Management GM Pierre Dorion/Front Office Thread - Part IX [Mod Warning in post 1)

[Tragedy]

I never blamed Dorion for the Zib or EK trades as i always assumed those were Melnyk forced. If i assume that Melnyk had decided never to sign EK but rather to go on a 5 years of unparalleled salary cap floor spending and rookie turnover spree, then all Dorions deals make sense to me.

The first 3 years that he was given that unusual early extension for were because we were going to turnover the roster, suck, and live in the standings basement. So saying we sucked the first 3 years as some sort of knock on him suggests to me sloppy analysis.

The next 2 years of key development, where the pandemic caused much missing development time, required different deals. We werent looking for long term missing pieces. We were looking for the best available short term character filler for the cheapest and shortest term. Polled before we signed Stepan, most Sens fans expected to be competing for the top pick in the draft. Mgmt could see this too. So it seemed appropriate to me to be making the filler deals like they did.

Now the 5 years of unparalleled salary cap floor spending and renewal is over. We can expect discrete jumps in the team now. And the requirements for building are now different.

I see what you're saying but if the team knew they were going to suck, why are we trading 2nd round picks for deadweight character guys exactly?

 

[thinkwild]

I see what you're saying but if the team knew they were going to suck, why are we trading 2nd round picks for deadweight character guys exactly?

Sure, that's fair, I wasnt particularly a fan of the Stepan deal either. But we do need to ice a team. We did need some vets that in the past had provided offence to help out the young guys. I dont really feel today like im thinking, oh if only we had made that 2nd round pick what a difference it could be now. I mean, there's always a chance. But draft picks are capital. We make some as picks, we trade some to make a current roster. We had plenty of picks. I like to make as many as possible too, waste not want not and all, but im not traumatized every time we use a 2nd for other day to day purposes either. Its loss to me was about as inconsequential as signing Stepan or losing Balcers and Dahlen.

 

[Tuna99]

WHAT THE HELL DID BRADY & CHABOT SAY TO PIERRE DORION???

I can’t get my boss to change the nasty cheap coffee maker and Dorion suddenly can access the good part of his brain, the girlfriend must be going nuts for this

 

[Bileur]

Summer of Pierre baby!

 

[Canucks LB]

Canucks fan here, Absolutely love what Dorion is doing this year.
He is the star of the Off-Season so far
Redemption story!

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Canucks fan here, Absolutely love what Dorion is doing this year.
He is the star of the Off-Season so far
Redemption story!

Hard to put your finger on what significant change might have occurred.
I still think its the drugs

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Sakic resigned from his GM position because he didn’t want to deal with the revenge served by Final Form Dorion. Smart man saw it coming.

 

[Bileur]

Hard to put your finger on what significant change might have occurred.
I still think its the drugs

Must be getting on that microdosing LSD trend

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Canucks fan here, Absolutely love what Dorion is doing this year.
He is the star of the Off-Season so far
Redemption story!

Kudos to him. His job is on the line and he's hitting dingers with these deals. If they pan out he gets an extension.

 

[armani]

I am loving the unleashed version of Dorion. Best off season in Sens memory wrt all the moves, so many, thus far!

Credit Duh Dorion on making some sick trades in favour of the team - getting Da Cat & Talbot, a good draft haul without any picks in top 6, getting rid of deadweights in Murray, MDZ, and counting. And it’s still days away from Free Agency. Thanks Anna, Olivia, and uncle Bruce Almighty Garrioch!

FYOUS is nigh!! This is Spartaaaaahhhhh

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

You know it’s good when the PD thread hits the second page for the first time in 4 years…

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

 

[Sweatred]

I do find it odd that teams are buying out low cost contracts that were only signed last year... MDZ, Kuokanen and Balcers all had one year left and weren't particularly pricey contracts. Lindblom makes a bit more sense.

Cause they suck … scratch #2 dumb Dorion move off the list. A basement team is paying him to go away.

 

[swiftwin]

The fun, lively and inclusive messages on the social media channels of the Senators are a breath of fresh air. The ticket office is reporting a brisk bump in season tickets (not to mention the sales of No. 28 Giroux jerseys and from fans online, ‘Hot Pierre Summer’ t-shirts. For the first time in many years, people in the region are feeling optimistic about their team, beyond the overloaded expectations placed on their young talent acquired through trade and draft during the bottom-out years.

Euphoria in Ottawa: Senators are willing to spend, changing course from the past

The Senators have altered every preconceived notion about how this franchise operates. Pierre Dorion, who had been the Clark Kent of general managers, put on a cape and went to work.

www.sportsnet.ca

Who would have thought a few weeks ago that we would have "Hot Pierre Summer" t-shirts.

 

[swiftwin]

I'm not so sure Eugene dying was the catalyst here. Dorion was always pretty open about the rebuild plan, and that at some point, he would have that big summer he's having right now. I even pointed this out 8 months ago, and people were straight up hostile to me (as usual):

Management - GM Pierre Dorion/Front Office Thread - Part VIII

And then I get lost in IKEA Every. Single. Time In the ball room?

forums.hfboards.com

Dorion specifically says: "At some point at time, when we feel we're ready to win, we might have to package a pick or a prospect to make that next step". and later says "At some point and time, we might have to do that, I don't think we're there yet"

It seems that "that point" was this off-season.

