GM search thread - all news and discussion here

[CBJWerenski8]

President of hockey ops and business associate: Waddell
President of business ops: Priest
Special advisor to hockey ops: JD
GM: Holland
AGM: Flynn, McRae
Dir. Player Development/Personnel: Nash
GM Cleveland Monsters: Clark

?

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Seedtype]

If we could replace Priest as well would be a good thing I think. I'm all for Waddell if that happens.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Welcome to Ohio, Don

 

[Fred Glover]

I’ll take Carolina’s success here

 

[Crede777]

President of hockey ops and business associate: Waddell
President of business ops: Priest
Special advisor to hockey ops: JD
GM: Holland
AGM: Flynn, McRae
Dir. Player Development/Personnel: Nash
GM Cleveland Monsters: Clark

?

I would think it would be more that Waddell would be POHOP and GM starting out. After a few seasons, he would become just POHOP and someone else (Nash?) would become GM.

 

[Crede777]

I'd say Waddell is equivalent to Holland in a lot of ways. Very mixed records. My interest is similarly ... mixed.

Really seems the Jackets' criteria is less "team win/loss record as GM" and more "how many years served as GM." Obviously there's much more involved than that. But they primarily seem concerned with amount of experience over performance.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

Welcome to Ohio, Don

future kroger fuel points user don waddell

 

[JohnnyJacket13]

future kroger fuel points user don waddell

They’ve got Harris Teeter down in North Carolina so I’m sure he already has a fuel perks account

 

[cbjthrowaway]

Really seems the Jackets' criteria is less "team win/loss record as GM" and more "how many years served as GM." Obviously there's much more involved than that. But they primarily seem concerned with amount of experience over performance.

waddell is absolutely the best of both worlds imo

old school in the sense that he's a hockey lifer who has been serving in a GM role for a long time, but new school in that he oversaw a carolina hockey ops department that fully embraced (and masterfully implemented) analytical thinking.

in carolina he built one of the league's best rosters while keeping the cap sheet very clean. it's a roster that's good at the top and elite at the margins while lacking a true superstar, whereas holland inherited a team with two megastars and build a solid but not elite supporting cast and creating a cap mess.

 

[Indy18]

Well is it for President or GM is the question at this point.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[MoeBartoli]

President of hockey ops and business associate: Waddell
President of business ops: Priest
Special advisor to hockey ops: JD
GM: Holland
AGM: Flynn, McRae
Dir. Player Development/Personnel: Nash
GM Cleveland Monsters: Clark

?

If Waddell is the Pres of hockey ops, I’d prefer to bring in as GM someone who’s currently a younger asst GM rather than Holland - a Darche or similar. Holland makes sense only if you would see him a mentoring Nash as his replacement, which is a possibility.

I admit I’m not sold as Nash as a future GM as I didn’t see leadership when he served as captain.

 

[LJ7]

I was hoping Waddell would be coming in place of JD at the President role rather than GM. I think that suits Waddell better and also turns the page on Davidson with someone whom I see as an upgrade. If Tulsky is sick of Carolina I would love for him to come over and slot in as GM.

 

[Viqsi]

I am not sure the fanbase will find Waddell as polarizing as you do.

I realize the Carolina team is a reflection of its coach but its a playing style that a lot of CBJ fans wish their team played and they have a GM that has given its coach the kinds of players he wants. To me that's huge, hire a coach, give him the players that play the style he wants to play.

And...as much as you say he was part of the front office that led to Atlanta leaving for Winnipeg (which I don't necessarily see the correlation to), one could argue Raleigh/Durham has become a very successful market where there are no stability issues or questions about the team's future. Makes me think the Atlanta situation was more about the ownership, not the team president/GM.

I don't know if he leaves Carolina or what the CBJ would be offering him title-wise but IMO this is the wrong hill to make your stand on, the team could do a lot worse. My biggest concern with him is do we want to be starting over with a 68 year old. And I know...Lou is at UBS Arena on Long Island saying "hold my expensive glass of wine".

It absolutely was more about the ownership. But they were giving orders to sabotage the team, and he complied.

* * *​

So how much of that would he be to blame for? He did not move with the team to Winnipeg. He hasn't tried to sabotage Carolina.

Wouldn't this just possibly be guilt by association?

The fact that he didn't go with the team to Winnipeg speaks against him, not for him. The job he was asked to do was done; they didn't need him to sabotage Jets 2.0.

He didn't decide to do the execution, but he sure as hell performed it.

