Stars change GM

I'm sure Beef will have a view on this from across the pond..... http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=667985&navid=DL|NHL|home

Traded in veterans to help with play-off push as season started, then traded them away again at the deadline, pre-empting missing the play-offs again. Seems like a franchise which can't make up its mind what to do for any sustained period of time! With rumours that Nill could be the replacements it looks like a rebuild is on the cards but will they stick to plan?

I sent him a text last night saying the GM was on the way out, and I have not heard anything from him since then!

Hope you are ok, Beef...

xxx

Ok here are my thoughts.

First off I am sad to see Nieuwendyk go. I think he doesn't get the credit he deserves for the job he did.

Consider this. He was GM for 4 years, he came in to a team that was used to being a cap limit team with under performing vets, no farm system to speak of and under league ownership thanks to Hicks going bankrupt and ruining the team.

Since then he has stocked up the farm with tons of promising prospects to the point that the Texas Stars finished this season as the best team in the West and are currently in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Unlike their last playoff run, this one is being done with draft picks and key young signings rather than older vets. The future for the Stars has never been this bright as even in the late 90's the team was built on free agency.

Although he never made the playoffs, he took a team that was handcuffed to the cap floor and kept them relatively competitive. Yes they collapsed down the stretch far too often but they were always in the running for a playoff spot. The collapse down the stretch can usually be attributed to the coach....

Which brings me to the bad. My biggest issue with Nieuwendyk was the firing of Tippett. I know that when a new GM comes in it is practically a given that the coach will be changed but Tippett missed the playoffs just once before Joe came in and that year he had to deal with lengthy injuries to key guys. Just look at what he went on to do in Phoenix. Hiring Crawford was his biggest mistake which he attempted to rectify later with Gulutzen but the damage was done. Gulutzen is a decent coach but he seems to have a problem coaching older players. Give him an AHL team and he is fantastic but at the NHL level I think he is a little out of his depth.

The other side to being a GM is obviously trades and FA signings. I would say Joe at least gets a pass on his UFA signing considering most of the time he had hardly any money to do it and he signed some solid guys to keep the team going.

Trades are a bit hit and miss however. Everyone jumps on the Neal for Goligoski trade as a reason why he failed and they could be right however I still maintain that Goligoski is a guy we need. He had more points than the rest of our defence combined this year and I still strongly believe Neal would not be a 40 goal scorer without Malkin setting him up. Joe took a gamble and it was always going to be risky trading a goal scorer for a defender. What people seem to forget is he made some pretty decent trades too. Lehtonen for a guy who is now in the KHL and never stepped on the ice for the Trashers/Jets goes down as one of the best trades in Stars history for me. However the return on Morrow, Jagr and Roy was a bit underwhelming but I get the feeling he had to take what he could rather than watch all 3 walk and Joe Morrow, Gaunce and Connauton have been superb in the AHL so the return on those trade could turn out very well indeed.

Also you have to credit Joe for picking up guys like Brenden Dillon and Matt Fraser as undrafted signings. Dillon played some of the toughest minutes of any defender in the league and could be considered in the Calder race if they took more than points into the mix. Fraser also has lit up the AHL in scoring putting up 37 and 33 goals in his last two seasons.

So in summary I think Nieuwendyk did a better job than some people think. He has left the organisation in a better shape than it was when he came in and has transformed the team from old underperformers to a young team with a ton of potential.

As for Jim Nill.... He is the reason I am fine with the change. If you are going to make a change it had better be for someone good and Nill has plenty of experience to back it up. When Gaglardi took over as the owner many people felt Nieuwendyks time may be up and I believe the lack of playoffs and slightly underwhelming return at the deadline probably caused Gaglardi to take a look around and when the opportunity to sign Nill came up he wasn't going to think twice.

Nill comes in to a team that has the foundations and framework in place already. He just has to bring it home and add the pieces needed to turn that into an annual contender. Will it happen? Who knows but I am optimistic about the direction we are heading in.

TL/DR: Neuwendyk not too bad. Nill better.

Gulutzan and Jerrard gone.

Yep, those were the expected moves. Not sure on Jerrard but I know Gulutzan didn't have a contract past June anyway so it was more a confirmation on that. The big question is who we replace him with.

The names in the running so far are apparently.

Curt Fraser - Current assistant for the Stars. Hired by Nill to coach the Griffins for 4 seasons so many feel he could be given then nod. Problem is his last NHL coaching job was with the Thrashers for their first 4 years and wasn't that impressive.

Willie Desjardins - Current Texas Stars head coach. Desjardins was an assistant coach under both Crawford and Gulutzen and never seemed to thrive in that role but in his first season in the AHL as a lead role he has excelled. Started the year with a ton of players drafted/traded/signed who were new to the team and had not played together and as a result got off to an awful start winning something along the lines of 2 in their first 18 games. Desjardins managed to turn it around however and end up #1 in the West and the Stars are currently in the 2nd round of the playoffs. I would be more than happy if he got the role in Dallas.

Dave Tippett/Alan Vigneault - Both technically still in jobs but with Tippetts lack of a contract for next year and the rumours Vigneault could be done in Vancouver, Nill may want to make a move for a guy with plenty of experience and both of these would be solid signings in my opinion. I said before I didn't want Tippett gone so would be more than happy to have him return.

Lindy Ruff - One of the longest serving coaches in the league with the Sabres, his name pops up time and time again when teams are looking for new coaches. I wouldn't be annoyed if Ruff was signed but I would prefer a few of the guys above.

Don Cherry - My personal favourite! What a legend he is.

Other names banded about at the moment are Dallas Eakins (Toronto Marlies) and Guy Boucher (Former Lightning).

mc_homer wrote:Other names banded about at the moment are Dallas Eakins (Toronto Marlies)

Hands off!