Paul Holmgren's 5 worst moves as general manager

[Brophy]

So many to choose from.

Trading a 1st rounder for Eminger was awful the moment it happened as well.

HM: Gagne for Matt Walker.

especially with John Carlson on the board still...

 

[OzFlyers]

A first and a third round pick for Versteeg should be up there too!

 

[BackWithaVengeance]

Has to be the bob trade. We hate it but at the time Bryz was good. His play in AZ had me excited. And AMAC would have got that same contract on the open market. Sucks we paid it but it was at value then

The AMac extension reminds me so much of the Carle re-signing in Tamba Bay. As soon as they did it we knew they'll regret it

 

[BackWithaVengeance]

Let's not forget Holmgren's

1) Trading away (throw ins) of draft picks in trades like they were peanuts

This can't be mentioned enough. Guy threw 2nd rounder away like candy.

 

[zarley zelepukin]

1. Creating a situation where trading your two best forwards is seen as both necessary and a good move

That includes the Bryzgalov situation because of the cap ramifications, even though a lot of that was Snider's fault. They should've just signed Vokoun as a stopgap like a lot of us wanted.

 

[Cootsfanclub]

1. Creating a situation where trading your two best forwards is seen as both necessary and a good move

That includes the Bryzgalov situation because of the cap ramifications, even though a lot of that was Snider's fault. They should've just signed Vokoun as a stopgap like a lot of us wanted.

The situation came from Pronger having a freak injury, he didn't create it at all.

He created a 5ish year window of having a #1 Dman, a solid #2 that can hold down a second pairing, 3 point per game forwards, and a blossoming star to build around after that period. He built an absolute powerhouse.
It just so happened that 5 year window got cut short from something that no one could have seen coming.

 

[zarley zelepukin]

The situation came from Pronger having a freak injury, he didn't create it at all.

He created a 5ish year window of having a #1 Dman, a solid #2 that can hold down a second pairing, 3 point per game forwards, and a blossoming star to build around after that period. He built an absolute powerhouse.
It just so happened that 5 year window got cut short from something that no one could have seen coming.

The situation is the one that led to the trades happening in the first place, so I'm talking about before Pronger's injury. In the window he created, you're talking about Pronger, Kimmo and Giroux, right? I'm not sure who the other two ppg forwards are. Giroux would also be the blossoming star? Because all those guys were here with Carter and Richards anyway.

 

[Cootsfanclub]

The situation is the one that led to the trades happening in the first place, so I'm talking about before Pronger's injury. In the window he created, you're talking about Pronger, Kimmo and Giroux, right? I'm not sure who the other two ppg forwards are. Giroux would also be the blossoming star? Because all those guys were here with Carter and Richards anyway.

When Pronger came in, we had a 5 year window of him Timonen anchoring two shut down pairings.

Carter and Richards both had PPG seasons in 08-09 and Briere was .9 as a Flyer at that point

It's hindsight to see Giroux as a star, but it was talked about before it happened.
http://thehockeywriters.com/claude-giroux-a-star-in-the-making/

All these guys were in that 5 year window. A #1 D was needed to compete in the window, without Pronger a rebuild was needed. Holmgren probably didn't expect the team to be in the playoffs after trading Richards and Carter. They were still without a #1 D, not bad enough to draft one, but still better off going forward.

 

[zarley zelepukin]

When Pronger came in, we had a 5 year window of him Timonen anchoring two shut down pairings.

Carter and Richards both had PPG seasons in 08-09 and Briere was .9 as a Flyer at that point

It's hindsight to see Giroux as a star, but it was talked about before it happened.
http://thehockeywriters.com/claude-giroux-a-star-in-the-making/

All these guys were in that 5 year window. A #1 D was needed to compete in the window, without Pronger a rebuild was needed. Holmgren probably didn't expect the team to be in the playoffs after trading Richards and Carter. They were still without a #1 D, not bad enough to draft one, but still better off going forward.

Okay, I guess I misunderstood. I thought you were talking about a 5 year window after the Richards/Carter trades. I liked the team he built that went to the finals, of course. I wanted it to be kept together longer than it was. Cap issues were probably the number one culprit for why it wasn't, and the Bryzgalov signing tied up a lot of the cap in a player that wasn't worth it.

 

[BryzyInPhilly]

PH was not a good GM. But I actually think he deserves more credit than hindsight gives him. He came in when this team was literally dreadful - dead last - and few saw any light at the end of the tunnel. The return he got for Forsberg (and a to a lesser extent, Zhitnik - incredible trade) plus the Briere (not Gomez) signing turned this team from 30th out of 30 to a playoff team practically overnight. The Richards/Carter trades deserve credit too - he wasn't afraid to pull the trigger.

That said, he was not wise with the cap or picks. But at that time it was win now, win now, win now, and I'm willing to bet the org had its usual impatience. That impatience cost us Cups, but I don't think it was coming from Holmgren (although the cap management was his fault)

 

[Rebels57]

Holmgren's tenure as GM needs to be divided into 2 segments really.

2008-2011 - Excellent
2011-2014 - Horrid

 

[pit]

Holmgren's tenure as GM needs to be divided into 2 segments really.

2008-2011 - Excellent
2011-2014 - Horrid

I agree with that and I think it all hinges on the Pronger injury (November 2011). Holmgren didn't know how to deal with losing him and went for band-aid after band-aid.

 

[Rebels57]

I agree with that and I think it all hinges on the Pronger injury (November 2011). Holmgren didn't know how to deal with losing him and went for band-aid after band-aid.

Yeah he really unraveled after that injury.

Amazing how moment can alter a franchise so significantly.