Speculation: New GM Candidates?

[Sabretip]

@DarrenDreger

Burke is expected to act as interim GM until new guy is hired. Poulin, Loiselle, Futa, Benning, Treliving all have cred as candidates...

Nieuwendyk also mentioned

All guys who the Sabres have had interest in are bolded.

I imagine Poulin, Loiselle (Leaf connection) and Nieuwendyk are front runners for the job.

Worth remembering is that, if Phoenix (Treliving) and LA (Futa) were hesitant to grant permission to Buffalo to interview either man, the odds of either franchise allowing a division rival like Calgary access to either are even slimmer IMO - especially in mid-season where those teams could be competing with Calgary for playoff spot. And I don't know if Burke is willing to wait until summer to hire someone.

Burke's reputation just strikes me as a major handicap in the Calgary search, where any candidate who wants to jump up to the GM chair for the 1st time will hesitate considering Calgary unless they have first-hand experience working with/under Burke in the past.

 

[SabresFan26]

yea, i'm kind of annoyed with the whole process at this point.

There's a fine line between being thorough and being indecisive

agreed, I want this GM to have time to examine the organization before the deadline and make an outline that can lead us to be successful for the forseeable future and more importantly able to win a shiny trophy that we have never won before.

 

[couture23]

If a GM isn't hired by the Olympic break then I would be worried.

I really hope it is during the Christmas/New Year timeframe.

 

[Ethan Edwards]

I will say this in the whole context of "competing" with Calgary. Unless Pat L. has one specific guy in mind and Burke somehow swoops in and claims him, or threatens to, the whole scenario isn't that worrisome considering how many quality candidates there are out there (IMO).

That said, what if Snow, to pick a name at random, is relieved of his duties? And then another GM elsewhere? Then it starts getting a little trickier. I've always been of the mind that you need an intelligent, thorough search, but you can't dawdle forever, and certainly not to the end of the season as some media pundits have suggested. Aside from the candidate competition angle, there are some near-term evals and decisions that need to be made with this roster. Integration and comfort with the team and organization take time to develop, even if you "know" the roster and pipeline coming in. I'm fine with waiting until the new year (or thereabouts), but that's about it. Who knows what else is cooking around the NHL?

 

[joshjull]

@sroarke_nhl: Burke admitted that the fact that BUF is looking for a GM contributed to the timing of the decision to dismiss Feaster at this point.

 

[Zip15]

@sroarke_nhl: Burke admitted that the fact that BUF is looking for a GM contributed to the timing of the decision to dismiss Feaster at this point.

Which, again, leads me to Futa. Buffalo has been looking for a GM for a month as of tomorrow, with many of the names out there for some time--Botterill, Benning, Fenton, Treliving, and Tim Murray. Then, on Tuesday night, Futa's name gets mentioned and all of a sudden Burkie is in a race with Buffalo to get a new GM?

I don't know, that seems fishy to me. Perhaps Futa's name entering the conversation is getting Burke on his horse.

 

[Beerz]

Which, again, leads me to Futa. Buffalo has been looking for a GM for a month as of tomorrow, with many of the names out there for some time--Botterill, Benning, Fenton, Treliving, and Tim Murray. Then, on Tuesday night, Futa's name gets mentioned and all of a sudden Burkie is in a race with Buffalo to get a new GM?

I don't know, that seems fishy to me. Perhaps Futa's name entering the conversation is getting Burke on his horse.

Plus Burkes love for big physical teams which goes along with this Futa guys MO by the looks of it.

 

[Beerz]

And please Patty.... don't interview Feaster.

 

[dugman]

And please Patty.... don't interview Feaster.

...but Feaster has already made several really good trades for the Sabres!

 

[Paxon]

I have a mixed opinion on Burke as a GM/builder, but boy would I ever hate to be a GM working under him. Does he not give the feeling of a guy who is a constant threat to take over the job himself, not to mention meddle? No one knows how good LaFontaine will be at his job, but it's a reasonable bet the Buffalo job will provide you more breathing room.

Both jobs are offering a pretty solid set-up talent-wise. The Flames have several good prospects as well as a likely franchise center nailed down. Buffalo offers you a true blank slate and a whole lot of quality prospects to work with, plus the chance to get at least one franchise-level player out of the NYI and next two Buffalo 1sts. Also, I'm pretty sure Pegula gives all his high-level employees a company jet pack.

