Confirmed with Link: It's Started! (Management firings)

[Malkinstheman]

Bergevin wouldn't even be in my top-5 but if he's hired I wouldn't be angry like I would with Chia or Bowman. His trade history seems good but the main thing plaguing him is total lack of vision. The Canadiens have been a nothing team forever but that might just be ownership not wanting to commit to a rebuild.

If Bergevin is reigned in by a analytics focused POHO, I guess it's fine.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Bergevin wouldn't even be in my top-5 but if he's hired I wouldn't be angry like I would with Chia or Bowman. His trade history seems good but the main thing plaguing him is total lack of vision. The Canadiens have been a nothing team forever but that might just be ownership not wanting to commit to a rebuild.

If Bergevin is reigned in by a analytics focused POHO, I guess it's fine.

I get the sense that he has a lot of autonomy from Molson. So Mtl's suckitude and poor choices are Bergevin's and no influence.
Although I do like he went with MSL as head coach

 

[Bouboumaster]

Bergevin is great at making trades but that's about it, he's ASS at everything else

 

[Gurglesons]

Bergevin wouldn't even be in my top-5 but if he's hired I wouldn't be angry like I would with Chia or Bowman. His trade history seems good but the main thing plaguing him is total lack of vision. The Canadiens have been a nothing team forever but that might just be ownership not wanting to commit to a rebuild.

If Bergevin is reigned in by a analytics focused POHO, I guess it's fine.

Have had more post season success than us over the last five seasons.

 

[SEALBound]

Also, as a counter to those who believe Sullivan is the master of puppets behind the scenes....

Chiarelli gets hired and fires Sullivan again.

Every Penguin fan:

Also advantageous to potentially hurt a divisional opponent by hiring Tulsky.

It's happened to us plenty of times. Fitzy to NJ, we lost the WBS to them as well I believe, Guerin to Minny, Botterill to the Sabres, the analytics guy to the Sabres. Realistically speaking, the FO in the b2b years was quite good. Tough to lose so many good people. I can tell you, when you lose someone good, replacing them is tougher than it seems.

You would assume Mario isn't heavily involved with this process?

I would bet Mario is there for the 2nd round interviews.

In the Burkle/Mario interview, Mario stressed that he wanted to see a team that was FAST and skilled. Turns out, JR built that team and they win b2b. Mario is a great hockey mind so it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall in GM discussions to see what Mario thinks the direction should be.

We look at it now and see teams winning with a combination of youth, speed, skill, and a handful of rough and tough guys. Problem is, there's only so many rough and tough guys so you need to figure out a parallel plan.

 

[SEALBound]

Bergevin is great at making trades but that's about it, he's ASS at everything else

I'll say, I don't hate the team he put together in 2021. You look at the lineup and it was a good lineup. There was good balance of everything - size, speed, skill, youth, playmakers, shooters, puck movers, an all-star goalie...you'd think everything would have gone their way but...it didn't. It's not unlike Vancouver this past year. At the beginning of the season, you looked at the lineup and it was tough to poke holes in it. Obviously it didn't work out, I get it but in the off-season, I don' think too many would have balked at the moves either team made.

Bergy with a strong analytics crew to back him up...while not my first option, I will say there are definitely worse options.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Bergevin's biggest problem was falling in love with players... He can't do that anymore. Giving terrible contracts to Price and Gallagher, Armia, Byron and I'm forgetting some is not his strong point.

If Bergevin is hired he would need a Cap guy and a solid assistant to make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes he did in Montreal the last few years of managing there.

The assistant would also need to make sure he doesn't spend stupid money on the UFA he has signed in the past, Alzner, Hoffman, Moen...

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Bergevin is great at making trades but that's about it, he's ASS at everything else

He made some ok moves don't get me wrong but at the end of the day he will most probably be remembered for the Drouin / Sergachev trade

 

[Gurglesons]

He made some ok moves don't get me wrong but at the end of the day he will most probably be remembered for the Drouin / Sergachev trade

Probably the Blandisi / Varone deal actually.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Probably the Blandisi / Varone deal actually.

Hahaha, in that case it's the John Scott trade hands down

 

[Freeptop]

I wouldn't put too much stock in any of the names being mentioned until/unless we find out who made it to round 2 of the interviews.

Round 1 is a screening process. By all reports, they talked to 10-12 people, and of those, we've got 5 "confirmed" names. That doesn't tell us who did the best, just who the media found out went through the interview. Beeston specifically said they were going to cast a wide net to start, after all.

For this stage, they weren't going to turn down an application from the "retread" candidates, as they, by definition, have experience. That doesn't guarantee anything beyond that first interview, though. That's just doing due diligence as part of a "wide net" initial process.

The only source saying that anyone is some sort of favorite has been Steve Dangle, who claims to have heard it from some players. And I'm sitting here wondering how those players could possibly know what direction FSG is thinking of going. My guess is that some players speculated, and it was interpreted as insider knowledge.

In any case, I'd be highly surprised if FSG has made up their mind prior to completing round 2 of the interviews.

 

[Turin]

I kind of expect Karmanos as Pres w/ Bergevin as GM, knowing this team. I would be at least kind of interested to see what Bergevin would do with a different team.

 

[Josey Wales]

I kind of expect Karmanos as Pres w/ Bergevin as GM, knowing this team. I would be at least kind of interested to see what Bergevin would do with a different team.

UMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

[hockeywiz542]

According to hockey insider Chris Johnston, the MLSE board is finally willing to grant Kyle Dubas a contract extension after declining to do so last summer, but there’s a desire to wrap things up quickly. We’re talking as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, according to sources.