 

[Xoggz22]

If Waddell were to come on board, I have a hard time thinking that he wouldn't be hiring a GM that he knows/trusts immediately. I don't see him coming on board as GM but rather PHOP. That would there is a GM to follow quickly.

At this point, I'm not convinced he's coming to Columbus though. If he does I'm willing to bet Tulsky comes with him...

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

It absolutely was more about the ownership. But they were giving orders to sabotage the team, and he complied.

* * *​

The fact that he didn't go with the team to Winnipeg speaks against him, not for him. The job he was asked to do was done; they didn't need him to sabotage Jets 2.0.

He didn't decide to do the execution, but he sure as hell performed it.

Perhaps I have a bit of perspective on this but I once spent time actively moving jobs to the Philippines in my previous career and it also eventually included my own unbeknownst to me at the time.

I didn't like it and I certaintly didn't agree with it but it was my job and I needed a paycheck. I don't think that makes me a horrible person because I did what my bosses asked me to do.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

If Waddell is the Pres of hockey ops, I’d prefer to bring in as GM someone who’s currently a younger asst GM rather than Holland - a Darche or similar. Holland makes sense only if you would see him a mentoring Nash as his replacement, which is a possibility.

I admit I’m not sold as Nash as a future GM as I didn’t see leadership when he served as captain.

Darche is exactly the guy I thought of when I started to think about Waddell as PHOp.

 

[Viqsi]

Perhaps I have a bit of perspective on this but I once spent time actively moving jobs to the Philippines in my previous career and it also eventually included my own unbeknownst to me at the time.

I didn't like it and I certaintly didn't agree with it but it was my job and I needed a paycheck. I don't think that makes me a horrible person because I did what my bosses asked me to do.

I'd have walked. I legit don't know how one can do that and still feel good about themselves.

 

[LJ7]

Waddell's stuff in Atlanta is water under the fridge for me. I can understand it being a red flag for some but it does not sound any alarms for me.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

If Waddell were to come on board, I have a hard time thinking that he wouldn't be hiring a GM that he knows/trusts immediately. I don't see him coming on board as GM but rather PHOP. That would there is a GM to follow quickly.

At this point, I'm not convinced he's coming to Columbus though. If he does I'm willing to bet Tulsky comes with him...

Possible, but Carolina named Tulsky interim GM and I would expect is working hard to give him a deal that takes the interim tag off as soon as possible.

 

[BLONG7]

He had some high highs (Weber, Suzuki, Danault, Petry) and plenty of lows (Alzner, Sergachev). Feels like donkey is a stretch from outside looking in, but I dont think anyone actually wants him in here anyways. More of a case where you'd maybe want him over another shit option. Roll of a dice whether he makes or good deal or not, so who'd want that kind of stress

He just plugs holes.................is not a real GM as per se..............trust me you don't want that donkey trying to do a rebuild for your team. He had some luck as you say, and made some awful decisions too....we were stuck in no mans land for 10 years, expecting Price to do it all.
Good luck at the draft guys, the Jackets and Habs just might end up trading partners, on drat day!

 

[LJ7]

Possible, but Carolina named Tulsky interim GM and I would expect is working hard to give him a deal that takes the interim tag off as soon as possible.

The report that Waddell is leaving on his own terms, and the fact that Carolina is conducting an external search both combine to give me a glimmer of hope that Tulsky may want to get out too. If we can snag the Waddell/Tulsky duo I would be very excited.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

The report that Waddell is leaving on his own terms, and the fact that Carolina is conducting an external search both combine to give me a glimmer of hope that Tulsky may want to get out too. If we can snag the Waddell/Tulsky duo I would be very excited.

Well enough and I agree.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Other than the fact we share a division, I think it'd be cool if you guys got Waddell. It's always hard to be sure who was responsible for what given Dundon and our collaborative approach in Carolina, but I do think Waddell played a big role in what our franchise has become. He was able to manage up very effectively in one of the more unique ownership situations in the league. Unlike many people in the league (probably Francis included since he got booted quickly) he never had too much pride or ego to collaborate equally with others in the front office and embrace analytics. He was a great figurehead to put out there for the team and probably handled the majority of the networking on the back end. And he handled a lot of the business side of things quite well even if he didn't really want to be doing both the hockey and business parts at all times. We certainly had our worries when Dundon came in and Waddell was kinda his liason in buying the team and our market had been through so many rumors that there could be a Thrashers like situation. But it seems it really was mostly the Atlanta ownership being awful.

It's hard to say how it would go and you have to find some luck along the way like we did getting Brindy and having it turn out so well among other things. But I think he's got a chance to be a great hire if that's the way it goes.