One extra benefit of changing general managers often overlooked is that the new hire doesn’t need to consider loyalty and feelings in making difficult decisions.
We saw that this week when second-year Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin bought out Ryan Suter and again today when first-year GM Bill Zito bought out Keith Yandle
Guerin wasn’t in Minnesota when Suter and Parise were playing their best hockey for Wild and Zito wasn’t in Florida when Yandle posted 53 assists in 2018-19.
Neither Guerin, nor Zito owed the aforementioned players anything. They could make those important decisions without having them muddled by their relationships with the players.
In both instances, these were strong, perhaps vital, decisions made by Guerin and Zito. The Wild needed to change the voices in their dressing room. They needed to empower younger players and it wasn’t going to be a smooth transition if Suter and Parise continued to be involved in the process.
Yandle had to go because he isn’t a coach Joel Quenneville style player. Nobody loves getting bought out because you lose one-third of your money owed. But Yandle should be thankful because he had a chance to land in a more desirable place for him.
If Yandle had stayed in Florida, would the Panthers have respected how close Yandle is to establishing a new record for consecutive games played? The Panthers considered benching him last season, but didn’t. Yandle has played 922 consecutive regular-season games and is now just 42 short of tying Doug Jarvis’ NHL record.
It is probably better for Yandle to be in a new city where his record chase will be fresh news.
Here areteams that might be a good fit for Yandle: Arizona Coyotes: Yandle was a popular player when he played in Arizona before and still has friends within the organization. The Coyotes are in the midst of rebuilding their defense. If Yandle factors in that the Panthers are paying him two-thirds of his salary, he can make himself an inexpensive player. That will make him even more attractive to the Coyotes.
Boston Bruins: Yandle was born in Boston and has indicated in the past he would like to play there. The Bruins seemed lukewarm on the idea last season, but they will undoubtedly like him better as a $2 million player, instead of a big ticket player. The Bruins are looking at defensemen.
New York Islanders: If Nick Leddy to the expansion draft or a trade, Yandle might be able to fill his role. Yandle can still move the puck and command a power play. The Islanders need offense and that’s Yandle’s specialty.
Washington Capitals: Suter would be Washington’s first choice, but Yandle might be a good fallback position.
New Jersey Devils: GM Tom Fitzgerald's team was 28th on the power play last season. Yandle can help.
Seattle Kraken: If you are trying to bulk up your offense, why not have Yandle and Leddy on your defense. They can push the puck to the forwards.