Emotional Dubas leaves future with Maple Leafs in doubt - NorthStar Bets

Without knowing the extent of his family situation – or being able to fully measure the human cost of investing everything he had into being Leafs GM – it seemed at least plausible that Dubas may be burnt out.

And if that’s the case, the 37-year-old should be granted the space and privacy needed to take care of matters far more important than chasing a Stanley Cup.

Except the challenge hanging over this particular situation is time.

The MLSE board is finally willing to grant Dubas a contract extension after declining to do so last summer, but there’s a desire to wrap things up quickly. We’re talking as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, according to sources.

While that makes logistical sense given the volume of looming decisions – making a determination on Sheldon Keefe and his coaching staff, finalizing draft preparations, working out a contract extension with Auston Matthews (and possibly William Nylander), exploring the market for core-altering trades – it’s going to be a tight turnaround for someone in the mindspace we saw Dubas display.

In the event he decides to walk away, as unfathomable as that seems, the Leafs would need to scramble quickly for a Plan B.

Perhaps it’s as simple as promoting assistant general manager Brandon Pridham, who has been with the organization since August 2014 as a salary cap specialist and has since added important responsibilities like taking the lead on contract negotiations. He’s a valued asset that would provide continuity and has been linked to the ongoing Calgary Flames GM search.

Many of the external candidates are well down the road in the process for other job openings, although one that isn’t – recently departed Flames GM Brad Treliving – would likely be of strong interest.

Again, though, we are only a little more than six weeks out from the start of free agency. The timing won’t allow for a comprehensive search.

Notably, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan elected not to join Dubas for Monday’s year-end media availability, which is a significant departure from past practice. Shanahan will speak in the coming days, according to Leafs PR.

 

[Gurglesons]

Not really sold on Dubas so who cares.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Why would we want anyone who was ever associated with a Canadian team?

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Why would we want anyone who was ever associated with a Canadian team?

Hiring an ex flyer is really not any better lol

 

[Gurglesons]

Hiring an ex flyer is really not any better lol

Hextall made sense at that time tbh.

We looked like we were about one or two years away from rebuilding.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Hextall made sense at that time tbh.

We looked like we were about one or two years away from rebuilding.

Thing is like most had said at the time anyways, it's not like if he helped the flyers in their rebuild. They didn't even draft that well. Too late now, hopefully not the same mistake is made now

 

[SomeDude]

It’s pretty tiresome even being associated by a proxy to the Leafs off-season drama. Dubas and that organization deserve each other. Just sign a 10 year deal so FSG can find their own analytics monkey.

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

He made some ok moves don't get me wrong but at the end of the day he will most probably be remembered for the Drouin / Sergachev trade

Montreal is always overvaluing French talent. It sells tickets so they are pining for a local boy! Point is I wouldn't put it all on Bergevin.

As for Hextall...
Yeah...I was also one of the ones that was confused with that signing. He basically tried to rebuild the Flyers multiple times, and had no real success stories. He never tried to maintain, or tweak a winning team. I don't know how his experience translated into "yeah that's our guy". From day 1 he kept saying draft picks...draft picks...draft picks.

Burke...
An overvalued ex-Leaf. You could also see that one coming. Though I like Dubas (even though he isn't likely coming), I have that nagging though in the back of my mind....overvalued ex-Leaf.

 

[molon labe]

It’s pretty tiresome even being associated by a proxy to the Leafs off-season drama. Dubas and that organization deserve each other. Just sign a 10 year deal so FSG can find their own analytics monkey.

I was super surprised by Dubas' remarks. Toronto or bust? Okay then.

As for our own management. We're not at crunch time but we're ALMOST at crunch time. Decision should be made by end of week at latest. You bleed into June and you're really putting pressure on the entire business.

I hate the president of operations position - so ignoring that: your GM has to immediately send whatever message they intend to have to the entire front office. That's probably an all-hands meeting of sorts. Then they need to get 1:1's with each scouting department, medical staff, coaching staff, etc. Evaluate everything they are being told AND come to conclusions / follow-ups. That completely ignores a pending draft, pending free agency, etc. You want that GM to do that in a matter of 3 weeks? I honestly have faith that the HF collective might do it but everyone here has watched this core nightly for a decade minimum (many of us 3 decades) - this group isn't like that. The pulse isn't there.

Anyway, doesn't instill a lot of confidence. Leads me to believe what a lot of ney-sayers here are saying about keeping Sully because they want to evaluate for themselves (idiotic), making a few roster moves and doing the same dumb-ass NHL routine of waiting til Christmas when half our roster is banged up and can't be traded anyway.

Was really hoping for better. For someone to set this entire organization on fire.

 

[Turin]

UMMMMMMMMMMMMM

I’m not endorsing it I could just see it happening

 

[Josey Wales]

I’m not endorsing it I could just see it happening

No it won't

 

[Bouboumaster]

I'll say, I don't hate the team he put together in 2021. You look at the lineup and it was a good lineup. There was good balance of everything - size, speed, skill, youth, playmakers, shooters, puck movers, an all-star goalie...you'd think everything would have gone their way but...it didn't. It's not unlike Vancouver this past year. At the beginning of the season, you looked at the lineup and it was tough to poke holes in it. Obviously it didn't work out, I get it but in the off-season, I don' think too many would have balked at the moves either team made.

Bergy with a strong analytics crew to back him up...while not my first option, I will say there are definitely worse options.

The team he built in 2021 was great but if we're Honest here, Bergevin pretty owed that run mainly on the fact that Carey Price was a demi-god on those playoffs

Gallagher's contract and Armia's contract are his current legacy

He made some ok moves don't get me wrong but at the end of the day he will most probably be remembered for the Drouin / Sergachev trade

It was a really bad trade but it's nothing compared to how much he sucks at everything else