Boston Canucker wrote:After watching the press conferences of the core players and then Torts, while I want Torts gone, he was making way more sense than the players. I realize the Sedins, Kesler, Bieksa are the core who will defend their buddies and keep believing, which is commendable in one sense, but man, they are freaking delusional if they really think they "are right there". They proved Torts' point about the core being stale in their Q&A. I still don't think Torts is the right coach for this team, but I was more comforted by the truths he spoke rather than the self-delusion of the players - Bieksa talking about how they just weren't getting the breaks, jeez!
I completely understand why the players said what they said. For them to suggest otherwise, would be throwing their own teammates under the bus. Basically, take what they say like a family member defending one of their own, despite rational evidence to suggest otherwise.
If they said anything differently, I would think there is dissension in the ranks. I guess they have their own "solidarity goatee" without having to physically show it.
Makes me also glad Gillis is gone. He couldn't pull of the moves to get this rebuild done, it's clear. I hope Linden gets a GM who is ready to act. I can live with the "going sideways" rebuild if it is really about getting young, bright players into the system. Linden has to kickstart this.
I can't disagree with your comment of his inability to pull off the moves to really reset the team and not the WTF? result the team ultimately turned in.
Michael D. Gillis put himself in a tough spot with all those NTCs which actually helped them keep the core that was within one game of the Holy Grail but it hindered him when it came to moving pieces of it when he knew he had to make some changes to it. Furthermore, it didn't help that he seemed to overvalue the market value of his players i.e. Bobby Lu and Edler (when he was rumored to be shopping him before NTC kicked in) and he wasn't aggressive enough to make the necessary and potentially risky
bold moves that he
boldly proclaimed when he was initially named as GM.