Confirmed with Link: Francis out as GM - Don Waddell named GM 5/8/18

[Chan790]

Will have to see who's brought in before I can say one way or the other on this, but not a fan of this on face value.

Really. I just get the sense things weren't going to move fast enough for Dundon and we're about to see Francis replaced by a Sather-type that will gut our farm and move our youth to mortgage most of the next 7-10 in order to win now with overpriced veterans. It didn't work for the Rangers either.

It just feels like mid-1980s George Steinbrenner crap...lack of patience leading to tossing the plan out the window when it was starting to come to fruition and trying to buy contention. Didn't work for the Yankees either.

 

[HisIceness]

Uh, wow. Well I guess since the trade deadline has passed and this team is looking at another year w/ no playoffs......

Dundon could turn out to be the “be careful what you wish for” owner. Maybe he is our Jerry Jones.

Yeah this is where I'm kind of nervous. Dundon has admitted that he doesn't have a lot of hockey knowledge and even had a quote that was something like "I'm not going to think I know more about Hockey than Ron, that would be ridiculous". The same thing happened w/ the Sacramento Kings when Ranadive bought them 5 years ago, saved them from being relocated but had next to no Basketball knowledge outside of coaching middle schoolers.

I trust Dundon knows what he is doing here, but I also can't help but be concerned that he may not despite thinking he does.

 

[Brock Anton]

Don Waddell getting that promotion.

 

[bleedgreen]

The coach thing isn't weird. The whole thing is really good timing actually. This gives the new guy time to evaluate the rest of the season. He can immediately fire Peters to put him out of misery and go with interim or just wait until the off season and choose from a bigger pool then.

The big concern is...who are Dundon's chosen hockey advisors? Obviously not Francis. Who's gonna walk him through this process?

 

[Wolfpuck]

Dundon flexing hard

I have to think Peters is a lame duck for the rest of the season

 

[Canes]

Really. I just get the sense things weren't going to move fast enough for Dundon and we're about to see Francis replaced by a Sather-type that will gut our farm and move our youth to mortgage most of the next 7-10 in order to win now with overpriced veterans. It didn't work for the Rangers either.
.

Well there's a false dichotomy if I've ever seen one.

There's a happy medium or 3 between these two options you've presented.

 

[DaveG]

Really. I just get the sense things weren't going to move fast enough for Dundon and we're about to see Francis replaced by a Sather-type that will gut our farm and move our youth to mortgage most of the next 7-10 in order to win now with overpriced veterans. It didn't work for the Rangers either.

It just feels like mid-1980s George Steinbrenner crap...lack of patience leading to tossing the plan out the window when it was starting to come to fruition and trying to buy contention. Didn't work for the Yankees either.

yep, only team I can think of it working for is the Cowboys, and shy of us winning the draft lottery we don't exactly have Herschel Walker waiting to be traded for a kings ransom nor a Jimmy Johnson level HC.

About the only name I can think of that I wouldn't mind seeing come in off the top of my head is Ralph Krueger.

I trust Dundon knows what he is doing here, but I also can't help but be concerned that he may not despite thinking he does.

As much as I'm good with the idea that Dundon isn't a hockey guy... Dundon isn't a hockey guy, what makes anyone think he's going to have any idea what he's doing?

 

[Breakdowns]

Pittsburgh fired Shero before they fired Bylsma

Oh right, completely forgot about that one. But to be fair, they hold on to Bylsma for way too long.

Francis had his 5 year plan for rebuild, we are now in year 4. Maybe we should have given him the last year of his plan with all the new money and then give the final verdict? Hmmm...

But if Dundon didn't saw eye to eye with Francis, it was only matter of time.

 

[bluedevil58]

Dundon flexing hard

I have to think Peters is a lame duck for the rest of the season

I think Peters was the one who got RF fired.

 

[Canes]

Don Waddell getting that promotion.

Waddell > Francis

At least Waddell won his division and got his team to the playoffs once under a much worse ownership group

But if Dundon hires Waddell, it just means he was priming us for relocation all along.

 

[CandyCanes]

Kirk Mueller didn't get fired until a few weeks after RF got hired. My guess like a few others said is that the new GM will get his choice.

