7 D and help mentor the kids. My guess is the plan is to use Laine as a trading chip to get someone that can help back there. I'm willing to be patient here, no sense in rushing this trade. May need Laine to start season before this can be accomplished. I don't think free agency was the best route to fix the D issue anyways.

I don't need Waddell to spell out his plan exactly to the fans, but I can see the general direction and am optimistic. The reality is that the CBJ really need the young talent they already have to develop if they are going to get back to being relevant.