This is more of a post directed to the Hershey posters that lurk around from time to time. I've heard a lot more rumblings recently regarding the team, Mann and Chris Bourque so I'll just post what I've heard. Doesn't necessarily mean it's true, it just what I've heard through social media and talking to long time fans in the arena.
-Conflicting reports on Mann. Some say he wasn't given a chance this year with the team he's had and that he's gotten teams in the past to overachieve compared to the talent they had on paper. I've also heard a few rumblings that Mann could get the ax at the end of the year after an abysmal season.
-Regarding Bourque. He has a mutual option with the team for next season on an AHL deal. Rumblings I've heard include:
- He wasn't pleased with the direction the team went this season and how they approached FA last offseason
- He will be moving on to another organization next season, possibly in NE to be closer to where he grew up
- There's friction between him and Troy Mann that boiled over this season
-I've heard that the team's abysmal offseason is attributed to the fact that there was an internal budget strapped onto them that was lower than usual. Not sure if this was a HERCO thing or a Caps related budget. That hindered their ability to attack top-tier AHL UFAs this offseason to help bring back some scoring so they brought back "fan favorites" like Garrett Mitchell and Dustin Gazely to help with marketing purposes.
Again, take these with a grain of salt because these types of rumblings come out when a team has a terrible season. I know the AHL has changed a lot since the days of signing the Aucoin's and Giroux's every year but Hershey/Washington need to surround their young talent with the right veterans that will help the team succeed. I for one hope they clean house on most of the guys who have been around the team the past few seasons and bring in some fresh faces. You wonder if the locker room has started to get stale with the majority of the same faces and same staff for the past few seasons.