Some fans may have been shocked at the news that Assistant GM Mike Santos was told his contract would not be renewed after this season. The popular and very friendly Santos has been GM of the Panthers AHL affiliate in San Antonio.
GM Dale Tallon has many tough decisions to make regarding personnel over the next few months, but this one was especially excruciating. “I thought about it long and hard,’’ Tallon said. “I feel we need to go in a different direction, I need a different set of eyes, another opinion, different ideas. It was a tough decision, have gone back-and-forth the past couple months.’’
Santos' contract ends June 30th, and he will have no problem finding new work. I wish him all the best.
New owner Vinnie Viola has appointed family members to become very involved in the organization, most notably naming his son, Travis, as Vice President of Hockey Operations prior to the start of the season. Such a hire likely began the end of days in Sunrise for Santos.
Tallon mentioned there will be an thorough search to find Santos' replacement, but that process has not started. The next order of business will be deciding whether head coach Peter Horachek will be retained in that position moving forward. Odds are highly against it.
If the summer of 2011 looked like a complete overhaul from a roster standpoint, this offseason will blow it away. With tons of money to spend and more youth coming up from the farm, this franchise will have a new look and feel. That all starts with the changing faces in team management.
Dan Spiegel... Florida Panthers Media Follow me on Twitter Join the Florida Panthers Insiders FB Page Connect with me on Google Plus