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

[CalBuckeyeRob]

Why even make him interim then? If he's their guy why not just give him the title?

Which is why it is odd. They know Tulsky so no need to interview him if he is the guy. If he isn't, hard to believe he wouldn't leave rather than stay in a supporting role to someone else.

 

[KJ Dangler]

So basically ownership let JD save face , and McConnell has finally heard the fans that he can’t totally absolve himself from decisions .. Sounds like for the first time , we are going to invest in a legit front office .. count me excited..

 

[MoeBartoli]

I was going through their Waddell thread yesterday and their board seems extremely split on Waddell, the overall consensus is that he's legitimately a standup guy either way which is encouraging at least.

I’m fine with Waddell. I’ve seen complaints but few have offered the better alternative. There have been posts over individual moves but my judgement is rooted in the overall body of work which ultimately is measured in results. Carolina results have been pretty darned, and done so without a superstar.

I guess it does remain to be seen what position he assumes. I know what Dougie - the man who brought us Gilbert Brule and tried to keep us from Ken Hitchcock - is reporting, but we’ll see.

As an aside, I’ve seen people mention the KK offer sheet as a blunder, but chalk that one up to the owner, the James Dolan of NC.

 

[CBJx614]

I’m fine with Waddell. I’ve seen complaints but few have offered the better alternative. There have been posts over individual moves but my judgement is rooted in the overall body of work which ultimately is measured in results. Carolina results have been pretty darned, and done so without a superstar.

I guess it does remain to be seen what position he assumes. I know what Dougie - the man who brought us Gilbert Brule and tried to keep us from Ken Hitchcock - is reporting, but we’ll see.

As an aside, I’ve seen people mention the KK offer sheet as a blunder, but chalk that one up to the owner, the James Dolan of NC.

Something that keeps popping up on the Canes board, Is that they keep mentioning how it seemed like it was run by committee, but everything I've seen in the behind the battle videos suggest that Columbus is run in very much the same fashion. It seemed every single major decision, they went around the room and got everybody's opinions on something before taking a general consensus, it never seemed like Jarmo or JD were like, " Okay, this is what we're doing" and making a decision on their own

So I would imagine to see that continue with Waddell taking over and I would imagine that is what happens in a lot of FOs around the league. But here at least Waddell knows he won't have an owner trying to make decisions for him, which I wonder if that's part of the reason he wasn't interested in coming back to Carolina?

 

[EDM]

Sou Dougie is hoping Waddell will bring him back as GM ????

 

[MissADD]

Interesting. I am skeptical about JD leaving for good. I thought he could be a good advisor/face of the Jackets, but if he does go for good, I hope he enjoys retirement. He did do well overall.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

So basically ownership let JD save face , and McConnell has finally heard the fans that he can’t totally absolve himself from decisions .. Sounds like for the first time , we are going to invest in a legit front office .. count me excited..

I’m past ready for JD to be gone but I don’t think this is saving face as much as acknowledging he’s ready to step back.

 

[majormajor]

If people know the answer here then why does it matter…

CBJ Waddell thread on a hockey forum isn’t the place to learn about Waddell. Ok.

Ok let me clarify. The only way we would know the answer is if someone went to the Canes board and asked for detailed information and then brought that info back here. So far I'm the only one who has seemed to do that legwork. I would like more people to do that so this board could actually provide better info, we're just not there yet.

 

[majormajor]

Why even make him interim then? If he's their guy why not just give him the title?

One thing about Dundon is that he won't pay you unless you're getting similar offers elsewhere that he'll match. That and he might really want to keep Tulsky and at the same time be trying to keep Tulsky in an AGM role where he thinks Tulsky is best suited. He'll promote him if he has to. The risk though is that Tulsky can be interviewed elsewhere and might get plucked. Dundon is just an odd duck overall, he likes to take risks.

Which is why it is odd. They know Tulsky so no need to interview him if he is the guy. If he isn't, hard to believe he wouldn't leave rather than stay in a supporting role to someone else.

We're not sure that Tulsky is getting offers to be GM. He's interviewed for it before in 1 or 2 other cities and hasn't gotten it. He's the guy everyone wants as AGM but clubs are a little more reluctant to hand him the keys.

Personally I'd give him the GM job here - you can still have Waddell doing a lot of the phone calls and having the final say. They can keep their structure while getting promoted.

