Gale Force ... You're On the Clock ... Post Season Changes Thread

OK ... let's post future comments of front office and coaching changes here in a fresh thread. We were starting to spread that stuff out between like three or four different threads.

Recap ...

- Canes finish out of the playoffs for the 5th consecutive season

- It's been reported that Jim Rutherford will step down as GM following the season, with no specifics on his role going forward

- Most reports indicate that it's very likely that Ron Francis will eventually step into the GM's chair.

- There's been speculation but no on the record comments about the future of Kirk Muller and the coaching staff

- Peter Karnanos recently gave a rather weird interview in which he indicated that he thought the players and coaching staff were fine and that we really just needed a few tweaks.

- Media speculation persists that Carolina is interesting in bringing in Plymouth Whalers GM/Coach Mike Vellucci in some capacity.

Bottom line ... Carolina is in the shutdown phase of the 2013-14 season and presumably the guys are doing exit meetings and clearing out their lockers in the next day or so. If there's going to be a tectonic shift in management, I'd think they want that done first.

Given that continents move a few millimeters a year, the concept of "tectonic shift" is appropriate. Once in a while, there's an earthquake involving a player or two that alters the local terrain, but if you step back, the broader landscape looks pretty much the same.

Good call JB.
I guess we should include discussions about potential player moves in the offseason too. ?

Step 1 is winning today/tonight's draft lottery. Time for PK and JR and crew to get their lucky shoes and trinkets out.

JamesNorthern said:

Good call JB.
I guess we should include discussions about potential player moves in the offseason too. ?

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Yeah ... let's keep all that stuff in this thread from here out. It's getting tough to remember where some of the various other ones have meandered.

If we don't win the lottery, are the first 5 positions decided never the less? iow, is the lottery ONLY to determine who picks #1 or for all the non playoff teams?

Nm, just read it from the draft thread. So yeah, get a high pick and see what we could potentially land in the draft.

If the power play didn't suck we wouldn't be outside looking in - - so I would vote for a
solid D-man that could quarterback the power play as a definite need.

Then again - doesn't everyone need this!

Trotts was fired in Nashville, but I doubt we would think that far out of the box. Something nagging in the back of my mind keeps repeating Kevin Dineen is our coach next season. Just a gut feeling more then reality.

My feeling is that if Muller was going to be fired it would have happened already. That and the endorsement from the owner the other day tells me he's staying. E Staal not playing in the tournament tells me he's injured, and may have in fact been injured all year.

I think the only thing injured was his pride when he wasn't picked for the Olympic team after playing for the WC team last time. So now it's F that.

What we saw on the ice this season has nothing to do with any physical injury.

The sense of entitlement continues.

Elsker said:

I think the only thing injured was his pride when he wasn't picked for the Olympic team after playing for the WC team last time. So now it's F that.

What we saw on the ice this season has nothing to do with any physical injury.

The sense of entitlement continues.

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Totally agree, the injury card would just be an excuse as his escape clause...especially when it comes to that lazy cry baby.

Sorry, no mulligans for the overpaid captain from me. Shop him...shop him hard!

brassbonanza said:

My feeling is that if Muller was going to be fired it would have happened already. That and the endorsement from the owner the other day tells me he's staying.

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I disagree. I think they want to get through exit interviews ... happening yesterday and today apparently ... and then let whatever's going to happen with the GM's office happen. And THEN you let the new guy deal with the coach. He might well keep him, and God knows we've got plenty enough roster problems to obscure any coaching issues. Still, my guess is that he'll be out sooner or later.

Staals injury, it's been hinted twice that he was injured, once by someone - who said pitifulman and staal injuries hurt the team and the other day on the radio by Maniscalo.

Some minor injury may be a factor in explaining some small aspect of his game this season...or lack thereof.

But it doesn't explain how he can somehow move his tail when headed for the O-zone, but never when headed back the other way...or even toward the bench, for that matter.

The habitual lollygagging we witness is not due to any physical injury. Nor is his drifting towards portions of the ice where no system dictates one should drift at that point in the play.

This is all mental stuff and the dog is getting a bit old to be teaching new tricks.

^^^ could not agree more.

Stall was injured, last time he played for Canada. I don't buy the "he's playing injured" bit for this year. Every player is playing with some kind of nagging injury by April. Skinner has ingrown toenails for Pete's sake!!!!!

You kinda get the impression these guys were told "uh...no" by Rutherford.

Whatever the changes are, they need to happen quickly. Any new coach or GM needs to be fully onboard with his new staff to be able to prepare for the draft, trades, and free agent dealings over the summer. If it doesn't happen by the end of the week I will be extremely disappointed and frustrated....yet again....by this organization.

I don't get any sense that Muller is on his way out. Would have happened by now....unless they were waiting for another coach to get fired so they could hire him first. Maybe Francis and Muller agree that Rutherford has been the problem all along, and they feel they can right the ship?

So now that draft order is set:

Craig Button has us taking Kapenen at #7, with 6"2 218 lb forward Nick Ritchie and 6'2" 205 lb forward Brendan Perlini going right after we pick Kapanen. Yeah, that sounds about right for this clueless franchise. Bigger guys need more material for their uniforms...better to pick the 5'11" 172 pounder and save the money.

I saw another draft projection that have us taking Nikolaj Ehlers, who is about the same size as Kapanen. One of those really fast, dynamic offensive type players (apparently the fastest player in this draft and faster than most pros....Pavel Bure type fast). That draft also had us passing on Nick Ritchie who the Leafs grab right behind us.

Yet another has us drafting William Nylander (note the skilled smaller forward trend). Ritchie goes 13th in that one.

Another? Michael Dal Colle (6'2" 172lb) scoring center/LW (sniper is how he is described)

Another? Haydn Fleury (6'2" 203) (as the 2nd best DMan behind Ekbland). Mix of some skill and size.

In other words, we can go just about any direction here if we make our pick at #7. I would like to see us go big and physical, but there is the usual mix of smaller highly skilled forwards in Kapanen, Ehlers, and Nylander that I'm sure are going to be tempting.