Rumor: Friedman: Avs have asked for, and gotten, permission to talk to Kyle Dubas

[Bender]

I posted this on the trade thread but this was on the Bobcast yesterday:

As always with the Avs, I think we're getting just part of the story.

I think Josh Kroenke has too much respect for Joe Sakic to essentially "bash at the beach" him, which is essentially what this would amount to.

IF this is 100% true, then I think this changes things significantly and Sakic and Co. are probably living on borrowed time. There may be an internal trade freeze to allow the next guy to take care of that. It's much too late to bring in new people with the expansion draft, the entry draft and free agency all within the next 30 days. It doesn't make much sense and plus, if that were TRULY the case, Kroenke would have found another candidate and hired him a few weeks ago.

What's more reasonable is that while ownership made contact with Dubas, the offer was more than likely to take over all of the Avs operations...eventually. That's also why permission was rescinded. Kroenke wouldn't contact someone behind Sakic's back and have that hanging over his head...Joe would know about it before hand.

I can't imagine a situation where Josh fires Sakic within giving him the chance to step-down first.

That's my take on it.

 

[madman]

Welp, if what Bob says is accurate, that's a rather unfortunate outcome. Sucks it didn't happen.

 

[Avs_19]

I posted this on the trade thread but this was on the Bobcast yesterday:

So my theory I posted a few pages back about Kroenke possibly going straight to the Leafs without involving Sakic may have been correct? Damn. I didn't think Kroenke would actually do it but maybe I underestimated him.

I guess the next and most important question is, what now? If true, ownership wanted a complete change at the top but it didn't work out so are they just going to say oh well and stay course? That'd be dumb.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I just can't see Kroenke going behind Sakic's back.

 

[RockLobster]

So my theory I posted a few pages back about Kroenke possibly going straight to the Leafs without involving Sakic may have been correct? Damn. I didn't think Kroenke would actually do it but maybe I underestimated him.

I guess the next and most important question is, what now? If true, ownership wanted a complete change at the top but it didn't work out so are they just going to say oh well and stay course? That'd be dumb.

What do you think is more likely, that Sakic had no idea this was happening, or he had told Kroenke he was on board for it because he's long known that this really isn't the job for him (and thus would be totally fine with a ceremonial "promotion" out of the role)?

Like Roy, Sakic will never truly be "fired" from this organization. If what Bob said is true, then I fully expect that Sakic had known and was fine with it. Whenever something happens (which I don't believe will be this offseason, perhaps during the season, which seems unlikely to me, or next offseason) I full expect Sakic to be given a Front Office title that's just ceremonial to the fan base. He won't have any actual say unless it's to show someone how to properly use a wrist shot.

 

[CharlesPuck]

Safe to say Sakic is now "President" and we will see a new hockey ops team soon?

 

[Avs_19]

What do you think is more likely, that Sakic had no idea this was happening, or he had told Kroenke he was on board for it because he's long known that this really isn't the job for him (and thus would be totally fine with a ceremonial "promotion" out of the role)?

Like Roy, Sakic will never truly be "fired" from this organization. If what Bob said is true, then I fully expect that Sakic had known and was fine with it. Whenever something happens (which I don't believe will be this offseason, perhaps during the season, which seems unlikely to me, or next offseason) I full expect Sakic to be given a Front Office title that's just ceremonial to the fan base. He won't have any actual say unless it's to show someone how to properly use a wrist shot.

I've already said I don't think Kroenke would do that to Sakic but I don't think anyone other than the parties involved know for sure what happened.

 

[RockLobster]

Safe to say Sakic is now "President" and we will see a new hockey ops team soon?

No, it's not at all safe to say that. You would think these Insiders like Friedman and McKenzie would dig up something else if they've found out that the Avs were looking to make front office changes, but they've got nothing.

So, it's way more likely that we see no changes for the upcoming year, because we're getting kind of late in the game for any changes to actually occur.

 

[CharlesPuck]

No, it's not at all safe to say that. You would think these Insiders like Friedman and McKenzie would dig up something else if they've found out that the Avs were looking to make front office changes, but they've got nothing.

