[quote name="Ton"]This is exactly the reason why
McD tore down the front office. It literally is a watered down version of what it once was. Although we still have some top notch personnel in Stan Bowman, Scotty Bowman, Marc Bergevin, Mark Kelly, Ron Anderson, and maybe some others I can't think of at the top of my head.... but regardless, its far from what it once was with
Tallon and Dudley here. The front office use to be stacked, now it just looks normal. Who knows, Cheveldayoff looks like a great guy and Al MacIssac -- well so far all his picks have busted like crazy (Smolenak anyone?), but either way, gotta let them run their course before passing judgment. So far it looks like Stan has been feeding crow, which FYI I never doubted him (and still don't, long way to go) even though people seem to have a grudge against him.[/quote]
Ton, i have to disagree with some of your comments. First off, the general comment on McD. When he took over he cleaned out the front office that did administrative work, all Dollar Bill loyalists who were clowns that most people wouldn't hire to wash their dishes. He did not clean out the scouting department. Say what you want about McD, and yes he is a cut throat bastard who demands results, but the truth is, nobody is better at marketing. And while it is true that he knows zero about hockey, nonetheless it didn't take him too long to figure out that Tallon/Dudley didnt know too much either. So he went out and got the very best hockey mind alive to run the show. Any complaints about that?
As for Dudley, all you need to about him was the trade made yesterday. Gm's were laughing at Stan when he was demanding a first round pick for Buff and said it would not happen. Dudley gave us a 1st, 2d, and a good prospect. LMFAO. And in return Dudley got a player who only shows up in the playoffs, but Thrashers are not going to the playoffs. Thrash also got some other players who are a dime a dozen.
As for Tallon, what more is there to say. He "built" this team? Yeah right. Big keys Keith and Seabs were 100% Mike Smith draft picks, Toews and Kane were draft picks Tallon got because his plan for to win the Cup (giving overrated UFAs big $$) turned a bad team into the worse team in the NHL. Buff was huge in the playoffs, but he was also a Smith pick. And don't forget it was Tallon who wanted to sign Havlat over Hossa (are you kidding me?). And it was Tallon who drafted (no) Skille when Kopitar was the obvious pick. And Dale hired coaches with no experience like Yawney and Savard. Compare them to Q.
And it was Tallon who gave away players like (to name few off the top of my head) Bourque, Vrbata and Craig Anderson -- which makes trading for players like Sharp and Steeger a wash. And it was Tallon who gave Campbell that asinine contract when anybody who knew how to evaluate hockey talent knew that the nucleus of Keith, Seabs, Kane and Toews would be a dynasty with the right support players and cap management. But Dale could not see that.
Dale is a great guy and his heart is shaped like the Indianhead, but if your longing for the days when Dale and Dudley oversaw the draft and amateur scouting, IMHO, we are MUCH MUCH better off now.
-5Minutes
P.S. yes Ron, I know you disagree. You have a whole thread devoted to Dale which i chose not to post in, as i thought i would leave it as a love for Dale thread for his devoted fans. Your opinion is well known, and telling me who wrong i am in an offensive way is not really necessary. Gracias