Dean Lombardi built an NHL Stanley Cup team, he's available. Another interesting name I heard is Kyle Dubas, who is currently assistant GM with the Leafs.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

From Dundon:

“Since I took control of the team, I’ve had a good chance to be around and assess the operations,” Dundon said in a statement. “There are a lot of good people working in the organization, but I feel that a change in direction is needed when it comes to hockey personnel decisions.

“Ron is a smart and talented hockey man. I am glad that he will continue to be a part of the team, serving in this new role.”

 

[TheBigKahuna]

Really. I just get the sense things weren't going to move fast enough for Dundon and we're about to see Francis replaced by a Sather-type that will gut our farm and move our youth to mortgage most of the next 7-10 in order to win now with overpriced veterans. It didn't work for the Rangers either.

It just feels like mid-1980s George Steinbrenner crap...lack of patience leading to tossing the plan out the window when it was starting to come to fruition and trying to buy contention. Didn't work for the Yankees either.

Uh, no.

Going from a horribly slow rebuild with nothing but half hearted swings and misses. Completely relying on cast off 3rd and 4th liners from Chicago, two goalie signing blunders, and a farm club you cant or won't use. Anything, will be better than nothing. And nothing is what Francis has accomplished so far. Can't keep doing nothing.

 

[CandyCanes]

 

[MinJaBen]

Really. I just get the sense things weren't going to move fast enough for Dundon and we're about to see Francis replaced by a Sather-type that will gut our farm and move our youth to mortgage most of the next 7-10 in order to win now with overpriced veterans. It didn't work for the Rangers either.

It just feels like mid-1980s George Steinbrenner crap...lack of patience leading to tossing the plan out the window when it was starting to come to fruition and trying to buy contention. Didn't work for the Yankees either.

So....we are going to try to bring JR back?

 

[Breakdowns]

I liked GMRF philosophy - rebuild through the draft, acquire young assets and then trade our surplus for something we really need. I think he would have done some major move this off-season, but it seems he moved too slow for Dundon's liking.

One thing I know for sure, trading away our future for some veterans are not something I would like to see from the new GM. That is not how you get success over longer period of the time. One playoff appearance is not worth another 5 years of no playoff hockey after that.

 

[DaveG]

Kirk Mueller didn't get fired until a few weeks after RF got hired. My guess like a few others said is that the new GM will get his choice.

Dean Lombardi built an NHL Stanley Cup team, he's available. Another interesting name I heard is Kyle Dubas, who is currently assistant GM with the Leafs.

Those two would not anger me.

The only possible good news to me is that Dundon is so analytically inclined. Dubas may be a guy that's right up his alley, and frankly asking any of the dinosaur crowd like Burke or Sather the slightest thing about analytics is like asking them to recite the works of Shakespeare in Klingon.

I'm somewhat fearful that we're going to end up with a tool like Pierre McGuire.

 

[TheBigKahuna]

Who are these great young peospects we are trading away? The same ones Francis wouldnt call up?

 

[CandyCanes]

Lance Hornby on Twitter

Didn't know about this, well if this is the case we likely ain't getting Dubas

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'm somewhat fearful that we're going to end up with a tool like Pierre McGuire.

LOL, that would be hilarious. Terrible, but hilarious.

 

[Breakdowns]

He seems like a smart guy, but I have heard before that he is getting prepared as the next Leafs GM after Lamoriello retires.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Those two would not anger me.

The only possible good news to me is that Dundon is so analytically inclined. Dubas may be a guy that's right up his alley, and frankly asking any of the dinosaur crowd like Burke or Sather the slightest thing about analytics is like asking them to recite the works of Shakespeare in Klingon.

I'm somewhat fearful that we're going to end up with a tool like Pierre McGuire.

Christ. A GM opening means the McGuire fanboys will come out of the woodworks. ANY time there's a GM opening there are people who advocate wildly for McGuire to get that job.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Lance Hornby on Twitter

Didn't know about this, well if this is the case we likely ain't getting Dubas

So we are getting Lou?

 

[TheBigKahuna]

LOL, that would be hilarious. Terrible, but hilarious.

Wait till Mike Commodore gets hold of that news.....

 

[CandyCanes]

Let's hope we don't end up with Ken Holland somehow, even tho he's still currently the GM of the Wings.