Criticism of the modern day GM

[adniel_g]

Over the years, the management of sports clubs has evolved in favor of efficiency, consistency, and professionalism. In today's NHL, GM's are scrutinized and criticized for every single move they make, don't make, or were close to making. There is no slack in any area of the game. Managing tight budget constraints, drafting future players, professional media representation, and overall entertainment value/competitive level of the team are some of the key responsibilities expected of every NHL GM.

At this level, the only thing separating a good GM from a bad or terrible one is his ability to increase/manage the competitive level of the team. Media representation, budget issues, and even drafting are in large part delegated to public relations staff, scouts, capologists, rest of front office, and/or the club owners directly (i.e. instructions come from up top).

So to err at this level (assuming budget management, drafting, and PR are taken care of), a GM would have to employ bad risk management either in a trade or signing. Put simply, the only remaining responsibility of a GM is to sign effective players to good contracts (either through FA or retaining current players) or to trade for them. Therefore, a lot of the time, they are criticized for agreeing to a lop-sided trade or offering a bad contract.

What would make an ok GM? one that maintains his team and makes small additions to offset team losses.

A bad GM? one that makes uninformed trades, giving up value in the process.

A terrible GM? Wouldn't you say the worst GM from an owner's standpoint is one that does nothing at all? Failing to do their only job? Failing to adapt to the constant change of the NHL?

Trying to fit MG under these very rigid and arbitrary criterion, would it not be fair to say that at best he is an ok GM, and if you looked closer, especially at this past year, you'd lean more in favor of bad to terrible?

My 2 Cents, we all have our opinions, flame away!

[MJDDawg]

If he were to be canned at the end of the season, he'll have left the new GM with an aging core of players all past their prime and all with NTC's, surrounded by a bottom 9 of mostly plugs, an overhyped overpaid defence, and an aging goalie past his prime that doesn't want to be here, but has a contract that sucks.

He's a terrible GM, and the deals he's made in the last year and a half have set this team back years.

[CupisAll]

he's not a gm. he's a players agent. that's why we have so many overpaid players and so many ntcs.

[Absent Canuck]

I dont think any of us can properly understand the enormous strain of being in charge of a $400mil dollar franchise in a city where that team is all or nothing. Fans and media scrutinizing every move you make. All the captain hindsight's telling you they knew it all along.

We can compare Gillis to the other GMs but lets not fool ourselves into pretending we know what we are talking about when it comes to trades , players and contracts.

[Peaches]

I highly doubt any of us could do better than MG.

[Twilight Sparkle]

I highly doubt any of us could do better than MG.

anyone who plays fantasy leagues and plays the nhl video games sure can

[BI3KSA-]

I dont think any of us can properly understand the enormous strain of being in charge of a $400mil dollar franchise in a city where that team is all or nothing. Fans and media scrutinizing every move you make. All the captain hindsight's telling you they knew it all along.

We can compare Gillis to the other GMs but lets not fool ourselves into pretending we know what we are talking about when it comes to trades , players and contracts.

This post raises a lot of good points. So many people look back in hindsight and think its obvious how things would have turned out in the moment.

[CanucksSayEh]

This post raises a lot of good points. So many people look back in hindsight and think its obvious how things would have turned out in the moment.

A lot of the moves made were pretty clearly heading to where we are now though.

[The Bookie]

I think Gillis, so far, falls in the good, but not great, GM category.

Honest question that I've asked before to the 'Fire Gillis!' crowd, who would you choose to replace him?

I think we've already got one of the leading candidates in Gilman, but then you have to expect that the 'process' wouldn't change to any great degree. My other two picks would be Botterill in Pittsburgh and Fenton in Nashville.

[adniel_g]

I dont think any of us can properly understand the enormous strain of being in charge of a $400mil dollar franchise in a city where that team is all or nothing. Fans and media scrutinizing every move you make. All the captain hindsight's telling you they knew it all along.

We can compare Gillis to the other GMs but lets not fool ourselves into pretending we know what we are talking about when it comes to trades , players and contracts.

I highly doubt any of us could do better than MG.

I think herein lies the problem. It's not about us doing better, I never said I could be a better GM, same goes with critiquing players. All we can do is compare them to others in their profession, what it comes down to is results. Ever since our cup run we have taken bigger and bigger steps back every year. Shouldn't be a surprise either, all we have done is lose players of that winning roster year after year, without completely replacing them.

I don't understand the complexities of being a player as well, but the bottom line is David Booth until a few games ago (after being benched, ridiculed, sent to Utica) was playing quite horribly. Even without being a professional talent scout/GM, I can see that his 4M cap hit could be better spent elsewhere. Its that simple. Any complications/reasons why this cannot be solved/has happened are just excuses and also a consequence of the actions of this very same GM.

[The Lock]

As well written the op's post is, I have to also say that the op tends to lean a little towards a bias. Every team is going to have slumps and to expect consistency in a team from year to year is unreasonable.

Lou Lamoriello is a good example of this. New Jersey has seen it's fair share of ups and downs over his tenure as GM there. Some years the team does great while other years the team has not, yet he has won Stanley Cups. By the op's logic, Lamoriello is an okay GM at best since he is not consistently making the team better.

One thing the op fails to mention is it's not the fans who hire and fire the GM's, it's the owners. Ultimately, the owners have the power to make their decision. The fans may help the owners with their decisions (ie. attendence, etc), but in a hockey-crazed market like Vancouver, where there will be tickets sold anyway, it won't matter as much.

