To quote:
"In their minds, the Coyotes' lack of success is Glendale's fault. Disregard the fact that the team ranks last in the NHL in hockey spending, continually trades away top talent while it annually 'builds for the future,' and spends next to nothing to market the team," Scruggs wrote. "I will say what they will not: the Coyotes position at the bottom of the standings is a leadership problem, not a location problem."
No truer words have been spoken I'm sorry to say & of course, look who said them. One of the biggest supporters & spendthrifts (using public monies of course) when it came to the team, the arena & Westgate. And nothings changed really. Between 2004 & 2009, every summer & fall Management selling hope, just as Maloney did thereafter & did in fact overachieve & now here with Chayka, Barroway.
The franchise for all intents & purposes is acting like a satellite office & operation for the League out of NY rather than a stand-alone "franchise" or business, Barroway as was the case with Gosby titular owner. In name only. Having followed this all very closely thats the only logical conclusion I can come to. Caretaker. A freelancer, sub-contractor installed by the NHL to manage & deal with the day-day, only one hand on the wheel, doing the absolute bare minimum & to give every appearance of being the real owner while the NHL beats the bushes (along with Steve Patterson no doubt & others) in lucking out & securing a seriously monied owner or group willing to give it one more shot in Arizona or barring that, selling to an out of State market.
Weve been over this dozens, hundreds of times, this particular theory & others. That Scruggs quote, stating the obvious, far from from being a revelation to those who have been watching, well, absolutely nothing has changed. Just the actors on the stage, this batch in Andrew Barroway & Co just a lot lower key than the last, and that a requirement as the NHL wants all signs of smoke completely smothered. Put things to sleep. No leaks. No loose lips. Carefully controlled messaging most of which is disinformation, deceit & deception. No followup questions allowed by intrepid reporters, anyone writing, posting, speaking dissent attacked or ignored, ridiculed & marginalized as much as possible. "No idea what he's talking about. We have 3 arena options. Every confidence in the world".... If the club couldnt & cant cut it after all that the COG has invested in it, staggering sums, and they'lll need same anywhere else they go in-State & wont find it, then what is the point here in selling false hope to an already exhausted & over-abused fanbase?
The NHL isnt "stuck" in Glendale. They do have options. They can take a hit on the sale price, lower it while at minimum recouping everything theyve put into the franchise while clearing off the creditors & paying out Andrew Barroway. However, here we are yet again. Start of another summer & season just a few months away, another season of treading water, lets try not to swallow too much & dont make a fuss, make any noise about the future but for what we (the NHL) permit you to say, all scripted and all of it while containing a grain of truth in so far as a new building... serious Moonshot territory. Stranger things have happened, sure. But c'mon here. Long past time to end this charade. Insanity. You cant hide the truth forever & the longer this goes on when everything does get it out its just going to look all the worse on the principal players, Bettman, Daly, Jacobs, Barroway.... people write biographies. They talk. Speak publicly. This is but one fraud (of many) perpetrated by this League that will have serious repercussions when the truth does come out. I believe they know it, running scared.
