The Management Machine

Hulkacaniac

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Jun 4, 2015
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It's done. The GM and head coach positions have been filled with no little controversy. We now know the all the titles and who fills them. But I still feel left with many more questions. How will this machine work? What exactly will these people with long and vague titles do? I'm trying to think how this GM by committee will work, how involved Dundon will be, and whether everyone gets equal input. There's also the question of who is actually on the committee and has a say and who will be "reassigned." I'm going to try to scour through quotes and articles and compile who I think will be on the committee and what their roles will be.

Tom Dundon - The Owner
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No introduction needed. This is his team now and he's not afraid to make that fact known. He has made it known he hates losing. He believes the Hurricanes be successful if run like an effective business. So what is his role in the new system? He said he doesn't want to be making decisions, but would in the short term to get his system in place. So is his system in place now and he will back away or will he be the dreaded hands on owner? It is also essential to note that Dundon knows little about hockey but that he wants to learn as much as possible. If I were an owner, I would want to have the ability to judge a trade, or a draft pick, or know the reputation of people in the hockey world.

Update: In a radio interview, Dundon said he believes Brind'Amour is the type of person who creates success for an organization. More relevantly he referenced people he has regularly talked to in the decision-making process. This included Tulsky, Vellucci, Brind'Amour, and Yorke. I think he was trying to emphasize that these people from the Francis regime are important and will be retained.

31 Thoughts: What owner Tom Dundon wants in a new Hurricanes GM - Sportsnet.ca
Whatever happens under Tom Dundon, Canes are unlikely to remain in the mediocre middle
Dundon: Rod will figure out how to be a good head coach :: WRALSportsFan.com

Don Waddell - President and General Manager
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Another person we're all too familiar with. The Atlanta tenure and then as president from 2014 under Karmanos. He became more and more visible after Ron Francis was out. First he was helping with the GM search, saying he was comfortable where he was. That changed to, he wouldn't be
GM before the draft. And now here we are. How did it come to this? There was of course the infamous GM search where some candidates withdrew rather quickly after the reported low salary and atypical responsibilities. The latter part we didn't get much elaboration on. Was it the committee that was unappealing, how does the GM fit into the committee when the responsibilities seem so vague? There were still candidates that seemed interested, namely Greeley and Gilman. How the hell could Waddell have been the best man for the job? My theory is this: the GM role is very different than what is normal. It is more Dundon's vizier. The role is two-way, one to translate Dundon's will and opinions into something that makes sense in hockey terms. Of course in this way, he also serves as a public face for the management machine. On the other hand, he also translates opinions within the organization and serves as a hockey adviser to Dundon, helping him become more familiar with people in the hockey world. So in this way it could make sense that Waddell is a good fit because he is a hockey person that understands Dundon very well. Of course, this means he would wield huge influence over Dundon, so there is a question of whether he uses that to pursue his own ambitions.. but that is for other discussion. I do wonder whether the nature of the GM role will change as Dundon becomes more familiar with hockey and the NHL and whether that will mean this is more of an extended interm GM situation. It is important to note the salary report shines some light on how big Dundon sees this position and that Waddell is still president of Gale Force, which was already a full time job (Of course we remember a certain Jim Rutherford who held both positions).

Update: In a radio interview, Waddell reemphasized that he did not want to be GM but that Dundon insisted. Around the time of the draft lottery, Dundon decided to make Waddell the GM because he didn't gel with any of the candidates as well as he did with Waddell. Waddell took it on the condition that he would be able to bring Rick Dudley aboard. Note, this is around the time Greeley was reported to be out.

Update:
Don Waddell to continue as Hurricanes general manager in short term - Sportsnet.ca
Waddell: We're comfortable keeping the second pick :: WRALSportsFan.com

Rick Dudley - Senior VP of Hockey Operations
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Hired in May 2018. Long time friend of Waddell and even longer time hockey guy. Now he's the (long and vague title) with the Hurricanes. Considered a master talent evaluator. It seems as though he will be the most important figure in hockey operations. He came aboard right when Francis's contract was terminated. Soon after we got the Kruger-Martinook trade. This was also right after Greeley was reported to be out. It also seems like Montreal may have tried to retain him. Evidently he has NC connections through his wife and sees this as his last gig to go out on. I've seen reports that he may be the one managing trades and will certainly have a huge influence on the draft. I'm guessing he's an "interm" type person that Waddell recommended for Dundon to learn a lot from.

