nfreeman

I hate to say this, but offseason plans are going to need to factor in the likelihood (which I've seen in the Snooze and which has been persuasively described to me by a doctor who admittedly only knows what has been made public) that Okposo is not coming back. So everyone agitating for a Kane or Reino trade should think twice about subtracting another high-end forward.

OK with me. Get someone from a highly-accomplished organization. I'd still like an experienced guy as president, though, and for Brandon to be ridden out on a rail.

Well, if you need things to be concrete, you can't really take Friedman's "I wonder if the team felt Murray leaked it" as "Murray leaked it." Go on...

Whaley Rex Bills games in Toronto

No thanks. They've never gotten anywhere in the playoffs, and he chose to build his forward corps around 3 expensive wingers (Parise, Vanek and Pommer). Very nice.

And that's that.

This. Throw $$ at Duds to serve as president and hire the next GM. Then we start to look like we have a professional FO.

Chin up, my friend. TP is going to hit the mark on this one, just like, I believe, he has done with the Bills (with Whaley apparently on his way out and McDermott seeming like a real HC). And it's at least 50/50, and probably more like 70/30, that canning GMTM was the right call. Someone pls post the "get out" gif.

Hammy on WGR: Brandon will NOT be involved in hiring the new GM. Hammy wants Dudley, either for GM or president/czar.

GA beat me to it. I have a hard time seeing more than 1 of Kane, Reinhart, Risto and Nylander shipped out, and frankly I don't expect any of them to go (unless Kane tells the new GM that he's not interested in staying). I think Lehner will also be retained unless he demands a fat, long-term deal. I think Lombardi is fairly likely; Sutter less so but still possible. Yes, but this at least would be chasing someone who accomplished something, unlike Rex. I think you're supposed to put forth a thought and then let someone else compliment it as an interesting point.

Outstanding. As I posted upthread, Elliotte Friedman, who knows a lot more about this than anyone here, said today that people will be lining up for the GM job.

Well, I generally agree, but for his last decade-plus with us, just about everyone in the NFL with any juice had zero interest in working for the dearly departed Ralph Wilson. Quite possible.

We also need them to have better advisers on these decisions than Brandon. Elliotte Friedman on WGR: there are going to be a lot of people lined up for this job -- I can already tell by the number of people contacting me.

No -- he does the job of "SVP -- Marketing" well. He performs terribly as "Team President -- Football and Hockey." Good post. Before the ZFG charm took over, there were quite a few questions raised (by me and others) about hiring a GM from an organization that had been mired in mediocrity for most of his tenure there. It's still not clear to me what GMTM accomplished, before PLF hired him, to earn the job. Good post, and one that kinda stokes my interest in Lombardi.

Here's a thought: if TP had decided that GMTM didn't have the right stuff, then better to pull the trigger now -- ii.e. before losing any of the offseason -- and get the new guy in place to plan for and execute new HC hiring, the draft, expansion draft, free agency, Kane/Eichel extensions, etc.

This doesn't seem credible. GMTM must've known that he was going to have to articulate to TP his vision for improvement -- and he "didn't have any answers?" So he sat there in silence? As I mentioned above, it seems reasonable that TP would've held GMTM accountable for icing a lousy team -- especially for the disgraceful post-bye-week performance -- and firiing DDB as part of a housecleaning would make sense too. But TP firing GMTM because GMTM "had no answers" in their meeting? No.

I will be deeply dismayed if TP announces that RB will have a big role in helping find the next GM/President of Hockey operations.

Very nice. This is a good point, and one that TP probably took into consideration -- i.e. why is the cupboard bare?

I think TP looked at the overall situation -- i.e. GMTM spent pretty close to the cap and spent much of his draft pick/trade/cap space currency -- concluded that the results were terrible -- especially relative to teams like Calgary and Toronto -- and held GMTM accountable. It's a quick trigger for a GM hire, but the GM is ultimately accountable for putting together a good team. I hope so. Yes. That works for me.

This probably means that DDB was GMTM's hire, not TP's.

Holy mackerel.

I was really hoping for an announcement from the Sabres this morning...

Pepperoni remains the Gretzky of toppings -- everything else is a distant second place. Mushrooms are a good pairing with pepperoni -- but so is double pepperoni.

You must be unfamiliar with the works of Liger and Wookie.

Hammy: he was interviewing DDB in Pittsburgh this year, Malkin walked by, DDB said hello, Malkin said nothing and kept walking.