News Article: News and Note XXIX: The Jerks of Summer

[A Star is Burns]

I can see that with Dundon always trying to equate things to his business experience. He probably just wants to compensate you and be able to fire you whenever he wants if need be without having to worry about a contract. Downside is someone can leave whenever they want if they want to. Results will matter most, and I think we're still in line for good results, but I also like that we are doing things differently. It's pretty entertaining to me. I look forward to hearing more about this.

Also, Waddell must not be steadfastly against this, or he would have just left period when his contract ran out. That doesn't mean he'll stay, but he must not have dismissed this line of thinking outright.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Oh wow I guess I always assumed everyone has to be contracted because that’s the way players work - never considered Waddell might just be a salaried at-will employee like the rest of us.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Oh wow I guess I always assumed everyone has to be contracted because that’s the way players work - never considered Waddell might just be a salaried at-will employee like the rest of us.

The interesting thing if Dundon can get away with it (I don't necessarily mean if it's legal, but if someone like Waddell will agree to this setup), is if other teams will ever follow suit. I'd have to imagine some like the security of the current situation, but hate being able to get out of bad situations without paying for it.

 

[57special]

The owner doesn't believe in contracts? What else doesn't he believe in? Underwear? Cereal?

 

[Svechhammer]

I can see that with Dundon always trying to equate things to his business experience. He probably just wants to compensate you and be able to fire you whenever he wants if need be without having to worry about a contract. Downside is someone can leave whenever they want if they want to. Results will matter most, and I think we're still in line for good results, but I also like that we are doing things differently. It's pretty entertaining to me. I look forward to hearing more about this.

Also, Waddell must not be steadfastly against this, or he would have just left period when his contract ran out. That doesn't mean he'll stay, but he must not have dismissed this line of thinking outright.

I mean it also goes both ways.

As an employer, if we aren't signing our GM to a contract, that means we have to ensure we make our position desirable on a year to year basis or we'll keep losing these guys to better roles. Also puts a huge onus on Dundon to make sure he's setting aside enough funds for the GM to do his job, or the GM will just up and leave.

On its surface, it looks worrying, but I can actually see how this is a good thing for the team. Sometimes the best jobs are the ones you know you aren't trapped in.

 

[Lempo]

Maybe Dundon told Waddell to interview with other clubs, bring back the offers, and he'll match it.

Tom Dundon so cheap he don't want to pay Waddell for negotiating his own salary.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Oh the only thing keeping me from saying anything about all this is the fact we won.

We may have just gotten hot and we’re one and done headed for a lottery pick. Maybe we’re pretty legit and will be in the hunt all season. I think the high from last season has many people just not caring about these details. I think if we had lost last season and this is what our front office looked like I think this would be a different forum right now.

I thought the buzz around the team might have moved the needle at least a little.

That said, before anyone gets too mad about the schedule, it should be considered that:

- Canes have only 2 Wednesday games the entire season, both on the road. That cuts out the marquee national broadcast entirely.
- Canes have only 2 Sunday games before the New Year, one of which is an unwatchable road date in Detroit. That cuts out the most likely window for them to see any time on the parent station.

That leaves the constantly-chaning NBCSN schedule. Which again, I thought maybe an early season home game would have attracted some attention, just to capitalize on the CF run and the general interest in what happens if it's a win. But there's still a significant chance they get moved onto that schedule during the stretch run, if their position in the standings warrants it.

Also, it's the Carolina Hurricanes and let's be real here about national audiences.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I thought the buzz around the team might have moved the needle at least a little.

That said, before anyone gets too mad about the schedule, it should be considered that:

- Canes have only 2 Wednesday games the entire season, both on the road. That cuts out the marquee national broadcast entirely.
- Canes have only 2 Sunday games before the New Year, one of which is an unwatchable road date in Detroit. That cuts out the most likely window for them to see any time on the parent station.

That leaves the constantly-chaning NBCSN schedule. Which again, I thought maybe an early season home game would have attracted some attention, just to capitalize on the CF run and the general interest in what happens if it's a win. But there's still a significant chance they get moved onto that schedule during the stretch run, if their position in the standings warrants it.

Also, it's the Carolina Hurricanes and let's be real here about national audiences.

The Hurricanes schedule sets up that way BECAUSE NBC doesn’t want them. The Bruins/Penguins etc. don’t just happen to be scheduled to play Wednesdays and Sundays by accident.

 

[geehaad]

Like I said: why does the GM of the team need a contract? It's extremely illogical to me, and smacks of "that's just the way it's done", which is a sentiment that can go f*** itself.

Waddell has been good in one year as GM, but he ain't irreplaceable.

 

[57special]

Canes are an entertaining team both during and after the game, but there simply aren't enough eyes on the screen watching them for NBC to schedule them often. Same reason that we see endless Yankees/Red Sox/Dodgers baseball games.

 

[AD Skinner]

I'd rather watch John and Tripp than the nbc clowns anyway

 

[HisIceness]

This team isn't getting on NBC unless it's a playoff game against the likes of Boston, Washington, NYR, or Pittsburgh. That's just how it's going to be with our team, this is after all the smallest or 2nd smallest market in the States and even with the Bunch of Jerks thing and the conference finals appearance we don't have much of a pull.

Getting on the NBCSN network is more likely but this team needs to prove seasons like last were no lightning in a bottle, otherwise it's back to what it was before.

 

[MinJaBen]

The owner doesn't believe in contracts? What else doesn't he believe in? Underwear? Cereal?

Analytics.


Oh, wait, I was thinking of another team. My bad.