That being said, I have no doubt that Eugene being out of the picture makes Dorion's life easier.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

I'm not so sure Eugene dying was the catalyst here. Dorion was always pretty open about the rebuild plan, and that at some point, he would have that big summer he's having right now. I even pointed this out 8 months ago, and people were straight up hostile to me (as usual):

Management - GM Pierre Dorion/Front Office Thread - Part VIII

And then I get lost in IKEA Every. Single. Time In the ball room?

forums.hfboards.com

Dorion specifically says: "At some point at time, when we feel we're ready to win, we might have to package a pick or a prospect to make that next step". and later says "At some point and time, we might have to do that, I don't think we're there yet"

It seems that "that point" was this off-season.

That being said, I have no doubt that Eugene being out of the picture makes Dorion's life easier.

Whether it was the catalyst or not, hard to prove one way or the other. Dorion's track record doesn't make it easy to have confidence in his word that it was the plan for me, personally, but it's easy to see the opposing viewpoint as just as valid. Not especially relevant or helpful to dwell except to say that this was a summer where Dorion had to put up or shut up, and boy did he put up.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

I'm not so sure Eugene dying was the catalyst here. Dorion was always pretty open about the rebuild plan, and that at some point, he would have that big summer he's having right now. I even pointed this out 8 months ago, and people were straight up hostile to me (as usual):

Management - GM Pierre Dorion/Front Office Thread - Part VIII

And then I get lost in IKEA Every. Single. Time In the ball room?

forums.hfboards.com

Dorion specifically says: "At some point at time, when we feel we're ready to win, we might have to package a pick or a prospect to make that next step". and later says "At some point and time, we might have to do that, I don't think we're there yet"

It seems that "that point" was this off-season.

That being said, I have no doubt that Eugene being out of the picture makes Dorion's life easier.

I would wager Brady and Chabot expressing the need to improve this off season was a catalyst

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I would wager Brady and Chabot expressing the need to improve this off season was a catalyst

It was a great move by both of them…

 

[PlayersLtd]

I would wager Brady and Chabot expressing the need to improve this off season was a catalyst

Two guys that are under contract for 6 more years? I don't want to downplay the respect PD has for them or anything but if PD had his own plan that he believed in, he would have just smiled and nodded at Brady and Chabot and gone about his business. I have my doubts he went fully nuclear because of what they said.

It's one of 4 things imo:

1 / It was time and all part of the plan
2 / A new business approach
3 / PD was unleashed post EM
4 / All of the above.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Two guys that are under contract for 6 more years? I don't want to downplay the respect PD has for them or anything but if PD had his own plan that he believed in, he would have just smiled and nodded at Brady and Chabot and gone about his business. I have my doubts he went fully nuclear because of what they said.

It's one of 4 things imo:

1 / It was time and all part of the plan
2 / A new business approach
3 / PD was unleashed post EM
4 / All of the above.

You drafted Brady to be the nucleus and essentially brand of the Ottawa Senators. Had he chuckled, nodded and did the bare minimum I am sure they wouldn't like it.

It's a combination of things and not one single thing.

 

[SpezDispenser]

I'm not so sure Eugene dying was the catalyst here. Dorion was always pretty open about the rebuild plan, and that at some point, he would have that big summer he's having right now. I even pointed this out 8 months ago, and people were straight up hostile to me (as usual):

Management - GM Pierre Dorion/Front Office Thread - Part VIII

And then I get lost in IKEA Every. Single. Time In the ball room?

forums.hfboards.com

Dorion specifically says: "At some point at time, when we feel we're ready to win, we might have to package a pick or a prospect to make that next step". and later says "At some point and time, we might have to do that, I don't think we're there yet"

It seems that "that point" was this off-season.

That being said, I have no doubt that Eugene being out of the picture makes Dorion's life easier.

The thing that bugged me personally was the acquisitions of average players. One of Gudbranson or Brown sure, but both?He never really made any moves that either weren't completely unnecessary like MDZ or a poor read of the market with Murray's extension, the stupid stepan trade. He made bad acquisitions, blame it on the pro scouts to a degree, but come on...

You can't say the shit without the good, Karlssons trade was franchise altering. Zub was great, but i wish he had at least tried to bring in guys that could play competent veteran roles, not the has beens he brought it.

 

[PlayersLtd]

You drafted Brady to be the nucleus and essentially brand of the Ottawa Senators. Had he chuckled, nodded and did the bare minimum I am sure they wouldn't like it.

It's a combination of things and not one single thing.

Sure, except you aren't insecure about them liking the bare minimum or not because you have your own plan that you believe in (and you don't do the chuckle).

If I'm a boss, which I am, and 2 staff come in and tell me how they think it should be done, it's not going to move the needle very much because I have the confidence that I know better, that's what I'm paid for.

In that scenario I take solace knowing that they will see the merit in the plan once it comes to fruition and all will be forgotten.

But yes, I agree, it was several things and I'm not discounting that Brady offered up a useful nudge, I just don't believe it played a very big role in Pierre going full Hulk mode on the NHL.