Red Light Racicot

I used to feel the same way, but the idiocy never seems to end with this guy. Wed get more then we bargained for.

Anyways, the Bruins were completely ridiculous this whole series... For example: To me its gotten to the point where Im not even all that upset, because apparently this kind of behavior is now the status quo in Boston. You can only shake your head at this point at how they conduct themselves.

What happened? Genuinely curious.

The thing is he hasnt done near enough to improve the team for a very long time, just a string of ill timed knee jerk embarrassing decisions that yielded questionable returns. There is no assurance whatsoever he is going to break this trend and all of the sudden start making intelligent decisions again. You wont see many from an objective standpoint argue that this was a questionable decision, and you certainly wont find many who are in the least bit surprised Gillis was let go. This was the best team in the league in almost every regard, and after this lengthly catastrophe its one of the worst in many regards. If you want to argue Gillis didnt make any mistakes along the way, good luck. Youll need it.

Outside this fan base, this move is overwhelmingly being applauded and considered extremely wise. Why do we have so much trouble in looking at this objectively? I have no idea why people became so entrenched in defending Gillis when he destroyed the team. Youd never guess that he won executive of the year award years ago. That looks like an anomaly now. No resemblance whatsoever between that team and the current one even though he went to excessive lengths in his attempts to keep the core together. It was incredibly obvious to any observer he was doing a terrible job. I figure the odds he lands another GM job are nil after this gong show.

You know, Torts probably needs to go as well; unfortunately I think his willingness to accept responsibility made a very important difference.

No surprises here. Not many GMs can claim to have had this bad a year, and I think everyone from top to bottom needs a reprieve from the perpetually pissy attitude that has come with it this season. This team has other glaring issues that need to be addressed, but this simply had to be done.

I was pretty underwhelmed by Gillis' interview myself. It sounded like what is by this time predictable finger pointing. While it is refreshing to hear that he seems willing to share some of the blame, Im not sure how his ultimatum type approach helps anything. If it leads to his being excused after the season is over, then perhaps he has done the organization a great favor, at least indirectly. The admission that "we" have been chasing moving goal posts was very discouraging, because this is exactly what I feared he was doing. In truth, its not so much "we" plural its more just "him" this whole time and it sounds like he has finally figured out that changing the plan all of the time might not be a good idea. And then the kicker is when he says we already have the players to play an up tempo transition game.... how do you figure? We dont even have a single decent PMD...

If he was around during the 60s Lennon would have said "Gillis is bigger then Jesus" and there wouldnt have been any controversy at all because everyone would have agreed.

I suppose Santorelli was a fantastic signing. Im certainly not arguing that he hasnt made some good decisions. It just hasnt been near enough in helping the team stay competitive. If you compare this team to the one three years ago or even last season and say Gillis has done a decent job over that stretch, its confusing to me.

Its tough not to feel for the fans, but I cant help but cheer when the Leafs/Raptors/Blue Jays get trounced because of that vibe I get from TSN or CBC... they are so completely self-absorbed its repulsive. You just get these terrible impressions from time to time as well, like the way Torontonians would happily screw the CFL so they could have an NFL team that they probably wouldnt even care about after a while.

Its a really strange problem. Those who approve of the job Gillis is doing as much as anyone are for example Oiler and Flame fan, and to me that really says something. So why are we so in love with this guy? Offering excuses like hes still learning on the job and that he lacks experience makes our standards seem extraordinarily low. Who else would accept that? Whats the point of accepting that? So you can watch the team deteriorate and be content as if it made any sense? Gillis has made some very solid decisions worthy of acclaim. Unfortunately that trend is now ancient history and this recent stretch seems a lot more indicative of what to expect from the guy from now on because it has already been going on steadily for years now.

I see a few problems here: a. If the differences between GMs were so indistinguishable then I dont see how you account for lopsided trades, which are fairly common. That is very much night and day in contrast to trades where there is no obvious winner. b. Even if GM A is only slightly better then GM B, every decision they make compounds that difference if you consider the math. It would show up pretty quick. c. If youre going to assume that any other GM woud have made the same lousy decisions in Gillis' shoes, then youd also have to assume they would have made the same decisions that led up to it, otherwise I dont see the point. Ive always maintained a smarter and more resourceful GM could have avoided the unfavorable situations Gillis found himself in altogether.

