00:00Reading through and vetting through candidates, I haven't said locked in, this is the guy I want, but I think
00:06the resume that intrigues me the most is Sam Ventura, the Sabres Vice President of Hockey Strategy and Operations.
00:12He co-created the early hockey analytics website, waronice.com, along with two other dudes.
00:19One of the guys now runs the Seattle Kraken.
00:22The other is Andrew Thomas, who Max Bultman points out, interesting enough, is currently employed by the Detroit Tigers.
00:30As the Vice President of Baseball Analytics, so there's a tie there.
00:33That connection from another Illich-owned organization, writes Bultman, could be helpful in the leadership committee in vetting someone such
00:39as Ventura.
00:40Now, you have to be careful, and this is why I think the analytics route is one that you can,
00:48you don't want to get too carried away with it.
00:50You have to have a sense and a feel for the game as well.
00:54And I'll give you an example of getting too carried away with analytics.
01:00And Kenny Atkinson, who coaches the Cavs, said analytically, we're up two games to one in their series with the
01:09Knicks because they were hitting all their markers, all their checkpoints analytically.
01:16At a time when they were down three games to none, it's like, hey, guys, analytically, we're up two games
01:22to one.
01:22Remember that quote and how, and I'm like, yeah, well, I think that's an interesting thing to use to your
01:28team to try and give them hope in the locker room behind closed doors.
01:31But I think if you get too carried away with it, which all you're worried about, are we doing the
01:36things to check the boxes analytically?
01:40So you have to have a feel for the game and for people.
01:43So the interview process would be huge here because Ventura, I don't know Sam Ventura.
01:48He could walk in, sit down across from me, and it's like talking to a tire.
01:51But, you know, you never know if the guy has a good sense and feel.
01:58Nice.
02:01Yeah.
02:01So that's a name that intrigues me.
02:03What's your yes and no answer?
02:05Well, my answer, the easy answer for me is Jim Nill.
02:08I brought him up yesterday, and he's been very successful with Dallas.
02:12Had a long playing career in the NHL, including with the Detroit Red Wings.
02:17He spent time in the front office with the Detroit Red Wings.
02:21And was hired away by Dallas in 2013, and it's been pretty successful for him since then.
02:27He's not afraid to make big moves.
02:29He's made some big moves during his time there.
02:31They've drafted some really good players during his time there as well.
02:35But he's also, you know, he's signed.
02:38I don't know what his contract is, but he's there.
02:40So it's like, that's what I'd like.
02:43Can't you do a trade?
02:45I mean, there are ways around it.
02:49I mean, money kind of cures everything.
02:53You buy him out of a contract, and money goes to Dallas to do it if that's what you wanted
02:56to do.
02:57I mean, but that's just the name.
02:59My no part is, okay, I don't think that it's realistic to go and pluck somebody who's already got a
03:04job.
03:04It's kind of hard to do.
03:06I'm intrigued by doing a little bit of surf and turf here, having a couple people help with the organization.
03:16You know, you've got somebody who's the right-hand man maybe to a GM that you're bringing in, which could
03:22be the analytic part.
03:23And then you've got the hockey guy.
03:25Because analytics, you don't have to be a hockey fan to know analytics, right?
03:30It's just numbers.
03:31It's algorithms.
03:32It's stuff that you figure out what the data is that you want to focus on and figure out what
03:38computer program you're putting in there and spit it out what you like.
03:40And how do you interpret the data?
03:42I think it's important to have somebody who understands hockey as well, because I don't want to just let's go
03:48to the computer.
03:49I'm not a big AI fan and all that.
03:51But I think it is where sports is going in that direction.
03:55I think you need to kind of get ahead of that.
03:58So my first inkling is I'm going to look at organizations for a hockey guy first.
04:05And I want to find someone from an organization where they've had success, whether it's Florida or Carolina.
04:13Vegas sounds like that's a good place to start.
04:16Those are three organizations just off the top of my head where I'd really like to look at and look
04:21at that tree of the front office and start shaking that tree and see who comes out and who makes
04:29sense.
04:30You know, it's almost like when the Lions were looking for their guy.
04:33Okay, go to the good organizations and find out what you like.
04:37And they went to the Rams and they said, we like this Brad Holmes guy.
04:39Why?
04:40Well, because you found out what it was he did.
04:42He set up the draft boards and Rams have had great drafts.
04:45These teams have done really well drafting and they've also done some really creative moves to improve their rosters.
04:52Who are the guys that have set up the draft boards for these teams?
04:56You know, that's the kind of approach it would have.
04:58I don't know who these people are.
05:00Now, that's above my prairie.
05:04I don't know who those people are.
05:05I'm saying this is the route I would go.
05:07Look at the successful organizations, the teams that have drafted very well, the teams that have made smart trades and
05:14good acquisitions and free agency and handled their money and start from there.
05:192-4-8-5-3-9-97-97.
05:22Mike in Westland here on 97.1.
05:24Hello, Mike.
05:26Gentlemen, how are you doing?
05:27Okay.
