How has Dubas sabotaged his own moves?
GMs don't make roster decisions unless you are talking signings. And all we heard the last two years was how Dubas and Sully have a great relationship, so he probably is taking Sullivan's opinion in consideration. Which is further proof he thinks the guy is smart.
Well, Dubas trades his best prospect for someone else's best prospect (McGroarty) on the platform of accelerating the rebuild while maintaining competitiveness. So the kid starts off slowly, has one incredible preseason game where his line absolutely dominates, so the kid makes the team. Probably due to injuries but still. Kid starts off slowly, we send him down. Kid loses confidence, now we wonder when we will see the kid again. GM looks bad.
Dubas trades for a terrible contract (term moreso than cap hit) and does not get nearly enough in return for said contract (Hayes). Any chance he had of turning that player into another future asset is seemingly all but gone (which was a long shot to begin with), since the coach is playing this player less than 10 minutes per game. It is probably the right call because Hayes has not stunk nearly as much as others up front, but it seems to me he should play more than some other guys on this roster. If only to protect that asset. Remember, Hayes is still here next season unless we buy him out. GM looks bad.
Dubas signs a reclamation project to a two-year deal (Puljujarvi). This would have looked like one of his best moves to date, considering the shit show this roster has become. But every time we think Puljujarvi is going to get some run in the lineup, he is either sat out or he plays precious few minutes. And when you listen to the national broadcasts like last night, nobody talks about how Puljujarvi SHOULD play more. All they talk about is how inconsistent the player is. The only inconsistent thing about Puljujarvi this season has been ice time. But nobody blames the coach. Ever.
Dubas has a reputation now because of the Toronto stint. Sullivan's reputation is still squeaky clean despite six seasons of either under-performance or lousy performance. It is not even a fair fight. The GM is going to get thrown under the bus every time in this market, and the national media will join in on the fun.
We all know the coach is mostly responsible for this mess we are in. What role Dubas is playing in all of this is the point of contention. I have liked almost nothing that he has done since coming on board. And yet, I struggle to blame him more than he probably deserves because that is what happens in this situation BECAUSE of this damn coach.
Things would change dramatically within this organization if Sullivan were gone. Good, bad or ugly. Change is what this team needs more than anything else. And we are simply not going to get it. If things get worse, I fully expect Sullivan to kick upstairs and Quinn to take over behind the bench. Then, as the first order of business, Grz would get re-signed to a four-year extension.
Bawston, y'all.
