Speculation: Who Would Make the Best GM for the Wild?
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StateofCelly
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- Jan 5, 2017
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I would like to see Fenton or Guerin, I think Flahr would be an okay hire but I truly believe this organization needs a fresh set of eyes.
Saga of the Elk
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- May 31, 2008
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There are 400+ posts discussing this very question in the Fletch-OUT thread but sure why not have a new one.
We could use a GM who has shown the ability to make bold trades in times of need, who has shown the ability to buy low on good players, who has shown the ability to build a good character group with success winning hockey games.
Yes, that does describe Chuck Fletcher and literally none of the guys on your list.
Don't mind the idea of Bill Zito - similar markets and he has agent cred, which this team needs. I like the idea of Norm Maciver because we should be Minnesota FIRST and he actually has participated in building a Cup winner.
It's Paul Fenton and this thread is moot though.
We could use a GM who has shown the ability to make bold trades in times of need, who has shown the ability to buy low on good players, who has shown the ability to build a good character group with success winning hockey games.
Yes, that does describe Chuck Fletcher and literally none of the guys on your list.
Don't mind the idea of Bill Zito - similar markets and he has agent cred, which this team needs. I like the idea of Norm Maciver because we should be Minnesota FIRST and he actually has participated in building a Cup winner.
It's Paul Fenton and this thread is moot though.
Russo's been pumping the "Fitzgerald made quite an impact during his interview" storyline lately, but I suspect that's partly because of a personal affinity of his and partly because waiting around until the Preds are eliminated so that we can hire Fenton makes for a boring talking point.
As for the poll, I have to abstain. I don't want a yes-man and I don't want an idiot, but beyond that I can't do much but give the New Guy a few months on the job before I start coming to conclusions.
HollaHaula
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Minnewildsota
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Engebretson
Thank you, sweet rabbit
I don't think anyone here really knows. We have no idea of the impact behind the scenes of any of these guys on their current teams.
Dr Jan Itor
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All I know is that I'm going to be pretty ticked when they don't hire the guy I never heard of 10 days ago and hire a different guy I never heard of 10 days ago.
probably going to be Fenton but hear's my take on canidates
Fenton: Owner going to have to much influence and he'll be just like Poille
Fitgerald: I like a lot. Will respect the players, kick'em in the arse when needed and no BS from vets
Guerin: See Fitzgerald Plus an excellent career as a player
Zito: Owner going to completely control but Probably Knows the CBA better than anyone BUT will not respect the players and players won't respect him after honeymoon over.
Flahr: Great candidate but if CF gone can't see him getting job.
My Pick: Al MacInnis
Will be his own man period.
Will respect the players BUT hold everyone of them accountable including vets, no BS straight forward type of guy, has been around Mngt for quite a while and definitely can evaluate players whether pro or amatuer. Will need a strong asst GM to help out with contracts, cap, etc but has all the intangibles.
Longshot: Steve Greeley
Fenton: Owner going to have to much influence and he'll be just like Poille
Fitgerald: I like a lot. Will respect the players, kick'em in the arse when needed and no BS from vets
Guerin: See Fitzgerald Plus an excellent career as a player
Zito: Owner going to completely control but Probably Knows the CBA better than anyone BUT will not respect the players and players won't respect him after honeymoon over.
Flahr: Great candidate but if CF gone can't see him getting job.
My Pick: Al MacInnis
Will be his own man period.
Will respect the players BUT hold everyone of them accountable including vets, no BS straight forward type of guy, has been around Mngt for quite a while and definitely can evaluate players whether pro or amatuer. Will need a strong asst GM to help out with contracts, cap, etc but has all the intangibles.
Longshot: Steve Greeley
Saga of the Elk
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What percentage chance that Craig Leipold is hitting refresh on his iPad hoping that a good answer comes up on this thread?
As long as the new guy comes in and immediately trades any roster player for a guy drafted in the first round at some point, it's a win, right?
As long as the new guy comes in and immediately trades any roster player for a guy drafted in the first round at some point, it's a win, right?
SupremeNachos
Registered User
Griffin Reinhart, come on down, you're the next contestant on the Price is Right.
The Wild need to just hire Mark Messier as the new GM and be done with it. I don't care that he's not on anyone's list, or if he even wants the job, he's hired.
Julien BriseBois. No idea how much he or any other assistant GM is involved on the NHL side of things but since BriseBois has been in charge of the AHL affiliate their player development and AHL success has been outstanding so he gets my vote.
