No a real GM would recognize his mistakes and try to move on from them (Bickell + Rundblad) as well as try an improve roster instead of watching his most valuable trade asset fade away (Sharp)
A real GM wouldn't bring in trash like Rundblad/Erixon/Cumiskey to play on an NHL roster (Gave away a high quality asset in 2nd rounder for Rundblad as well)
If Hawks fail this year the blame is 100% on Stan and his roster management
Nah, it will fall to coaching, as it should. From roster management to simple motivation, Q has failed to get the best of a roster that is still very strong on paper.
Which isn't a shock, seeing as this is the same guy that felt Michael Handzus was the best option at 2C through the playoffs, and that Bollig was an integral part of an NHL lineup.
Rozsival is simply this year's Handzus.
Hell it took him a quarter of a season to figure out that Andrew Shaw is not a 2C. And apparently it's going to take him till the end of the season (or longer) figure out he's not a 3C either.
Even when you put aside the players that are being misused, the team has a whole looks completely disinterested on more nights than not, and at some point it falls on the coach to ensure his players are ready to play every night.
Some things aren't entirely under his control of course. He can't help that Patrick Sharp has a 2% shooting percentage, and he couldn't have predicted that Oduya would fall off the map (though there's little doubt he was very much part of the push to keep Oduya over Leddy, given his deployment of Leddy in the past - quite obviously that was the wrong move and the Hawks would be far better off with Leddy, as many predicted when the decision was made).
If the Blackhawks fall well short of expectations, it will be Q on the hot seat, not Stan, and rightly so.
Hopefully next year, Stan will remove all of his favorite toys, forcing him to give talented young players a longer look than he otherwise would.