Edmonton Oilers trading their first-round pick quite possible this year
Dudley: I'm going to follow the lead of Don Waddell :: WRALSportsFan.com

Paul Krepelka - VP of Hockey Operations
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Hired in April 2018. Former agent who was high up in Orr Group before he apparently got burned out and retired. He got involved in the other side and was part of Norfolk Admirals (ECHL). He was someone who reached out to the organization. Seems very much like a Dundon type person. There is a great emphasis on how he enjoys most creating strong relationships with players. Of course he is expected to manage contract negotiations, but will also have more management responsibilities.

For agent-turned-Hurricanes assistant GM, nothing new about this team

Rod Brind'Amour - Head Coach
image

Been with the coaching staff since 2011. I think he definitely has to be part of the committee. Dundon appears very enthusiastic about him (I don't know how much of that is to market him). But is seems that Dundon (and Waddell) value him enough from what they have heard within the organization and from players to weigh what he says heavily.
Update: Brind'Amour said the coach he'd most like to emulate is Laviolette. He said as part of the job, he knows Dundon will be coming to the coach's office to make comments and opinions and that Brind'Amour would have to explain and show Dundon certain things.

Brind'Amour: I was in the back seat now I want to drive :: WRALSportsFan.com

Mike Vellucci - Assistant GM/Director of Hockey Operations
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Joined in 2014 after leaving the Plymouth Whalers. I wonder what Vellucci's future holds. His role makes some sense as he has specialized in player development and what better way to do that than as coach in the AHL? This is important as it is an area not covered by anyone else in the committee. I do wonder how much time does he devote to his AGM role while still coaching. And if, as rumored, he wants to pursue coaching rather than management, does he look for other opportunities if they arise?

Five questions to be answered in Hurricanes' offseason

Eric Tulsky - Manager of Analytics
etulsky.jpg

Hired in 2015. It makes sense that Dundon would be someone who is a fan of analytics. So it seems obvious Tulsky would be a part of the committee. This makes sense as a balance to someone like Dudley who uses the traditional type of evaluation. I have to wonder, does his role gain influence in the new system? Does Dundon trust the analytics or the hockey guys more? Also, while Peters evidently used Tulsky extensively, it remains to be seen how much Brind'Amour puts value on it.

Dellow: A conversation with Eric Tulsky of the Carolina...

Darren Yorke - Manager of Scouting
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Hired in 2009 as a video scout. In 2017 was promoted to Manager of Scouting. He has been visible in previous seasons in videos about draft prospects. He directs efforts in amateur and pro scouting. Through all the transitions it seems his team has stayed intact as he lead pro scouting meetings a couple weeks ago. Dundon mentioned him as someone he had been talking a good deal with, so I think it's fair to think he would be part of the committee.

Ricky Olzcyk and Brian Tatum- Assistant GMs
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Hired in 2014. Krepelka has replaced him as the guy who manages contracts, so it almost seems as though his role is redundant. He apparently will be reassigned, so does that mean we will see him gone soon or does it mean he will move more into the business side of things?

Update: He hasn't been mentioned by Dundon, so I believe he isn't part of the committee that makes decisions on hockey ops.

Brian Tatum was hired a while ago as part of the marketing team and worked his way up to assistant GM in 2014.

Haven't heard either of these guys' names mentioned by Dundon. I don't think either will be involved in hockey decisions but rather be involved in legal, CBA, scheduling, and operational matters.

Ricky Olczyk Joins Hurricanes Management Team





Finally, here's a kind of interesting piece by Luke Future of the Hurricanes taking shape, and it's not what anyone expected

This turned into a lot more than I thought it would be. Oh well, I will try to update as I get more info and do more research.
 
Last edited:

Moosetache

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Jul 25, 2005
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Nice work. I'm gonna give it a year to provide any more criticism, we all seem to have the same initial thoughts about it. I just hope he went cheap in the office in order to spend with the on ice productions.

