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

koteka

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By comparison to the rest of the league we're about average to above-average.

That’s what you took from what I wrote?

Ignoring the fact that you skipped the entire refutation of the idea we want to hate for unreasonable reasons, how do we compare to the teams of our era - the Wild, Preds, Thrashers/Jets? The Preds seem to have a different kind of “nepotism” going on there with Brian Poile.
 

CBJx614

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We seem to hire an unusually large number of ex Jackets. Meanwhile a lot of sports coaching/management legends are hired from other teams than the team they played for. Part of that is you don’t want to hire your own guy and then have to fire him which creates bad blood. Part of that is you want new ideas.

Universities tend not to hire their own graduates as professors because they don’t want academic inbreeding. Even good universities do this.

If we look at that rather successful football team down the road as a model, the successful football coaches are not former OSU football players and the guy who just concluded a rather successful run as Athletic Director was from Notre Dame. Sure there are a couple of ex players working in media or assistant coaching, but if they ever want a head coaching or high level administrative gig, they will need to go elsewhere and prove themselves.
Some of Ohio states best coaches are guys who have come back to help the team. Specifically looking at Hartline and Laurinitis.


Sakic in Colorado

Yzerman in Detroit.

Grier in SJ

Briere in Philly

Shane Doan was in a high up position until the team moved to Utah.

I do agree that you do need outside help, but hiring from within isn't always a bad practice.
 
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ThirdPeriodTurtle

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Regardless, it's good that Nash gets to be under Waddell now, so he gets to experience two different GMs (Jarmo and Waddell) and learn first hand. It's up to him how much and how well he learns. That Athletic article certainly paints the picture even clearer, i.e. 2-4 years from now Nash is the GM. I'm fine with that. Better then than now.
 

koteka

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Some of Ohio states best coaches are guys who have come back to help the team. Specifically looking at Hartline and Laurinitis.


Sakic in Colorado

Yzerman in Detroit.

Grier in SJ

Briere in Philly

Shane Doan was in a high up position until the team moved to Utah.

I do agree that you do need outside help, but hiring from within isn't always a bad practice.

Hartline and Laurenitis are great assistant coaches. Laurenitis went to Norte Dame to start coaching under Freeman. Neither one will be the head coach at OSU without proving himself elsewhere. The potential former player that might be considered as the next head coach is Vrabel who has made a name for himself away from OSU. Freeman or Fickell are also trying to prove themselves away from OSU.

Yzerman worked for the Lightning. Grier worked for several teams besides the Sharks. Briere went to manage the Maine Mariners, and ECHL team for several seasons. Sakic is the closest comparable to Nash.
 

CBJx614

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Hartline and Laurenitis are great assistant coaches. Laurenitis went to Norte Dame to start coaching under Freeman. Neither one will be the head coach at OSU without proving himself elsewhere. The potential former player that might be considered as the next head coach is Vrabel who has made a name for himself away from OSU. Freeman or Fickell are also trying to prove themselves away from OSU.

Yzerman worked for the Lightning. Grier worked for several teams besides the Sharks. Briere went to manage the Maine Mariners, and ECHL team for several seasons. Sakic is the closest comparable to Nash.
You're not wrong, but Nash also now has the advantage of learning from a GM outside of the organization, without having to leave the organization. And Waddell bringing people from Carolina here now means he gets to see a different perspective on how others do things. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some more turnover in other areas in the next few seasons as well.

I don't think there's one right or wrong way to do things.
 
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koteka

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You're not wrong, but Nash also now has the advantage of learning from a GM outside of the organization, without having to leave the organization. And Waddell bringing people from Carolina here now means he gets to see a different perspective on how others do things. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some more turnover in other areas in the next few seasons as well.

I don't think there's one right or wrong way to do things.

I am mostly arguing against that it is some anti-Jackets bias that has people upset that Nash was given the opportunities he has been given within the organization. I don’t want any of my favorite teams hiring from the inside or giving a a guy an easy path to leadership.

I’d love for Michigan to keep up the “Michigan Man” bs and keep hiring former players.
 

Viqsi

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I am mostly arguing against that it is some anti-Jackets bias that has people upset that Nash was given the opportunities he has been given within the organization.
I am willing to allow for the possibility that one or two other people have slightly more nuanced reasons. But the bulk of the complaints are undoubtedly because of that.
 

Xoggz22

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I haven't waded into the Nash discussion thus far and the only comment I plan to make is this... Just because someone played for the CBJ and is tied to the years of frustration and losing, doesn't mean they aren't capable of working for the CBJ to elevate the club. A great player doesn't necessarily make a great coach. A bad player isn't necessarily devoid of thought and concepts on how to run a team. Connections are part of life and they exist everywhere. There are CBJ execs and players in roles throughout the NHL having success. Is that in spite of being tied to the CBJ? Because or it? Or maybe they are just capable of performing the job and someone sees somethign in them to help their teams.

I'll give everyone a chance, but when the team fails, changes need to occur. When they succeed, accolades should be handed out as well.
 

majormajor

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I've said before that if you could ever talk Patrice Bergeron into being a GM here, I'd just go ahead and give it to him. He has zero FO experience but he's simply not someone I would pass on. He's a great leader who has a lot of experience with building a locker room and recruiting players for it. He would be a magnet for talent that everyone wants to work with and talk with.

My discomfort with Nash isn't really about whether this counts as nepotism or something like that. I don't mind them elevating a leader in franchise history. If you think he has the talent, go for it. But from my vantage point, it's not obvious that he is that type of leader or has that type of talent. We'll see how that changes in five years, Nash is much more well spoken than he was a few years ago, maybe he'll keep improving that and maybe he'll develop his analytical mind as well. And of course maybe he's better than I'm guessing, we have a very limited view.

Another guy who I would just hand the keys to is Nick Foligno. Call me crazy. His Blackhawks contract is up in two years. Get him before someone else does.
 
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Derby

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Ya had to open the Mike Todd door, didn’t ya?!? 🤬
I’d give freakin’ Jeff Carter the coveted arena host gig if it meant the end of MT screeching into the mic and making my ears bleed as he promotes the latest greatest local tomato festival or other hayseed schtick.🤮
 

NORiculous

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I heard Fantilli is staying alone. Don’t you find that concerning that he isn’t staying with a Vet? Hopefully that is fixed by new management.
 

spintheblackcircle

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As an aside to @Viqsi who thinks I have been too negative at times, maybe that is the result of hanging around the serious hockey community in Columbus which has been far more critical of the Jackets over the years than the typical poster on the CBJ HF boards.

The HF Blue Jacket fan is just as serious if not more serious than an alleged “serious hockey community”.

As someone who’s been on this site for about 25 years now, this website has the best hockey fans on it in the world. There’s no other place you will find better fans of the team that you’re a fan of.
 
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OldGoaltender

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The HF Blue Jacket fan is just as serious if not more serious than an alleged “serious hockey community”.

As someone who’s been on this site for about 25 years now, this website has the best hockey fans on it in the world. There’s no other place you will find better fans of the team that you’re a fan of.

I can only speak for myself as I guy who's been playing the game since the 60s I think I have a pretty good grasp on the game. This forum of Jacket fans might be critical at times but for the most part they are fair and only want a good product which is what every hockey fan wants and deserves since it is their hard earned money that supports the game.

Having played against many young players from Canada there is a bit of cockiness and arrogance that they exude. I never had a problem with it, all I did was shut them out of the nets wink wink. Every hockey city has its own personality and that's a good thing. The posters on here are top notch even though some enjoy pushing buttons.
 

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