Reports should be very interesting over the next week or so.

 

[Sabretip]

Burke's reputation just strikes me as a major handicap in the Calgary search, where any candidate who wants to jump up to the GM chair for the 1st time will hesitate considering Calgary unless they have first-hand experience working with/under Burke in the past.

I rest my case - already some more infamous soundbytes from the Burke repertoire:

"I'm not kissing babies up here," he said. "I'm not running for office. This is about winning hockey games. And I have to take the steps that I think are going to lead us to win the most hockey games we can win."

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=438812

Unless Pat L. has one specific guy in mind and Burke somehow swoops in and claims him, or threatens to, the whole scenario isn't that worrisome considering how many quality candidates there are out there (IMO).

I feel the same way...

I don't know, that seems fishy to me. Perhaps Futa's name entering the conversation is getting Burke on his horse.

Even if that is the case, like I said: if the Kings are hesitant to let Futa interview with Buffalo, why would they be willing to let hire him away to a conference rival?

Plus Burkes love for big physical teams which goes along with this Futa guys MO by the looks of it.

Last time I checked, Benning's been a part of developing a physically-intimidating roster in Boston as well.

And please Patty.... don't interview Feaster.

I doubt it - Feaster will likely return as a guest analyst on NHL Network like he did after being fired in Tampa. Feaster's resume as a 2-time former GM runs counter to what McKenzie described about Pat wanting an Asst. GM that hasn't been the main guy before. I have the feeling that's probably why Neil Smith's name hasn't come up. Dudley seemed to be the only exception because of his relationship with Pat as a player and Buffalo in general.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Also, I'm pretty sure Pegula gives all his high-level employees a company jet pack.

I read that somewhere too

 

[JLewyB]

I will say this in the whole context of "competing" with Calgary. Unless Pat L. has one specific guy in mind and Burke somehow swoops in and claims him, or threatens to, the whole scenario isn't that worrisome considering how many quality candidates there are out there (IMO).

That said, what if Snow, to pick a name at random, is relieved of his duties? And then another GM elsewhere? Then it starts getting a little trickier. I've always been of the mind that you need an intelligent, thorough search, but you can't dawdle forever, and certainly not to the end of the season as some media pundits have suggested. Aside from the candidate competition angle, there are some near-term evals and decisions that need to be made with this roster. Integration and comfort with the team and organization take time to develop, even if you "know" the roster and pipeline coming in. I'm fine with waiting until the new year (or thereabouts), but that's about it. Who knows what else is cooking around the NHL?

I think more rebuilding teams are going to start viewing the period between Nov. 1st to the new year as the new offseason for GMs. The decisions that are being made have little or no baring on the long term future of this or any rebuilding team. It also allows an organization to review the current teams progress and see if it is worth keeping the GM around or not. The biggest bonus is your only competetor in a GM search other rebuilding teams if any.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Plus Burkes love for big physical teams which goes along with this Futa guys MO by the looks of it.

Futa must love our D's future then. Gotta wipe the drool from his mouth.

 

[Reaper45]

Rumor I heard is that the Kings denied Buffalo's request to talk to Futa.

 

[sjci]

Rumor I heard is that the Kings denied Buffalo's request to talk to Futa.

@simmonssteve 11 Dec
This I don't understand: Buffalo Sabres have asked for permission to talk to Mike Futa about GM job, and so far LA Kings have not granted it

 

[Sean McG]

I guess I will preface this by saying obviously Brian Burke has a better grasp of potential GM candidates in the NHL than I do and clearly has a target in mind. But I found his Buffalo comment weird because LaFontaine is clearly being patient about it, with McKenzie saying he has a growing list and will take into the new year to decide. If there were 5+ teams looking for a GM, that seems more reasonable. It seems like Joe Nieuwendyk is a pretty legit candidate given Burke asked permission for him already (he's still under contract with Stars), so unless he was on the Sabres radar, which was never reported, it seems like an odd excuse to fire Feaster.

I've seen Loiselle (who I think makes the most sense), Treveling, Benning, Fenton listed as candidates on various sites so I guess there are some similarities. I suppose if Burke hires one of the guys the Sabres were looking at it'll make sense of that quote.

edit: Just heard/realized Burke is hiring a GM and AGM, so that does make it a bit different.