I thought the same thing at first....but saving 500k here and there in the front office won't make a difference in player salary on the ice. Tavares isn't going to say "well I wasn't going to go to Carolina for 7/70, but 7/71, yeah I'm taking that"
 

Navin R Slavin

Fifth line center
Jan 1, 2011
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I thought the same thing at first....but saving 500k here and there in the front office won't make a difference in player salary on the ice. Tavares isn't going to say "well I wasn't going to go to Carolina for 7/70, but 7/71, yeah I'm taking that"

500k every year is actually the difference between 7/70 and 7/73.5.

Which, maybe it's a small difference, and maybe it's not.
 

Chrispy

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Feb 25, 2009
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Nice work. I'm gonna give it a year to provide any more criticism, we all seem to have the same initial thoughts about it. I just hope he went cheap in the office in order to spend with the on ice productions.

I don't expect that's the case. I think it's more likely Dundon envisions a budget for this management committee, and rather than spend a large chunk of money on one GM he wants this set of 4-5 people (Waddell, Dudley, Krepelka, Tulsky, Vellucci?) offering different opinions on a decision.

I hope the allocation of player salaries is independent of the management allocation.
 

Hulkacaniac

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Jun 4, 2015
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NC
I don't expect that's the case. I think it's more likely Dundon envisions a budget for this management committee, and rather than spend a large chunk of money on one GM he wants this set of 4-5 people (Waddell, Dudley, Krepelka, Tulsky, Vellucci?) offering different opinions on a decision.

I hope the allocation of player salaries is independent of the management allocation.
On the first part, we only know what he was offering for the gm job. We can inference, but there's nothing concrete for how much anyone else is getting paid.

On the second, Dundon said in an interview with wyshynski he can't do anything about the market for players but there's plenty of people that can be managers. I think if anything the salary for players is deflated by the salary cap while manager's salaries are inflated. I don't see this as a melnyk thing where he doesn't want to pay his players but rather he won't go hard in free agency. If you think of a player's contract as an investment, how much return are the isles getting on Ladd or the sabres getting on okposo (I'm talking monetarily which is related to how good the team is but also more broad, jersey sales, etc.)
 

My Special Purpose

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Apr 8, 2008
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Thanks for this, and nice job.

But I disagree on Waddell's job description -- at least the GM part of it. I think he's going to behave like a living, breathing, GM, virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. It's just that ideas will come *to* him from below and he will act on them. Ideas will not start and end with the GM.

I don't think Dundon has "will and opinions." He just wants the team to get better and for the front office to be more efficient, transparent and agile. If he does have "will and opinions," they're not hockey-related, but process-related. In other words, I don't think he's walking into Waddell's office and saying "we need a big winger who can beat the snot out of somebody." I don't think he's walking into Tulsky's office and saying "what good are Derek Ryan's possession stats when he can get beat up by a one-armed nun?" He just wants people who he can ask "why" and that person can show a trail of research from all parties that led to the conclusion. It will be Waddell's job to execute at the final step of the process.

I think.
 

Hulkacaniac

You MUST
Jun 4, 2015
1,712
9,331
NC
Thanks for this, and nice job.

But I disagree on Waddell's job description -- at least the GM part of it. I think he's going to behave like a living, breathing, GM, virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. It's just that ideas will come *to* him from below and he will act on them. Ideas will not start and end with the GM.

I don't think Dundon has "will and opinions." He just wants the team to get better and for the front office to be more efficient, transparent and agile. If he does have "will and opinions," they're not hockey-related, but process-related. In other words, I don't think he's walking into Waddell's office and saying "we need a big winger who can beat the snot out of somebody." I don't think he's walking into Tulsky's office and saying "what good are Derek Ryan's possession stats when he can get beat up by a one-armed nun?" He just wants people who he can ask "why" and that person can show a trail of research from all parties that led to the conclusion. It will be Waddell's job to execute at the final step of the process.

I think.
I actually agree with this. The first part is kind of what I meant when I said I think Waddell would be the "face" of the machine. People would see him doing stuff, but maybe not the system doing it's work behind the scenes.

To your second point, I never meant to imply I thought Waddell would be a puppet GM. It's more I think Waddell serves as a "translator" that would be able to infer what Dundon's opinion might be on something if Dundon knew hockey.