While thats a very good point, the problem is that if you dont establish a basis for comparison you might end up making the mistake of assuming all GMs are more or less equal in ability. This most certainly is not the case. I would guess they are about as equal as your typical player, where there is often a massive and obvious gap when it comes to skill level despite the fact they are all professionals. You should be able to consider the results of trades, drafts, signing free agents, and changes in coaching staff and use them to reasonably and fairly assess how a GM measures up against his peers. Where the team is in the standings and which direction it is going are some of the factors that should be taken into consideration as well. A bit convoluted perhaps, but GMs live and die by this none the less.

With Shanny Ive always found injury is the most cut and dry factor, intent comes after. Cant say if its right or wrong, its a very difficult job with the vast variety of situations and massive scrutiny. Edit: Is it just me or does anyone else wonder why the NHL never assigns someone with a wealth of officiating experience? I figure they already possess the best transferable skill by a wide margin. A no brainer imo.

Well, if you say so. 7 mill per until hes 35 huh? Enjoy! Why's he always hunched over like an arthritic anyways?

I feel terrible for the fans. They deserve much better then what Burke and Nonis have delivered. Unfortunately, I find the media (CBC,TSN etc) makes it far too easy to resent the Leafs as well as the other Toronto teams.

I suppose I could argue that the posters who want Gillis to stick around are truly the ones who want to see the team fail, but Ill never stoop to that nonsense. Throughout the league there are fans devoted to their respective teams who think they could use a new head coach or GM, even very successful ones. I think its obvious we both want the team to be successful. If we disagree on who should be in charge and you think its a cause for enmity its regrettable because its completely unnecessary.

The team has gone from the very best in the league (117 points) to one that is now on pace for 85 points in a relatively short period of time. Additionally, this team we have now is not even as good as the one Gillis inherited anymore you cant even argue his overall body of work is respectable. He benefitted from having what turned out to be some of the best players in the league to boot. This is not coming out of thin air Im sorry to say.

This is what I keep thinking too. Theres nothing wrong with wanting a more capable GM. I have all the time in the world for a GM provided hes actually doing his job effectively. When the team has been deteriorating for this long and to this extent not so much. I want a change for the simple fact I want the team to improve. Gillis has not proven he is capable of this for a very long time.

Gillis keeps making decisions that do not follow logically, for example we had a team that relied heavily on goaltending and he just up and trades away 2 world class goaltenders within a matter of months. Gilly! For gods sake keep one at least! He makes a certain decision here and another one there, and on their own they might even seem reasonable when they are made. Unfortunately, overall they just dont combine together very sensibly at all. Lack now carries an insanely unreasonable burden that should never be placed on an inexperienced goaltender. He has no real back up or veteran presence in a market that is as hostile as any towards inconsistent goaltending. Somehow I question Gillis abilities to stick with an actual plan for a rebuild in light of such decisions, ones Im certain he himself had no clue he was going to eventually end up making even months before. Youre right though, this is obviously my overactive imagination.

No thanks. We need someone who can draft and make decent trades, and I think a lot of posters have become so wrapped up in defending the guy that they are willing to overlook how the team has taken a nosedive, and for what? So you can keep making excuses for him in the event that he continues on this current trend of switching the plan around every few months? I thought he was trying to model the team after the Red Wings, then he tried to assemble a team based on muscle, and now hes talking about how he wants to follow the Anaheim model. Who wants a follower? We need a trend setter. It would seem to me hes not the ideal guy to actually plan ahead on this scope. He makes way too many decisions that seem good at the time, but they turn out terrible. We need a guy who makes good decisions and is capable enough of planning ahead so it fits into some kind of consistent framework in the future as well, or at least has the foresight to set up reasonable contingencies in case things go south. And although everyone likes to excuse away for him and say "he doesnt have a crystal" ball what gets lost in all that is the fact that planning ahead and anticipating how players will turn out is pretty much the most important aspect of his job. All GMs make risky decisions, and those who are better equipped to properly assess their team and individual players ensure that there is a far greater chance those decisions will pan out. Im sorry to say this, but with Gillis you have far too much guessing. Torts for example. With Gillis you get way too many bad trades he forces himself into because he never has the foresight to adequately consider the potential consequences of his decisions.

If there is anyone in the league who needs incentive, its Kassian. He has a very strong tendency to go right to sleep without plenty of external stimuli. Perhaps his contract should be structured around trying to keep him motivated as much as possible, he gets a very modest base salary and fantastic rewards if he gets 20 goals or 50 points or whatever.

I am very concerned. Here we have a CDC thread that is 17 pages long, and there isnt even one Mike Gillis winning exec of the year picture?

Saturday vs. Calgary....do Canucks hit rock bottom in front of whole country? Which country? Youll only have a handful of Canadians watching this dog.