Though if Waddell is taking Priest's job, then I imagine if he's also hockey ops president he wouldn't be super active in that role.

Some people are fine with Waddell. Some people were against Holland for GM. I think Frank Seravalli was still thinking Holland for GM, especially because Waddell and Holland are close. If they hired Holland, would this offset the Waddell hiring and you guys will be mad?

It still might be Holland for GM, who I think would be okayish, similar to my feelings about Waddell.

Something that keeps popping up on the Canes board, Is that they keep mentioning how it seemed like it was run by committee, but everything I've seen in the behind the battle videos suggest that Columbus is run in very much the same fashion. It seemed every single major decision, they went around the room and got everybody's opinions on something before taking a general consensus, it never seemed like Jarmo or JD were like, " Okay, this is what we're doing" and making a decision on their own

My understanding from Canes fans is that Dundon is often in the room in Carolina, he can overrule the GM.

And I'm not sure exactly what it was like when there was disagreement in our FO, if the process still looked the same as it does in the videos they chose to make public.

 

[CannonFire1]

Some people are fine with Waddell. Some people were against Holland for GM. I think Frank Seravalli was still thinking Holland for GM, especially because Waddell and Holland are close. If they hired Holland, would this offset the Waddell hiring and you guys will be mad?

This is an interesting question. I am not a fan of Holland, mainly because of how his time in Detroit ended and to a lesser extent because of failing to put a strong enough supporting cast around McDavid and Draisaitl. My preference would still be Waddell as PHOP and someone else (like Darche) as GM. If Holland does come aboard, I think I would feel better about adding him as one piece of a group rather than him as "the guy."

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[JacketsDavid]

I am thankful that JD is leaving. Made zero sense to bring him back once his "dream job" fired him.

I personally don't see Waddell as the guy to change the culture and everything we hoped for. But I do see him as an upgrade over what we have had.

 

[MoeBartoli]

I am thankful that JD is leaving. Made zero sense to bring him back once his "dream job" fired him.

I personally don't see Waddell as the guy to change the culture and everything we hoped for. But I do see him as an upgrade over what we have had.

Traditional thought is that culture begins at the top Probably true - certainly in business. But in hockey (and most sports) the on ice and locker room culture is established by the coach as we saw under Torts. To me, the coach that Waddell hires will be his greatest impact on the culture.

 

[majormajor]

Traditional thought is that culture begins at the top Probably true - certainly in business. But in hockey (and most sports) the on ice and locker room culture is established by the coach as we saw under Torts. To me, the coach that Waddell hires will be his greatest impact on the culture.

I think it can have a lot to do with the players.

The Bruins room took shape under Chara and Bergeron, and they formed the culture and held it despite the stupidity of Chiarelli, Benning, and Sweeney. They've run through a lot of coaches in that span.

The Jackets culture of the previous decade is often mistakenly attributed to Torts, but it was formed long before Torts, and it wasn't because of Todd Richards either. It was around 2012-2013 when Foligno and Dubinsky joined the room with vets like Letestu. The expectations rose across the lineup.

For the current Jackets, they lost their consistent veterans and the lineup filled up with RFA kids finding their way, and frequently lost players like Laine and Roslovic who aren't leaders (not necessarily bad player but not leaders). Boone aside, we don't have standard setters playing higher up in the lineup.

Either way, I don't think JD was a part of the culture problem and I don't think Waddell is going to change it one way or the other through his personal bearing. Maybe through player changes. Maybe through the coach.

 

[CannonFire1]

I generally believe the coach and veteran players both contribute more to culture than senior execs, but execs also have a part to play by making sure systems are aligned at minor league and NHL levels, players are treated respectfully in negotiations, family and significant others are treated well, development plans are clearly communicated, etc. Basically, all of the leaders need to be on the same page and pulling in the same direction - just like any business.

 

[PajamaBoy]

Are Jackets looking for a coach? Can't see a new gm coming in and not wanting his guy.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Are Jackets looking for a coach? Can't see a new gm coming in and not wanting his guy.

Doesnt feel like anyone quite knows yet. Waddell's introductory press conference will probably be when we get better info on it.

It's a freebie for a gm to get rid of the previous guy's coach, so there's also some value in keeping him until you know your team better.

 

[PajamaBoy]

Doesnt feel like anyone quite knows yet. Waddell's introductory press conference will probably be when we get better info on it.