Whoever it is, I'll be very interested to see what he does. I almost think it's easier to take over a failing team, than a perennial playoff team that just can't seem to elevate it's play in the postseason. Is it:
- the players(this is what we spend most of our time speculating on)?
- the scheme... Wild have always been a defense first club, though less so since BB has arrived. Are we built on a model that no longer works in the NHL?
- the coach...both Yeo and BB have had little success as playoff coaches, though it could be argued that Yeo has had more.
- team chemistry. They seem to be a harmonious club, but what is it that prevents them from stepping up, time after time?
- simply bad luck, bad timing. Injuries, bad bounces, players not having good years in sync.
- will the scouting staff be completely revamped, kept the same, or tweaked?
Does the new GM take a year to evaluate the team, as new players like Greenway and Kunin come into the team, and hopefully, Erisson-Ek plays a bigger role? Hard to believe that this will happen- if so, Leipold would've just kept Fletcher. I would bet that he puts pressure on the new GM to make some moves. I'm ok with this if he makes moves that will bring in players that will have potential upside, not happy if he signs or brings in trade aging stars in order to compete now at the expense of the future(i.e. Coyle for Pacioretty). We got really lucky with Staal, but we can all name the awful FA signings the past three years or so. It can be argued that the Wild's predicament, and what got Fletcher fired, is his optimistic re-signing of Pominville.
How does the new GM deal with the two mega contracts of Suter and Parise? The latter one has turned out to be bad...can he find a way out of it? What if Suter is not the same after his surgery?
- the players(this is what we spend most of our time speculating on)?
- the scheme... Wild have always been a defense first club, though less so since BB has arrived. Are we built on a model that no longer works in the NHL?
- the coach...both Yeo and BB have had little success as playoff coaches, though it could be argued that Yeo has had more.
- team chemistry. They seem to be a harmonious club, but what is it that prevents them from stepping up, time after time?
- simply bad luck, bad timing. Injuries, bad bounces, players not having good years in sync.
- will the scouting staff be completely revamped, kept the same, or tweaked?
Does the new GM take a year to evaluate the team, as new players like Greenway and Kunin come into the team, and hopefully, Erisson-Ek plays a bigger role? Hard to believe that this will happen- if so, Leipold would've just kept Fletcher. I would bet that he puts pressure on the new GM to make some moves. I'm ok with this if he makes moves that will bring in players that will have potential upside, not happy if he signs or brings in trade aging stars in order to compete now at the expense of the future(i.e. Coyle for Pacioretty). We got really lucky with Staal, but we can all name the awful FA signings the past three years or so. It can be argued that the Wild's predicament, and what got Fletcher fired, is his optimistic re-signing of Pominville.
How does the new GM deal with the two mega contracts of Suter and Parise? The latter one has turned out to be bad...can he find a way out of it? What if Suter is not the same after his surgery?
This is why I'm tentatively leaning toward Fitzgerald getting the job. Not that he'll necessarily be the best candidate, but because his interview apparently made some sort of impact with Leipold and Majka. I'm willing to bet a substantial part of that interview and it's impact was Fitzgerald's pitch for what he wanted to do with the team. If Fenton is just the guy they had in mind when they let Fletcher go, but Fitzgerald is the one that actually came in with a pitch that appealed to them I think the latter takes the job.Does the new GM take a year to evaluate the team, as new players like Greenway and Kunin come into the team, and hopefully, Erisson-Ek plays a bigger role? Hard to believe that this will happen- if so, Leipold would've just kept Fletcher. I would bet that he puts pressure on the new GM to make some moves. I'm ok with this if he makes moves that will bring in players that will have potential upside, not happy if he signs or brings in trade aging stars in order to compete now at the expense of the future(i.e. Coyle for Pacioretty). We got really lucky with Staal, but we can all name the awful FA signings the past three years or so. It can be argued that the Wild's predicament, and what got Fletcher fired, is his optimistic re-signing of Pominville.
How does the new GM deal with the two mega contracts of Suter and Parise? The latter one has turned out to be bad...can he find a way out of it? What if Suter is not the same after his surgery?
That's me reading a lot into not much information though.
Bottom line though, if Leipold wants to bring someone in to make immediate adjustments and "fix" the team, I want a GM with a clear vision of how they want to do that. Even if it ends up failing spectacularly, at least that will force the issue and usher us into a rebuild within a few years. What I'm afraid of is someone who wants to do one thing but ends up doing something else to mollify Leipold. That's how we're most likely to end up in an indefinite holding pattern, and I suspect it's at least part of the reason that things have gone the way they have for the last 9-ish years.
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