New York Islanders: Matt Martin Retires, Named Special Assistant to the GM

[SI90]

they had some options to choose from but Martin is a solid choice

I thought Hickey could find his way into a position

I want Hickey working directly with young players.

 

[Lek]

I want Hickey working directly with young players.

While i have no real idea, i get the feeling Hickey is very happy broadcasting.

 

[SI90]

While i have no real idea, i get the feeling Hickey is very happy broadcasting.

He’s great at it. His communication and breakdowns of the game are awesome.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Of course what you're saying is true, but again in your need to always be devil's advocate you distract from the point.

I'm trying to figure out the point. It seems to be that other organizations have hired experienced, competent people in this position, and the Islanders hired a guy that doesn't seem to have that. And, this is somehow good.

 

[Rehabguy]

Good for Matty. The quintessential Mr. Islander. So glad he's staying onboard.

 

[periferal]

This is how you hire a former player into the management side of things.

What you don't do is fire the GM you literally just hired 40 days earlier and appoint your backup goalie as GM when he had zero experience and shown zero ability to be even an average GM.*

You shouldn't rush prospects...And you shouldn't rush executives.

Matt Martin might be a good GM one day...Or he might not be any better than a GM assistant. Now we can find out, but this is the way a well ron professional organization should approach things.




*I still laugh and/or wince at Isles fans back then who thought the Isles had any shot at being Cup contenders under Wang's regime. What a joke at minimum and utter embarrassment overall. I'm both relieved and psyched at our ownership now in comparison.

 

[PK Cronin]

Of course what you're saying is true, but again in your need to always be devil's advocate you distract from the point.

You admit to making a false equivalency, so what is the point?

 

[periferal]

You admit to making a false equivalency, so what is the point?

What's the point of what - You being devil's advocate all the time? I don't know. Please tell us.

Of course being a "special advisor to the GM" could mean different things to different teams. That's not news to any of us, so you're arguing just to argue.

The point is that not one NHL team who has seem Bergevin's or Kekalainen's work as former GMs thought them worthy of roughly any more power or responsibility than a just-retired 4th liner with zero executive experience has. And that should signal something to those Isles fans who were willing, if not excited, to hire one of those guys to run the Isles.

 

[PK Cronin]

What's the point of what - You being devil's advocate all the time? I don't know. Please tell us.

Make more coherent arguments instead of your "passion" posts and you'll get less posts that you deem as being a devils advocate.

Of course being a "special advisor to the GM" could mean different things to different teams. That's not news to any of us, so you're arguing just to argue.

I'm not and I'll spell it out for you.

Matt Martin's new position with the Isles is the same one that Marc Bergevin and Jarmo Kekalainen have with the Kings and Sabres respectively.

Here you're trying to assign some sort of equivalency to all three people because they have the same position.

And some Isles fans were ok with, or even wanted, one of those 2 to be the new GM. Absolute madness.

Here you're mocking Islanders fans who were okay with or wanted Bergevin or Kekalainen to be the new GM.

Again that's what the entire NHL thought of guys who were running entire franchises for years. A 4th liner with zero front office experience is now at their level.

Here you're once again making their jobs equivalent because they're at the same titled position and using it to diminish Bergevin and Kekalainen. You're essentially saying, "see, a fourth liner with no management experience is at the same level as these two!"

Why are you comparing their jobs/titles/roles if you admittedly know that those roles are completely different depending on the organizational ask?

The point is that not one NHL team who has seem Bergevin's or Kekalainen's work as former GMs thought them worthy of roughly any more power or responsibility than a just-retired 4th liner with zero executive experience has. And that should signal something to those Isles fans who were willing, if not excited, to hire one of those guys to run the Isles.

This again doesn't make sense unless you're directly comparing their titles and responsibilities. You have no idea what power those guys have in their roles and how it compares to Martin's.

Put in a different context:

Imagine a huge corporation hires a recent star college graduate for an entry-level position. To make the graduate feel valued, they give them the fancy-sounding title of "Special Projects Coordinator." Their job is to organize the company's annual picnic.

In that same corporation, a retired, legendary CEO from a rival company is brought on as a contractor. Their title is also "Special Projects Coordinator." Their job is to oversee the company's $500 million expansion into Europe.

Would it make any sense to point at them and say:

"This is madness! The company thinks so little of that legendary CEO that they gave him the same job as a kid fresh out of college. A recent grad with zero experience is now at his level!"

Of course not. Everyone would understand that while the titles are the same, the actual jobs, pay, and responsibilities are not.

That's the issue I have. You're using the title of all three to tear two of them down and it's a ridiculous line of reasoning.