 

[Cane mutiny]

Like I said: why does the GM of the team need a contract? It's extremely illogical to me, and smacks of "that's just the way it's done", which is a sentiment that can go **** itself.

Waddell has been good in one year as GM, but he ain't irreplaceable.

Well, I'm hoping DW took that interview with Minn just to show TD why GM contracts are important in this league, and why every other team does it. I, for one, hope it sinks in and TD/DW can get something done.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Maybe an intel interview?

 

[A Star is Burns]

Well, I'm hoping DW took that interview with Minn just to show TD why GM contracts are important in this league, and why every other team does it. I, for one, hope it sinks in and TD/DW can get something done.

Based on what TD has done so far, I don't know that I see that sinking in. He's not afraid to look bad by doing something unorthodox and losing somebody for it. I hope Waddell sticks around, because I do think he's played a big part in our turnaround. But I'm interested to see if Dundon can pull off running things his way.

 

[tarheelhockey]

The Hurricanes schedule sets up that way BECAUSE NBC doesn’t want them. The Bruins/Penguins etc. don’t just happen to be scheduled to play Wednesdays and Sundays by accident.

NBC doesn’t tell the Canes when to schedule their games. There’s a reason the TV schedule comes out a month after the NHL schedule, and then changes constantly.

You could say the Canes don’t make themselves available on Wednesdays because they know they’ll never be picked, but that’s beta talk brah.

 

[Unsustainable]

I’m probably in the minority, but I don’t care about jerseys at all. I can see why others do though, and it’s the summer, so there isn’t a whole lot to talk about.

I agree, they should play shirts vs skins.

 

[DougieSmash]

Please keep DW here

 

[Cane mutiny]

Based on what TD has done so far, I don't know that I see that sinking in. He's not afraid to look bad by doing something unorthodox and losing somebody for it. I hope Waddell sticks around, because I do think he's played a big part in our turnaround. But I'm interested to see if Dundon can pull off running things his way.

Except his way of doing things, in this case, will offer no stability or sense of direction for the team. Even if he turns Minn down and stays this year, a good GM will probably get offers from other teams every year, as teams are always firing their losing GSm. The team could be in a constant state of upheaval.
I like TD and a lot of what TD's done since he took over. I'm just not sure about this one. Stability is more important to a sports team and can have greater repercussions than with some other types of business. JMO

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Except his way of doing things, in this case, will offer no stability or sense of direction for the team. Even if he turns Minn down and stays this year, a good GM will probably get offers from other teams every year, as teams are always firing their losing GSm. The team could be in a constant state of upheaval.
I like TD and a lot of what TD's done since he took over. I'm just not sure about this one. Stability is more important to a sports team and can have greater repercussions than with some other types of business. JMO

Agreed. Plus when you’re the president of a company you are compensated in other ways to entice you to stay (stock options, etc). Unless Dundon is giving him shares in the team as a part of a compensation package this is a cutthroat league and the very fact that DW is interviewing should give Dundon pause.

 

[GoldiFox]

The Canes don't play more on National TV because nobody nationally wants to watch the Canes play. Seems obvious to me. Maybe they will build a national fanbase with consistent winning but even then I doubt it.

For the same reason I have zero interest watching Arizona, Florida or Columbus.

 

[GoldiFox]

Agreed. Plus when you’re the president of a company you are compensated in other ways to entice you to stay (stock options, etc). Unless Dundon is giving him shares in the team as a part of a compensation package this is a cutthroat league and the very fact that DW is interviewing should give Dundon pause.

If Minnesota offers Waddell a nice contract with $$ and term while Dundon is only offering at-will employment he would be silly not to at least consider it. How the team performs is not always a reflection of the GM's moves and usually GMs are the one of the first to be axed when things go sour. Job security is important to some.

I've thought about the GM contract situation more and I think the clear annual work periods make a contract more appealing. When a team hires a GM to contribute to the league-year success of a team then it is implicit that they would want that person in place for at least one year. That concept is muddier in a GMBC scenario, but from the standpoint of other GMs relationship building is a part of the job so any new inter-team talks largely reset when they are changing who they talk to. It's not as easy as Waddell answering today and ??? answering tomorrow in one fluid motion.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Oh the only thing keeping me from saying anything about all this is the fact we won.

We may have just gotten hot and we’re one and done headed for a lottery pick. Maybe we’re pretty legit and will be in the hunt all season. I think the high from last season has many people just not caring about these details. I think if we had lost last season and this is what our front office looked like I think this would be a different forum right now.

You mean, like it was for the last decade? All crying and bitching non-stop?

Losing sucks. Winning is fun. If we're losing, no one really cares why, and if we're winning, no one really cares why.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Except his way of doing things, in this case, will offer no stability or sense of direction for the team. Even if he turns Minn down and stays this year, a good GM will probably get offers from other teams every year, as teams are always firing their losing GSm. The team could be in a constant state of upheaval.
I like TD and a lot of what TD's done since he took over. I'm just not sure about this one. Stability is more important to a sports team and can have greater repercussions than with some other types of business. JMO

What if I told you that long-term stability and direction come from the way a company is structured and the values a company espouses, rather than a particular person in a particular role?

I like DW. I think he's been a good fit in this role at this time. But it's interesting: everyone thought he sucked before, and everyone pointed constantly to his previous failures, and everyone was mad when Dundon ran Ronnie off and replaced him with "essentially no one" as the thinking went at the time. Suddenly after one season he's an irreplaceable genius?

Remember: it's not GMDW. It's GMBC.