Saint Nik said:
cw said:
Yes in terms of personnel for example, they've made some mistakes - Komisarek being probably the most glaring example. But even the smartest GMs in the history of the league could take you through a list of those. I would have signed Komisarek for 1/2 mil less per year for four years - so I was very close to making the same error.
I think his mistake in re-tooling direction occurred when he was hired so I don't fault his brain trust much for that. Burke was just honoring his word to the MLSE board and the brain trust had to work around that from the outset.
But I think that would be my reaction to any effusive praise for that brain trust. Have the results been there? I mean, I'd be all for assembling the Justice League of hockey brains if there was much to suggest it yielded something terrific but until now it seems like an experiment in progress.
I think we know some of those results factually. Nonis has been credited with some of the deals because he gets along with some GMs better than Burke (ie I think the recent Nashville deal was one). A couple of the others got credit for a couple of other acquisitions (Poulin was one who picked one of the players who played in the NCAA - don't recall which one offhand but he was a decent choice). Loiselle has been good with contract and cap management - I'd say he knows the CBA very well.
My impressions from listening to a number of interviews with each of them are all very good. These guys strike me as very reasonable, intelligent and knowledgeable of the CBA, the league, the players and the prospects. Any one of them strikes me as an asset to discuss any move a GM might consider. All of them impressed me more than a Bill Watters for example.
I think Nonis or Dudley would crack a lot of prospective lists for teams looking for a GM. Poulin and Loiselle cracking such a list wouldn't shock me. They've impressed me as really knowing their stuff.
Beyond that, I suppose it's guesswork and my personal impression. I don't remember any Leafs front office ever in their history with such a group and I don't recall many NHL teams with anything as deep.
Burke's management style is by committee. As GM, he retains the right for the final say. But many times in his interviews, he's revealed how these guys have helped him and given them credit where credit was due.
With the CBA and the more complex businesses these NHL franchises have become and the growth of the hockey world, I can't imagine how the one or two member management teams of the past could function successfully today. I think it's to Burke's credit that he's embraced a true team approach to his management of the franchise.
When I visualize them sitting down to discuss a move, I think that crew would come up with all the salient issues in a matter of minutes. No group will ever get 100% of their personnel decisions right but I can't fathom that crew missing many tricks or angles when they've been consulted.
