If you were the new GM what would be the first order of business you took care of?

[canuktravella]

Buyout booth, Draft virtanen, sign iginla and jagr and mitchell to one yr deals with good bonuses, trade hansen before his ntc kcks in,

Sedin sedin jagr

Iginla kesler kassian

Burrows mattias horvat

Kenins richardson gaunce

Sestito/fox

Hamhuis tanev

Edler mitchell

Garrison bieska

Corrado

Lack

Markstrom

Deep team gives virtanen shinkaruk hutton cassels time to develop

[Light Bearer]

First order of business, figure out who stays and who goes.

[Gollumpus]

What would be your first major move? Fire Torts? Buy out Booth? Try to move up in the draft ? Target a RFA or UFA? Or make a major splash at either the draft, through trade or by free agency? Personally, I would try to move Edler.

Well, first we don't know what the conditions are under which this new GM will start. What if ownership says they do not want Tortorella removed as coach, and that they are not willing to buy out Booth? Second, assuming the guy is already employed by another team, there might not be a lot of time to do anything if his current team goes deep into the playoffs.

What would I do?

1.) Move in to my office and get a new chair. Change the password on the computer in my office and set some new numbers on my speed dial. Find out if the office makes a decent cup of coffee.

2.) I would like to talk to the front office staff (asst. GM's, coaches, etc) and then find out how things have been done, and what changes (if any) might be done.

Also, I'd make contact with the other 29 GM's. Make an introduction where required, and otherwise make with the smiles and friendly attitude and establish good relations. Make a note if anyone sends a fruit basket or some such thing.

3.) Find out what assets the team has and what is the cap situation:

- Talk to the scouting staff about potential picks in our range and the value of the team's pick at 6th should it be traded.

- Have a conversation about team prospects and what's in the minors. Who is working out, who still needs some work, and who should probably be traded, waived or not re-signed. This would be done with thoughts of how many contracts will be available for the upcoming season, and who might potentially be moved up to the big club for next season.

- I'd then have meetings with the roster players (one on one, and as a group) and get a sense of what their expectations are for the upcoming season.

While in these discussions I would like to get a sense if anyone does want out, and if so, why? And if they do want out, where would they want to go and when would they want to be moved? If they were okay with being traded sooner then I'd try to accommodate them by the draft. If they wanted to think about it some more then they could do that as well. If they were inclined to be traded then they would be required to STFU about any potential trade in order to facilitate the process.

Note: while it might be nice to talk about moving Edler, or any other player with a NTC of some sort, I don't see it as a given that any of them will be moved. This being said, the activity around Kesler near the trade deadline suggests that he could be a candidate for being traded, best forward last season or not. Not saying I'd like to see him moved, but if he said he wanted out then I think it would be for the best to move him.

- Talk about potential UFA signings (what kind of person is this player, their position, how much might they want, who would they move out or prevent from moving up etc).

- With all of the above in mind, target potential trading partners, and what sorts of assets could be moved and for what return. Maybe the team moves up in the draft, or perhaps an additional pick(s) could be acquired. Or, the team acquires some prospects from another team (for example, some of the suggestions about trading with Anaheim or Pittsburgh are quite enticing and could go a long way to speed up a re-build/tool).

4.) Have lunch...

regards,

G.

[Dogbyte]

In a dream world. Trade Edler.

[The Bookie]

Get a coach, trade Kesler, trade into the top 5 of the draft,

but what do you do when you're bored @10am? #armchairthuglife

[Tearloch7]

Gollumpus for the frickin' win!!! .. finally, a perspective I can get behind .. except there is no time for a bowel movement .. a time to ponder is a MUST! .. otherwise, I am sold.

[Bure to Mogilny]

Trade are 1st with Corrado and Schroder to florida for their 1st.

[asian player]

Right, and allow Trotz to coach his trap defense style of play to put the fans to sleep. There are FAR better options out there than Trotz.

There's literally no other style that they can use. They have no offensive weapons and their leading scorer is a defenseman. Their strength is in their back end so how do you expect him to impliment a high flying system? He has done wonders with what he's been given

[funkyfresh]

how do you post images?

[Gollumpus]

Gollumpus for the frickin' win!!! .. finally, a perspective I can get behind .. except there is no time for a bowel movement .. a time to ponder is a MUST! .. otherwise, I am sold.

What, you missed the part about getting a new chair in my office?

regards,

G.

[CanuckRow]

Top six forward that scores 25-30 goals. Would no question pursue Evander Kane.

[JamesB]

People want Torts gone because he plays a defensive style of Hockey. People want Barry Trotz because he plays a defensive style of Hockey.

I don't think many people want Trotz. And the few that do may still like Torts. No inconsistency here.

[Dayman]

There's literally no other style that they can use. They have no offensive weapons and their leading scorer is a defenseman. Their strength is in their back end so how do you expect him to impliment a high flying system? He has done wonders with what he's been given

Fair enough, but the fact of the matter is that we aren't in a position to take a risk on a guy whose style has been defensive for so long. Our game is an offence first one.

[westcoast]

Keep torts,sign all the free agents,aquire as many first rounders at the draft as we can and sit back and either win the cup or draft first overall next year.

[Puck'nAnimal]

Sit the players down in the boardroom. Put on the 1994 Game 7 Stanley Cup final game. Their President can show them that the Canucks didn't back down when the Rangers kept coming. They fell short only by 1 goal. After the final buzzer on the video. Shut the thing off. Look at 'em - dead in the eye. no expression but cold eyes. "This is your President of Hockey Operations: people! 2 goals in Game 7 - carried the team on his back... Anyone who doesn't feel that they can do this. Waive your g***da** NTCs right now! You're off this team! This is a change in direction. If you don't wanna be onboard. There's the door right now! GET OUT!!!"

You think Jim Benning's gonna be friendly and all "attaboy..."?!!! Take a look at the Boston Bruins "training camp" video and see how the Strength and Conditioning coach and player staff treat the players, both new and returning. They make military boot camp look easy.

The team needs a whole new direction and a whole new attitude change. END OF STORY.

Behind the B - Episode 1.

<-- watch from 28:49...he ain't playin' around.

This ain't happy go-lucky Bruin camp...it's indoctrination...into being a player 24/7 and it needs to happen HERE!!!

[Tearloch7]

What, you missed the part about getting a new chair in my office?

regards,

G.

Damn!!!.. the chair!! .. I always miss something obvious .. how my mind will now deal with the reality of what you call a 'chair', and I consider a 'throne', is beyond comprehension .. sleep well, .. G ..

[oldnews]

Tortorella, Sullivan, their retained salaries, and a pick to Phoenix for Dave Tippett.

[MoneypuckOverlord]

start with coaching. which I think Torts should be gone. calling the team stale? this is almost the same group that won the division title last year, far from stale if you ask me. if anything it's him that failed

any good coach can adapt and change or adjust his system. Torterella refused to do it, and it will cost him his job.

[Toni Zamboni]

Trotz = Tortz

[DefCon1]

Right, and allow Trotz to coach his trap defense style of play to put the fans to sleep. There are FAR better options out there than Trotz.

Trotz HAD to play that type of system since the Preds never had any major scorers. Who did they have? Erat?

There was no way for Preds to play a high tempo, high scoring, possession game when they never had an elite forward but they had 2 elite defenseman before the Suter trade and they still have an elite defensive core. I bet you Trotz would be able to adjust to any system just like how AV adjusted his system after hiring Gillis.