So, it's way more likely that we see no changes for the upcoming year, because we're getting kind of late in the game for any changes to actually occur.

Disagree. There's been way too much smoke for nothing to happen.

We have no idea what changes have already been made/discussed/etc.

 

[Foppberg]

I'd tend to agree with Charles Pucks, with all the smoke it's much more likely something happens imo.

 

[Avs_19]

I think the Dubas stuff is most likely dead but McKenzie did throw in the "at least not now" when saying he's not going to the Avs.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I'd tend to agree with Charles Pucks, with all the smoke it's much more likely something happens imo.

It's also been two weeks since it first came up and nothing has happened.

 

[Ararana]

Wasn't BSN dropping hints they wanted to interview Nashville's AGM? Maybe that's the cause of the hold up?

 

[Warden of the North]

So what that seems to indicate is that Toronto blocked Dubas from a promotion. Stay classy TO.

I wouldn't jump to that. My guess is they laid a pretty lucrative offer on the table.

And kept the Avs from making a counter offer by yanking permission to talk to him.

(assuming any of this is true, of course).

Would you take more money to be a GM in the AHL, or take the head of hockey operations for an NHL club? Maybe we're jumping to conclusions, but this came straight from McKenzie.

Its pretty well accepted that Dubas is the heir apparent to Lou here in Toronto, as soon as the summer of 2018 when Lou's contract expires. Maybe Dubas just wanted to stay here, with a team he has been helping build, and a farm team he is very familiar with?

 

[RockLobster]

Wasn't BSN dropping hints they wanted to interview Nashville's AGM? Maybe that's the cause of the hold up?

While I don't doubt that bit of information, there's also cause to wonder what any holdup would be with that. Botteril was an AGM with Pittsburgh and interviewed and accepted the Buffalo GM job during the playoffs.

If the Avs are pausing JUST because Nashville is still in it, then that's yet another miscalculation on their part.

 

[Ararana]

I agree with you. I don't see anything for a AGM left to do to close out the year for Nashville. There's no need to wait unless he's insisting he finish out the year with his current team.

 

[madman]

Per usual, we're late to act. Sakic is sitting on his hands even when it comes to replacing himself

 

[CharlesPuck]

While I don't doubt that bit of information, there's also cause to wonder what any holdup would be with that. Botteril was an AGM with Pittsburgh and interviewed and accepted the Buffalo GM job during the playoffs.

If the Avs are pausing JUST because Nashville is still in it, then that's yet another miscalculation on their part.

Nashville could have a stipulation of waiting until their season is over. Just because Pittsburgh handled it one way, doesn't mean every franchise has to handle it the same way.

 

[CharlesPuck]

Per usual, we're late to act. Sakic is sitting on his hands even when it comes to replacing himself

He is gonna pull a Roy and quit in August.

 

[henchman21]

Per usual, we're late to act. Sakic is sitting on his hands even when it comes to replacing himself

I think we have a winner here. Time to close up shop.

 

[Avs_19]

It's also been two weeks since it first came up and nothing has happened.

I doubt anything happens now. It has been two weeks since the leak but all indications are the actual talks took place a few weeks prior to that. They took their shot, struck out once again, and here we are. Avs are unpredictable and it's probably safe to label them incompetent as well but making a major change now would be ridiculous even for them.

 

[madman]

I think we have a winner here. Time to close up shop.

Heavy emphasis on the . Hench, Mittelstadt reminds me of a young, towhead John Cleese in that combine photo.

 

[UncleRisto]

Per usual, we're late to act. Sakic is sitting on his hands even when it comes to replacing himself

Soon he'll overpay a washed up GM who used to be good back when Joe himself played. Pierre Lacroix.

 

[henchman21]

Heavy emphasis on the . Hench, Mittelstadt reminds me of a young, towhead John Cleese in that combine photo.

I should have used this gif instead.

 

[tigervixxxen]

He is gonna pull a Roy and quit in August.

At least in August a GM's work is largely done for a while. Quitting like Roy would be the equivalent of quitting now.