Was about to write something similar.
I’m not advocating to keep MB, but I do not see a world where changing the GM will drive any significant results.
Any new GM will come in and say that he’ll need to build through the draft because UFA do not come here (or in Canada in general) and trades are difficult to make (and as many are noting, we do not have that much of value to trade), so we should give him 5 years to achieve his plan and deliver results, and then we cross our fingers that he finds that needle in a haystack in the draft that will make the big difference...
And we know that 2 years in, we’ll have a semi-decent year with our current prospects and he will be pressured to make a push for a playoff spot by the ownership to make that playoff money (and let’s not kid ourselves, the fans and the media will get excited as well and would be pretty mad if we finish the year 9 or 10 by doing nothing), so he’ll trade our second round pick for a veteran, lose in 6 games in the first round, and end up drafting late in the first, which will put the team behind on its “build through the draft plan”.
And in 5 years, most fans will be calling for his head, then rinse and repeat...
Also, as much as Julien Brisebois is doing a good job, Tampa’s success is based on great drafting, solid development, and convincing players to sign below market value because their post-tax take home will be the same in Tampa vs most other markets. Maybe he can bring the first 2 elements in Montreal, but certainly not the last one... There is no way he could have fit his Stanley Cup winning team under the cap in Montreal, nor any other team they had for the past few years...
They don't deserve the respect of people thinking they are still a good team.
