Island Nucklehead wrote:Hockey Widow wrote:
So I take it that there is a little tension in here.
You are a world of great news!!! I kid, I kid... I think... I heard rumblings that Gillis is involved in other dealings with ownership (aside from the Canucks), is there any truth to that? Could that save his job (or be the reason he has one in the first place)??
I guess the real question is WTF is up with these owners?! They bring MG in to do a job, and then they step right over him to hire a coach that proceeds to ramrod his roster into a team almost completely opposite to his style?
Fucks sake, put the guy out of his misery, or let's get on with this thing.
The Aqua group have shown themselves to be extremely piss-poor to this stage. How about they stick to building buildings and let the hockey team keep making them money? Either support your GM or fire him. You wanted an up-tempo style, and he forced it on the previous coach. You wanted a hard-ass as a coach, at least demand the same style of play!
I have no idea if he has any other business dealings with FA and company. But I think we have to remember that he signed on for this. Right from the start he talked about decisions being group decisions. He has always said that everyone is involved. Whether he knew the full extent of what that meant who knows but he knew what he was getting into.
My sense is that he is seeing it fall apart and is trying to flex some muscle. How much of that is his trying to salvage his own reputation or how much of it is him seeing the direction we are heading and not wanting to go there we will see.
No matter how it comes out he will publicly always defend the owners rights. As it should be. This isn't a situation where a new owner inherited him. He signed on almost from the start so you have to assume he knew what the job would entail.
Dave Nonis had the balls to not pull the trigger to make the Richards deal when he was told to get him at any price. At the time that price was said to be Edler, Raymond, #1 and something else. Failing to do that then failing to make the playoffs cost him his job. He wasn't the "team" player owners wanted. MG came aboard saying he was that team player.
I heard MG was replacing Nonis before the press got wind, reported it on the other CC. I heard Torts was going to get hired before AV was fired. Reported that here. Both those leaks came from ownership sources. I have no doubt Torts was an ownership push. I still don't know why but I know he wasn't high on MG's list. I also don't know of any other team that has had group interviews involving the GM and the owners for a coaching hire.
I also have a good source who said that ownership prohibited a Luongo buyout. They also prohibited MG keeping salary back in the Leaf deal. MG was basically told if he could not move Luongo he had to move CS. And that process started about 48 hours before the draft. We all heard the rumblings especial 24 hours leading up to the draft. MG could not move Luongo without a salary hold back and had to do what he did. Well I guess he could have quit.
My point is that ownership is most definitely involved in team management. How they respond in the face of what MG is now saying will be telling. They will either give him one more chance and full reign or they will fire him. I don't think MG wants the middle ground anymore.
If he gets his mandate I don't see firing Torts as a given. He will have some candid and frank discussions with Torts. If Torts is on board he too will be given another chance but perhaps a short leash.