 

[Sabretip]

@simmonssteve 11 Dec
This I don't understand: Buffalo Sabres have asked for permission to talk to Mike Futa about GM job, and so far LA Kings have not granted it

I'm not sure what Simmons is saying - does he find the Sabres interest in Futa hard to understand or the Kings' denial of permission for them to talk to Futa?

 

[Sabretip]

Good article by Burnside covering the parallel situations in Buffalo & Calgary:

It’s interesting that two distinguished yet distinct hockey personalities -- Pat LaFontaine and Brian Burke -- are traveling down the same hockey path at exactly the same time.

Both had the opportunity to become general manager of their respective teams -- LaFontaine, who assumed the role of president of hockey operations in Buffalo, and Burke, who became president of hockey operations in Calgary and immediately and repeatedly insisted he did not want to be the team’s GM.

That he and LaFontaine share the same job title and description isn’t where the similarities to their current lots in life end, similarities that have become more pronounced after Thursday’s bloodletting in Calgary.

The Sabres are a terrible team and have become untethered, drifting further and further away from a long-suffering fan base. LaFontaine is tasked with remooring the Sabres and, to that end, has been interviewing clients for the GM opening created when longtime GM Darcy Regier was fired earlier this season.

It is a crucial hire, and from all reports, LaFontaine is being methodical in his search. It is not overstating it to say that if hiring LaFontaine was a seminal moment for the beleaguered franchise, the decision on GM is equally important to the long-term future of the Sabres; one begets the other.

Ditto for Burke.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/28218/burkes-gm-hire-will-write-legacy-in-calgary

While it was reported that Botterill, Benning, Murray and Fenton were free to interview for the position, other teams (Mtl, Phx, LA) reportedly aren't so willing to let their staff go - Burke's referenced it in 2 separate interviews. It's probably a factor in why Pat hasn't hired a GM yet - maybe his first choices aren't free or available yet and the ones he's spoken with haven't "wowed" him according to one media report.

 

[jBuds]

Most of the good candidates coming from the western conference... Another west team is now searching in Calgary... Teams who didn't grant us permission are more likely to do so now so as to avoid losing one of their guys in-conference (if they accept that they're losing them one way or another)

But like I've said for the last 12 days... The process is taking longer than I would like, and puts a lot more immediate pressure on the eventual hire than there already would be.

 

[MacOfNiagara]

I've seen Loiselle (who I think makes the most sense), Treveling, Benning, Fenton listed as candidates on various sites so I guess there are some similarities. I suppose if Burke hires one of the guys the Sabres were looking at it'll make sense of that quote.

edit: Just heard/realized Burke is hiring a GM and AGM, so that does make it a bit different.

He mentioned in his presser yesterday that he suspected there might be some overlap (of potential candidates) and that he would know by the end of the day how much overlap there was. I interpreted this a he was going to be seeking permissions for interviews and would see/ask if Buffalo had inquired as well.

I suspect there is some overlap. I agree with a previous poster stating that if a potential candidate is made an actual offer they will take it. NHL GM jobs are a rare thing, and if you get offered one you take it.

The only worry then would be if Calgary makes an offer to the guy you deem your top candidate.

 

[Zip15]

LaFontaine has been candid that they may wait until the offseason if they have to. I shudder at the panic that will descend upon this board if Pat follows through on that statement.

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

LaFontaine has been candid that they may wait until the offseason if they have to. I shudder at the panic that will descend upon this board if Pat follows through on that statement.

FIRE PATTY!!!!!

 

[Beerz]

LaFontaine has been candid that they may wait until the offseason if they have to. I shudder at the panic that will descend upon this board if Pat follows through on that statement.

I would not like this move...one bit.

 

[Zip15]

I'm not sure what Simmons is saying - does he find the Sabres interest in Futa hard to understand or the Kings' denial of permission for them to talk to Futa?

I'd make the educated guess that he can't understand why the Kings are denying Buffalo's request to speak with Futa. I think most believe that organizations should clear the path to promotion and career advancement for their employees who've performed well, and may not have the opportunity within their current organization. That tenet is only bolstered when the inquiring organization is not in direct competition--to the greatest extent possible, anyways--with the asked organization.

Put simply, I think Simmons is saying that he could understand why the Kings may deny Calgary's request--same division, direct competition, etc.--but denying Buffalo's request seems a bit odd.