Please don't take this as me defending Melnyk, but this team just hired Travis Green (budget) and has Steve Staios (underqualified) in the GM and PoHo positions.
The old management and ownership group was a clapped out Pontiac Fiero, and the current management/ownership group is a Pontiac Fiero with a Ferrari F50 bodykit. Shit, even the Poulin/McGuire hires have hilarious parallels if you think about it.
More of the same with a nicer coat of paint.
Ya, I have no issue with those comparisons. Can't blame anyone for being upset here either, I get it.
If there's a difference, I'd say that Poulin was hired to collaborate with SS and he seems to be on board with that. He also doesn't have an absurd media persona like McGuire who was viewed as a bit of a joke. McGuire was hired by Melnyk to spy on Dorion or be a successor available or whatever and then was fired as soon as Dorion as he had the chance. Reported friction. There was the usual drama involved which is what really needed to go away.
I would also argue that once the luster wore off, the mantra was cheap cheap above all else. I don't believe that Green was hired because he was from a small pool of cheap coaches. I think they picked the guy they believe is the best choice, out of ones willing to sign in Ottawa. That's a very different scenario to me.
Oh sure, post-divorce Eugene Melnyk was just an awful debacle.
But early Eugene Melnyk actually backed up some of his bravado. Brought in John Muckler and then Bryan Murray. Two legends of the game that gave us some swagger. Signed Dominik Hasek. Spent money in the early days.
So far Andlauer has done nothing to warrant much praise or excitement, other than "he's not post-divorce Eugene Melnyk."
A rookie dual role POHO and GM. A TV analyst assistant. A 2nd chance no good track record coach.
Cool cool.
Sure, but those days are long gone, and were basically a distant memory even when he was still alive. The beginning is relevant though and I see what you're saying. No qualified POHO, and now a lesser name coach. Not Dominik Hasek either. Those were also lucky circumstances. Muckler was an experienced guy willing to come, same as Murray, but we already have some reports of a guy like Berube not being willing.
They are cap spending which hasn't been a thing in Ottawa since what, the early 2010's? I think that's important right now.
I can't fault anyone for not liking this hire. I'm willing to see where it goes simply because these guys haven't already failed a bunch of times like the last regime. We'll see I guess.