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Nieuwendyk Would Be Great Hire In Buffalo |
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Updated 5:20pm EDT:
The ante just got upped in the game of high stakes GM poker between Pat LaFontaine and Brian Burke.
Thanks, flames.com
A month ago, LaFontaine was the only president of hockey operations in the NHL looking for a new GM. That all changed on Thursday morning when Burke fired Jay Feaster and named himself the interim GM of the Flames. Burke has been studying the market and presumably has been keeping tabs on LaFontaine and his list of 6-10 GM candidates. Neither executive is revealing his lost to the media. Its a well-guarded secret. Or it least it was until Burke started his own GM search on Thursday morning. Burke has already begun the process of calling teams for permission to interview their employees. I guarantee you that Burke has already called Peter Chiarelli in Boston and Ray Shero in Pittsburgh to seek official permission to speak with their respective AGMs. Burke and Nashville's David Poile are close friends and confidantes via Team USA's Olympic hockey club. Burke no doubt has asked for and likely has been granted approval to interview Preds AGM Paul Fenton.
Thats how Burke rolls. He's loud, aggressive, and in your face. Patty better sharpen his elbows and get them up in corners because Burkie tends to manage with a bit of truculence and pugnacity.
Burke knows that LaFontaine wanted Rick Dudley, however, the Canadiens quickly killed that buzz by re-signing Duds to a generous, well-deserved extension. to stay in Montreal. LaFontaine also fancies Boston's AGM Jim Benning and Pittsburgh AGM Jason Boterill. Lets go ahead and assume that LaFontaine has already interviewed Benning and Boterill, and has likely interviewed several other candidates in the past four weeks.
LaFontaine now knows that Burke wants to pry former Flames superstar Joe Nieuwendyk away from his family in Dallas and sell him on being the next GM in Calgary.
Turnabout is fair play. Burke is going to target and call the candidates on LaFontaine's list. Its time for Patty La La to do the same.
Two weeks ago, just after Dudley re-signed in Montreal, I was told by a friend in hockey that Nieuwendyk should be considered a GM candidate in Buffalo. Nieuwendyk was relieved of his GM duties in Dallas at the end of the lockout-shortened. The three-time Stanley Cup winner (Calgary, Dallas, New Jersey) lives in Dallas with his wife and two kids. He's been coaching his son's hockey team. I'm told that he hasn't lost his passion for NHL management and talent evaluation. He's reportedly interested in returning to the NHL, sooner that later. His NHL management resume is impressive. He joined the Florida Panthers' front office as a consultant to then GM Jacques Martin in 2007. In 2008, the Toronto Maple Leafs hired him as special assistant to then GM Cliff Fletcher in 2008. He and Brian Burke worked with one another in Toronto. He served as AGM for the silver-medal winning Canadian national team at the 2009 World Championships. In June 1, 2009, Nieuwendyk was named GM of the financial troubled Dallas Stars. Despite the looming black cloud of bad finances hovering over his head, Nieuwendyk still iced a competitive team that included Steve Ott, Brenden Morrow, Mike Modano, Loui Eriksson, James Neal, and some nice young players too. Nieuwendyk took slings and arrows for moving his former teammate Modano out of Dallas. Its never easy to bid farewell to a legend who played 22 years in the Minnesota/Dallas organization. Nieuwendyk was relieved of his GM duties at the conclusion of last season. The Stars hired Jim Nill away from Detroit, who promptly hired Lindy ruff as his head coach. Today, Niuewendyk is a man with many options.
He's being courted by Buffalo and Calgary.
LaFontaine will have to act swiftly if he intends on sniping Nieuwendyk away from Burke.
Nieuwendyk's experience in the Modano departure will serve him well if he becomes Sabres GM. Ryan Miller will have to be traded or re-signed. I believe that Nieuwendyk has the connections inside the NHL to to get maximum return for Miller.
Buffalo is a highly sought after GM job for a guy like Nieuwendyk.
Whichever candidate LaFontaine hires will have two hockey nets full of Pegula cash to buy free agents and to re-sign UFAs Ott and Moulson, as well as RFAs Foligno, McNabb, Adam, etc. Nieuwendyk will have to spend $28 million to get to the $52 milloion cap floor. Hell, he can spend $43 million next season to get to the cap ceiling. The Sabres are bursting at the seams with USDA GRADE A choice prime prospects.
The Whitby boy will only be a par five away from his hometown and will be that much closer to his best friend Gary Roberts.
Burke mentioned at his presser that Buffalo's GM search certainly has influenced his decision to bounce Featser now rather than wait until after the holidays conclude. Perhaps Burkie is worried that LaFontaine might take Nieuwendyk off the market soon and firing his GM is a preemptive strike against LaFontaine and the Sabres.
Wouldn't it be grand to stick to Burke, again?
Burke and the Flames will be in Buffalo this Saturday for a 2pm matinee.
***
Show of hands.
Who is shocked and surprised that the Calgary Flames have fired GM Jay Feaster?
Not me. I could see the hand writing on the dry-erase board when the Flames hired Brian Burke as their president of hockey operations, it appeared to me that Feaster's days were numbered.
Burke will act as the interim GM for now. He's already begun the process of reaching out to teams for permission to interview candidates. He will be hiring a GM in the very near future. I expect Burke to interview several of his former Toronto lieutenants in Claude Loiselle, Dave Poulin and Joe Nieuwendyk.
Its not known whether or not Burke will retain head coach Bob Hartley. Will Ron Wilson follow his buddy Burke to Calgary?
Burke has already said that he has been granted permission from one NHL club to interview a candidate. He said that he will ask for and hopefully be granted permission to interview a couple of other hot candidates. Will he be targeting the 6-10 GM candidates that Pat LaFontaine has on his list? Jim Benning? Jason Boterill? Paul Fenton? Michael Futa?
Burke admitted in his afternoon presser that he's aware that Buffalo is looking for their next GM right now. Buffalo influenced the timing of Burke firing Feaster.
Suddenly, LaFontaine has had the heat turned up on his GM search now that the Flames are actively an aggressively searching for their next GM.
There was the report earlier this week that said that LaFontaine may wait until the Olympic break to hire his new GM.
My guess is that he will chuck that plan now and expedite the hiring process.
More to come...
***
Ted Nolan:
“Cody Hodgson took a little bit of a banging last game”….
Alrighty then.
Hodgson will sit tonight in Ottawa.
Ville Leino, scratched Tuesday night for loafing it in Montreal last Saturday night and in Monday’s practice, will replace Hodgson tonight.
Brayden McNabb will be a scratch.
**
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