News Around the League: 2017-2018 During and AFTER THE CUP

[Devils Dominion]

Thanks Fitz, and good luck.

I think He's a goner

 

[Brodeur]

Still think Nashville assistant GM Paul Fenton is more likely for Minnesota. Current Minnesota owner Craig Leipold used to own the Predators, so he's more than likely very familiar with Fenton.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't think Lou gets involved if he was just going to be a figurehead. It's a lot easier for a new guy to see what is wrong with an organization where he doesn't know anyone versus an organization where he does know everyone - loyalty undoubtedly cost Lou in his later years here. So yeah, Lou was implementing Shanahan's vision for the franchise; I don't think he gets hired if he tells Shanahan that his plan is to sign a bunch of free agents and try to compete hard right away.

I don’t think he was a complete figurehead. He obviously had some say, more than he would have here. Or else he obviously wouldn’t have taken the job and just stayed here. They did adopt some of his policies, like no media traveling with the team on the charter. They even had the no facial hair early on when he got there. Not sure if that lasted.

I don’t even think they had the twitter ban, they also seemed to be more open as far as behind the scenes stuff in the locker room. I think they even showed inside the Leafs locker room before the stadium game with Babcock talking, whereas they wouldn’t allow that in our game at Yankee Stadium against the Rangers. You just saw AV address them and they showed the hallway on our side.

And I do think he was behind some of the signings. The Matt Martin signing really reeks of something Lou would do. That Plekanec trade also reeked of Lou, aside from the fact that it was made with perhaps their biggest rival. I think he definitely had some say there, but I firmly believe when he got there the plan was explained to him from Shanahan. Even when it came out afterward that they agreed to him in the beginning only being GM for 3 years. I could have never imagined Lou agreeing to something like that.

 

[JrFischer54]

And this is different from Garth how? I keep having to say this but Lou is an upgrade over Snow lol. Not to mention if JT was looking at recent history Lou made the playoffs the last two years. Hockey players don’t look at a GM’s record through the same microscope as fans do, unless it’s their own GM.

its a marginal "upgrade" at this point in lou's career and me personally i dont even think lou is an upgrade over garth. if your JT you want to hitch your 8 years to that? lou will be what 83 by the time his contract his up? i sure hope he made the playoffs with the leafs they only have one of the best young group of forwards in the nhl. they play in a semi weak division to boot

 

[MadDevil]

Come on people, we all know Garth isn't going anywhere. He was given a lifetime contract by Wang and I doubt the Isles want to pay yet another player/coach/GM to not even be with the team. Aren't they still paying Yashin and DiPietro until the sun explodes?

 

[NJDevs26]

Come on people, we all know Garth isn't going anywhere. He was given a lifetime contract by Wang and I doubt the Isles want to pay yet another player/coach/GM to not even be with the team. Aren't they still paying Yashin and DiPietro until the sun explodes?

It's a matter of whether they kick him upstairs or not. Obviously they won't/can't fire him outright but it looks like they want to at least get someone in as a GM to replace him. Much like (ironically) Lou was kicked upstairs by us when ownership brought in Shero.

 

[MadDevil]

It must be nice to be able to fail your way into a better job.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Even if Fitz isn't hired for the Minnesota job, it's only a matter of time until he gets a GM position. He's very well liked and respected around the league and this isn't his first interview for a head GM position.

 

[Darkauron]

Hahaha not even he wants to play in vancouver!

 

[MadDevil]

Damn, I was looking forward to seeing the Swedish Gretzky next year.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Hahaha not even he wants to play in vancouver!

apparently thats a false report

 

[Darkauron]

Damn.

 

[Darkauron]

Very interesting. I wonder who it could be.

 

[Brodeur]

Very interesting. I wonder who it could be.

Take it with a grain of salt, but the main board sleuths seem to think it's Olli Juolevi.

Reminds me of my freshman year of college way back when. It was the first time most of us had high speed internet and my buddy would spend all night playing to the detriment of his schoolwork.

I joke at times with modern gaming that I would have been in trouble had I been in college now. It'd be interesting if it's kinda standard for teams to ask about this sort of stuff during a prospect interview.

 

[Darkauron]

Take it with a grain of salt, but the main board sleuths seem to think it's Olli Juolevi.

Reminds me of my freshman year of college way back when. It was the first time most of us had high speed internet and my buddy would spend all night playing to the detriment of his schoolwork.

I joke at times with modern gaming that I would have been in trouble had I been in college now. It'd be interesting if it's kinda standard for teams to ask about this sort of stuff during a prospect interview.

Yeah I thought of Juolevi when I first heard about it. Or Max jones based on what I have heard about is level of effort.

 

[MartyOwns]

my god, did anyone read mike sullivan’s letter to pittsburgh? do we really need pretentious rambling letters when a team is eliminated from the playoffs?

 

[Darkauron]

my god, did anyone read mike sullivan’s letter to pittsburgh? do we really need pretentious rambling letters when a team is eliminated from the playoffs?

The circlejerk that is Pittsburgh continues.

 

[sabremike]

its a marginal "upgrade" at this point in lou's career and me personally i dont even think lou is an upgrade over garth. if your JT you want to hitch your 8 years to that? lou will be what 83 by the time his contract his up? i sure hope he made the playoffs with the leafs they only have one of the best young group of forwards in the nhl. they play in a semi weak division to boot

Garth Snow is a historically bad GM. If Lou had a stroke and ended up a vegetable he would still be a far better GM than Garth.

 

[Bleedred]

Garth Snow is a historically bad GM. If Lou had a stroke and ended up a vegetable he would still be a far better GM than Garth.

I've really been slamming Lou around here and really think Lou circa 2018 sucks (Lou post 2004 was average and Lou post 2012 kind of sucked), but people are really overreaching with comparing even current Lou to Garth.

 

[Devils Dominion]

my god, did anyone read mike sullivan’s letter to pittsburgh? do we really need pretentious rambling letters when a team is eliminated from the playoffs?

It even worse than when fans cheer playoff series losses

 

[NJDevs26]

Eh Pittsburgh deserved a fan sendoff after two Cups. In some cases it's appropriate.

The letter's kind of corny but who cares, it was just a two-paragraph platitude.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Rags hired the BU coach?

 

[bobilly45]

I've really been slamming Lou around here and really think Lou circa 2018 sucks (Lou post 2004 was average and Lou post 2012 kind of sucked), but people are really overreaching with comparing even current Lou to Garth.

Lou in any state is better then snow.

 

[Nubmer6]

So it looks like Hossa is officially retiring in Chicago. Does that give them any recapture penalties compared to him staying on LTIR?

 

[Bleedred]

Lou in any state is better then snow.

I disagree not even a little bit.

That doesn't mean that I think Lou is still good, just that Snow is very bad.

The resume is just not good enough for how long Snow has been there. He's one of the longest tenured GM's in the league, has won just one playoff series in that time, missed the playoffs more than made them in that time. Signed DiPietro to a really long contract, that already looked bad before injuries reduced him to useless. Made a couple good trades in training camp of 2014, then robbed Chiarelli (the worst GM in the league) a couple times, that's the only good I can think of that he's done.

He didn't even can Dead Weight after this past season.