It's a freebie for a gm to get rid of the previous guy's coach, so there's also some value in keeping him until you know your team better.

Hate it for your players/fans. The wait and see years for a team that's been doing the wait and see for a few years is so frustrating. Did the current coach show anything promising? Will he play the Russians more lol.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Perhaps the culture at the top of hockey ops also needed a cleansing, and it’s not just a locker room problem. Too many people who have been comfortable for too long. Including JD.

Maybe Ownership told both JD and Priest that they appreciate their efforts through the years but they wanted new blood at the top, and told them to find people they trusted to take over. That they’d still have a role in the organization if they wanted it, but they wanted a new direction.

Again all speculatory on my part but when JD said he wanted a disruptor all up and down the organization maybe that was actually an ownership message rather than his own.

 

[ClevelandJacketFan]

I also believe alignment, from the tippy top of the execs to the equipment manager, should be formed by management and expressed all the way down.

Everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction, with the same philosophy and the same manner. I'd let Waddle do whatever he wants, as long as it is a unified voice.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

Someone needs more experience than a doctor does to be a general manager of a hockey team?

They used to sit quarterbacks for three or four years before they gave them a chance to start and now they put them in there day one.

I don’t think experience means a thing as a GM, you either have it or you don’t.

Every single GM we've had has been a first time GM. How's that worked for us?

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I think it can have a lot to do with the players.

The Bruins room took shape under Chara and Bergeron, and they formed the culture and held it despite the stupidity of Chiarelli, Benning, and Sweeney. They've run through a lot of coaches in that span.

The Jackets culture of the previous decade is often mistakenly attributed to Torts, but it was formed long before Torts, and it wasn't because of Todd Richards either. It was around 2012-2013 when Foligno and Dubinsky joined the room with vets like Letestu. The expectations rose across the lineup.

For the current Jackets, they lost their consistent veterans and the lineup filled up with RFA kids finding their way, and frequently lost players like Laine and Roslovic who aren't leaders (not necessarily bad player but not leaders). Boone aside, we don't have standard setters playing higher up in the lineup.

Either way, I don't think JD was a part of the culture problem and I don't think Waddell is going to change it one way or the other through his personal bearing. Maybe through player changes. Maybe through the coach.

I think there is some truth here for sure and I'm not sure our current group of veterans nows how to change it because they don't know what real success is like. Players who've been here only know 1 real playoff series win. Johnny is a great players but Calgary has never had sustained success. He set a World Championships USA record for points because he's almost always either not in the playoffs or always eliminated early. The players on this team just seriously don't know real success and therefore don't know how to get there.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Perhaps the culture at the top of hockey ops also needed a cleansing, and it’s not just a locker room problem. Too many people who have been comfortable for too long. Including JD.

Maybe Ownership told both JD and Priest that they appreciate their efforts through the years but they wanted new blood at the top, and told them to find people they trusted to take over. That they’d still have a role in the organization if they wanted it, but they wanted a new direction.

Again all speculatory on my part but when JD said he wanted a disruptor all up and down the organization maybe that was actually an ownership message rather than his own.

I don't know. I think JD has been around the block and cares enough about this place that his ego wouldn't get in the way of helping it be a success. He knows he's not here for much longer and he needs to set it up for long term success.

It all went to shit when he left and gave Jarmo the keys. I think he desperately wants to fix it and make it right.

 

[majormajor]

I think there is some truth here for sure and I'm not sure our current group of veterans nows how to change it because they don't know what real success is like. Players who've been here only know 1 real playoff series win. Johnny is a great players but Calgary has never had sustained success. He set a World Championships USA record for points because he's almost always either not in the playoffs or always eliminated early. The players on this team just seriously don't know real success and therefore don't know how to get there.

"Been there" helps but there's also natural leadership ability and ability to pull your teammates up to higher standards. We saw that Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky had that, despite not having "been there". We brought in Greg Campbell who had been there and he didn't help.

24/32 teams don't go to the second round so there's a lot of great players available for the World Championship every year. It's a pure positive for Johnny that he has been so successful in international play.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Every single GM we've had has been a first time GM. How's that worked for us?

Vegas won the Cup last year with a 1st time GM
Colorado won 2 years ago with a 1st time GM
Tampa won 3 and 4 years ago with a 1st time GM

It's been since '18-19 since an experienced GM won the Cup.