05:27This was really an unexpected conversation to have to have, I think, but here we are having it.
05:33So, my thing is more about the qualities I want in a GM, not a particular name.
05:39First and foremost, it can't be, you know, I'll just give the name.
05:43It can't be Chris Draper or Sean Horcrock.
05:45It does have to be someone from outside the organization, I think, who has a fresh perspective.
05:49And that person has to be given full autonomy to make any front office and personnel changes they want.
05:55Because I think our scouting staff, our North American scouting staff for drafting and our pro-side scouting staff need
06:01some changes.
06:02Second off, I would like to see an embrace of analytics and metrics, Corsi, and becoming a more modern organization
06:10like Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Vegas have done.
06:13And for the love of God, for the next GM, please allow your young players to just come up and
06:19get the opportunity to pass or fail.
06:21Let them learn on the job.
06:23Let them fail on the job.
06:24Let them grow.
06:25Don't keep them bogged down in Grand Rapids, in the AHL, for, you know, veteran players that are taking this
06:34team nowhere.
06:35And maybe they fail and maybe they don't work out.
06:37But you'll never know if they're just playing AHL-level hockey.
06:40They need to be given the opportunity to pass or fail.
06:43And you need to stop treating veteran players like bars with goals.
06:47Yeah, there are good veterans that we've brought in.
06:50The Brinkett, Gibson, Kane, all clear examples of this.
06:54But Appleton, Sherratt, Comfort, Gustafson, Husso, Perron times two, Petrie, Talbot.
06:59I mean, let these kids come up and take some of these spots that these veterans who are giving you
07:03nothing are currently taking up.
07:07And when you do make changes in the front office as a new GM, don't always, you know, GMs are
07:13going to bring in who they know and who they're familiar with.
07:15I understand that.
07:16But don't do the friends and family plan.
07:18I mean, I think it's a little short-sighted to immediately eliminate everybody in the organization for the reasons I've
07:26stated before.
07:26There's some good, like even in the Max Bultman story today, he said there's some really quality hockey minds in
07:32this organization.
07:32But I'm not going to lock in on those guys.
07:37But I'm intrigued.
07:41I mean, I'd like to hear those conversations.
07:44I'd be intrigued to see where they would go.
07:47I'm leaning towards outside the organization, but I don't love the hard and fast rule.
07:52For the reason I stated above, sometimes the GM just goes rogue and does things that the rest of the
07:57organization that doesn't recommend.
08:01And I will tell you this.
08:03I think Eisenman might have the kind of personality where at times he went rogue.
08:08Yeah, I think he might have that kind of personality.
08:11Now, with that said, what you just laid out, the problem wasn't that they were leaving guys down at the
08:22minors in favor of veterans.
08:24The problem was they were leaving guys down in the minors in favor of veterans that weren't any good.
08:32And that meant that goes back to what they were acquiring at the NHL level.
08:37I shouldn't say weren't any good, but they weren't productive enough.
08:40You got to do a better job at bringing in free agents and trades than the players they were getting
08:46here.
08:46Without question.
08:47But I think the other part of that is that there's like this perfect storm of, okay, guys you want
08:51to see get brought up are hurt.
08:53Like Nate Daniels was a first round pick a couple years ago.
08:56We want to see him play, right?
08:57Well, he's been hurt.
08:57So you're not seeing him.
08:59Carter Mays was a guy they really liked and did well in the minors.
09:01Good.
09:02Let's see him.
09:02Oh, he's hurt.
09:03He can't make it.
09:04And then when you're talking about replacing the aforementioned players that he had on his list, a lot of those
09:09guys are bottom six forwards.
09:11So if you want to bring those players up and they're going to get 10, 12 minutes of ice time
09:16a game, are they better off getting 10, 12 minutes of ice time a game in the NHL working on
09:21a third or fourth line?
09:22Or are they better off getting as much ice time as they can at Grand Rapids, 18, 19 minutes a
09:29game playing on the top line to really ensure what you're having.
09:33So when the time comes to transition that they are probably ready to be a top six forward.
09:38Where I really agree with him is, yeah, the new person has to have autonomy.
09:42Yes.
09:42If you put somebody in charge, you let them do their job.
09:44Yeah.
09:45And look, I've also, I've, I've called, I want to see younger players play as well.
09:48And I'd rather see a lot of the younger guys over the guys that he mentioned for sure.
09:54And I'm ready.
09:55If, if, if this is going to be a full on rebuild, then do it, then, then don't be afraid
09:59to say, yep, here we go.
10:01We're going to change everything.
10:03Um, it's not going to be easy to deal with and, and there's no guarantees.
10:06It'll be successful.
10:07It is what it is.
10:09It's, it's a restart and not all restarts work.
10:13So get ready for it.
10:15If that's the route they go.
10:16It's Carson Anderson.
10:17What do you want to see?
10:18What characteristics do you want to see in a new GM?
10:20First caller there laid it out pretty good.
10:22Uh, what do you, what, what would you prefer?
10:25It's Carson Anderson, 97.
10:26One.
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