Gillis himself is not necessarily doing bad. The details of every trade that happens is behind closed doors. We will never truely know what happened in the Hodgson trade, or the Schneider trade. We won't really know what could have been. We can speculate and shake our fists at GMMG all we want, but in the end we are mere window shoppers blinded by diamonds that we want that we may or may not be able to afford.

[adniel_g]

I think Gillis, so far, falls in the good, but not great, GM category.

Honest question that I've asked before to the 'Fire Gillis!' crowd, who would you choose to replace him?

I think we've already got one of the leading candidates in Gilman, but then you have to expect that the 'process' wouldn't change to any great degree. My other two picks would be Botterill in Pittsburgh and Fenton in Nashville.

Just because there is no immediate replacement, it doesn't make the current job holder competent.

Quite clearly this team is regressing with core players aging. We either go for it with the vets (which we have already chosen to do by keeping Lu over Schneids) or mini/major rebuild and get some value from our place in the rankings and our aging core players...those are the sensible options.

Instead we are doing NOTHING. Any GM is capable of more than that.

[nux4lyfe]

I think herein lies the problem. It's not about us doing better, I never said I could be a better GM, same goes with critiquing players. All we can do is compare them to others in their profession, what it comes down to is results. Ever since our cup run we have taken bigger and bigger steps back every year. Shouldn't be a surprise either, all we have done is lose players of that winning roster year after year, without completely replacing them.

I don't understand the complexities of being a player as well, but the bottom line is David Booth until a few games ago (after being benched, ridiculed, sent to Utica) was playing quite horribly. Even without being a professional talent scout/GM, I can see that his 4M cap hit could be better spent elsewhere. Its that simple. Any complications/reasons why this cannot be solved/has happened are just excuses and also a consequence of the actions of this very same GM.

It's easy to throw Gillis under the bus now for the Booth trade, but at the time he made the trade everyone around here was talking about how we robbed Florida 'again'..no one thought things would be working out they way they are, and, in hindsight from what I understand, Gillis consulted with Kesler about acquiring Booth, guess that was a mistake.

[The Bookie]

Any GM is capable of more than that.

Any GM is employed, which is why I'm asking the question.

[adniel_g]

As well written the op's post is, I have to also say that the op tends to lean a little towards a bias. Every team is going to have slumps and to expect consistency in a team from year to year is unreasonable.

Lou Lamoriello is a good example of this. New Jersey has seen it's fair share of ups and downs over his tenure as GM there. Some years the team does great while other years the team has not, yet he has won Stanley Cups. By the op's logic, Lamoriello is an okay GM at best since he is not consistently making the team better.

One thing the op fails to mention is it's not the fans who hire and fire the GM's, it's the owners. Ultimately, the owners have the power to make their decision. The fans may help the owners with their decisions (ie. attendence, etc), but in a hockey-crazed market like Vancouver, where there will be tickets sold anyway, it won't matter as much.

Gillis himself is not necessarily doing bad. The details of every trade that happens is behind closed doors. We will never truely know what happened in the Hodgson trade, or the Schneider trade. We won't really know what could have been. We can speculate and shake our fists at GMMG all we want, but in the end we are mere window shoppers blinded by diamonds that we want that we may or may not be able to afford.

Well ok-good gm at best. Can't say he has done a terrible lot for NJ. They ride Brodeur every year. Not the toughest thing to tighten up defensively and have success. AV did it when he started here and we had a terrible crop of players and it had great results.

[Twilight Sparkle]

this... inanimate carbon rod is now our new GM

what's its first 3 big moves?

[adniel_g]

It's easy to throw Gillis under the bus now for the Booth trade, but at the time he made the trade everyone around here was talking about how we robbed Florida 'again'..no one thought things would be working out they way they are, and, in hindsight from what I understand, Gillis consulted with Kesler about acquiring Booth, guess that was a mistake.

Well everyone does not form the consensus, the players results do. And no I am not trying to hold it against him at all. I think the Booth trade and all his other actions, i.e. Hodgson had reasons to be done and we will never know, but no matter what their result he at least tried.

The past couple of years have been a total mess. He was forced into the Schneider trade and hasn't taken any significant action outside of it.

I am holding his inaction against him. Every trade has risk and is a gamble, cannot fully blame any GM for that. But not wanting to make a move when it's clear this team needs a move?

[adniel_g]

this... inanimate carbon rod is now our new GM

what's its first 3 big moves?

This team is decaying much faster than any radioactive carbon rod, but the rod will likely be all gone before Gillis makes a move. I vote for the rod!

Realistically your choice atm is SMITHERS (Gillis) or THE ROD.

Mr. Burns (Francesco Aquilini) made the right call!

[Twilight Sparkle]

Gillis may have it beat. This team is decaying much faster than any radioactive carbon rod.

hay. don't diss the rod. that green rod has more parades than gillis ever had

[nux4lyfe]

Well everyone does not form the consensus, the players results do. And no I am not trying to hold it against him at all. I think the Booth trade and all his other actions, i.e. Hodgson had reasons to be done and we will never know, but no matter what their result he at least tried.

The past couple of years have been a total mess. He was forced into the Schneider trade and hasn't taken any significant action outside of it.

I am holding his inaction against him. Every trade has risk and is a gamble, cannot fully blame any GM for that. But not wanting to make a move when it's clear this team needs a move?

His hands are tied, We don't have any significant pieces or cap space to make any major moves, I'd wait til' closer to the deadline when teams start falling off (hopefully not us) to make any major moves, even then I'd be surprised if he does anything drastic. The way I see it is that Gillis is going to stand pat and probably even wait til' next season when the Horvat/Shink regime begins..because let's face it, other teams don't want our garbage as much as we don't want their garbage, Edler, Booth so far = garbage.