Again, in theory every opinion will be equal just as every vote in an election is equal. But of course we know votes can be swayed by people of great influence.
 

Lempo

Future Considerations Truther
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I actually agree with this. The first part is kind of what I meant when I said I think Waddell would be the "face" of the machine. People would see him doing stuff, but maybe not the system doing it's work behind the scenes.

To your second point, I never meant to imply I thought Waddell would be a puppet GM. It's more I think Waddell serves as a "translator" that would be able to infer what Dundon's opinion might be on something if Dundon knew hockey.

Again, in theory every opinion will be equal just as every vote in an election is equal. But of course we know votes can be swayed by people of great influence.

So Waddell is the Grand Vizier for the Highest Boss.
 

Lempo

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On the negative side of this new approach, is there a risk it takes one element of fun out of the sport?

The public perception kind of still is that the GM and the head coach are autocratic despots, who do things according to their own vision until the moment they lose the backing of the owner or the GM, respectively. The GM and the head coach are sort of rock stars in their own right, and, while it is not accurate or truthful portrayal of modern hockey team management, does the entertainment portion of sports entertainment suffer as the personality gets replaced by a committee?

Is there even a risk that when things get decided by a committee, the mistakes made are everyone's fault, and therefore no one's fault; and that if and when it's time to apply accountability, the setup will fall apart and either discredit itself when someone has to emerge as the fall guy, or, worse yet, there will be no fall guy emerging?

Carrie-carrie-bradshaw-12928069-2250-15001.jpg


Will we miss out on fun by replacing general manager with lieutenant colonels?
 

Lempo

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um... no?

the fun part is the team being not a humongous embarrassment on the ice. i dont care what kind of stupid bureaucracy leads to them winning ice hockey matches

I rather meant the NHL-wide personality cult status there is attached to the GM, HC jobs, up and including the unglorious ends one's stint as one may take. It takes something away from the circenses if there no longer is a genuine traditional GM to be ditched after a road game to to make his on travel arrangements to return to the same town the team is going and it gets too professional.

I don't think everyone in the sport is keen for that development, seeing how big a deal they make of the team tables and phones in the Entry Draft and how a moron GM on some team getting fleeced every now and then in a trade is part of the show, a headlines generating one I might add.

The Carolina setup is a kind of too public acknowledgement that it's not in reality quite like that in the pro sports, which on the league level is a money making business at the end of the day.
 

Chrispy

Salakuljettaja's Blues
Feb 25, 2009
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Cary, NC
On the negative side of this new approach, is there a risk it takes one element of fun out of the sport?

The public perception kind of still is that the GM and the head coach are autocratic despots, who do things according to their own vision until the moment they lose the backing of the owner or the GM, respectively. The GM and the head coach are sort of rock stars in their own right, and, while it is not accurate or truthful portrayal of modern hockey team management, does the entertainment portion of sports entertainment suffer as the personality gets replaced by a committee?

Is there even a risk that when things get decided by a committee, the mistakes made are everyone's fault, and therefore no one's fault; and that if and when it's time to apply accountability, the setup will fall apart and either discredit itself when someone has to emerge as the fall guy, or, worse yet, there will be no fall guy emerging?

Carrie-carrie-bradshaw-12928069-2250-15001.jpg


Will we miss out on fun by replacing general manager with lieutenant colonels?

First, this will be even more fun. Instead of now, where you have people supporting a GM's move or not supporting it, you further fracture the discussion into debating whether the move was good, and then debating who gets credit/blame for that move being made.

And the replacement fun depends on who the new lieutenant colonel is. I can't wait to hear about Dundon's new European scout, Peggy.

"Hello, this is Peggy."
jim_rutherford_102418263.jpg
 

Lempo

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First, this will be even more fun. Instead of now, where you have people supporting a GM's move or not supporting it, you further fracture the discussion into debating whether the move was good, and then debating who gets credit/blame for that move being made.

And the replacement fun depends on who the new lieutenant colonel is. I can't wait to hear about Dundon's new European scout, Peggy.

"Hello, this is Peggy."
jim_rutherford_102418263.jpg

Oh. I didn't factor in the new glorious opportunities for the online assclownery. That of course is like someone just added a new dimension to your checkers board.
 

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