Melnyk Speaks/Globe says Rebuild is coming

wprager wrote:

shabbs wrote:Staying the course... man this is gonna be one long 2nd half of the season...

But it's exactly what is necessary.

dennycrane wrote:It also sends a message to the room that the owner is empowering the head coach, if only briefly. If a player was waiting for the coach to get canned, they will have to wait a while longer.

wprager wrote:

SDH89 wrote:Ho hum, didn't really mention anything worthwhile.

Sure he did. He said he's been reading these boards. You just have to read between the lines.

Big Ev wrote:He's finding a new GM, that's pretty much guaranteed.

shabbs wrote:He's basically saying what Burke said earlier in the year to the Leafs when Leafs Nation was calling for Wilson's head... Coach ain't going nowhere... the players need to fix this.

Look how well that turned out..

SpezDispenser wrote:I don't know what super 'plan' he's been working on, but it's now in motion? That was the only part that I snickered at.

wprager wrote:

shabbs wrote:He's basically saying what Burke said earlier in the year to the Leafs when Leafs Nation was calling for Wilson's head... Coach ain't going nowhere... the players need to fix this.

Look how well that turned out..

You're comparing what a GM said with what the owner said.

- General manager Bryan Murray will finish out the year in his position but will move on to a senior advisory role similar to that held by coaching legend Scotty Bowman with the Chicago Blackhawks. Murray, who stayed on this season at Melnyk’s request, is open to this change as friends say the results of this season have left him “sickened.”

- coach Cory Clouston will also play out the year, but is highly unlikely to stay on as head coach. The new GM will have full responsibility for naming the coach of his choice.

Murray’s immediate task will be the “selling off” of player assets heading into the Feb. 28 NHL trading deadline. If playoff-bound teams are interested in the likes of forward Alexei Kovalev or defenceman Sergei Gonchar, two unhappy and underperforming expensive veterans, deals could be forthcoming. It is even possible that longtime stalwarts such as captain Daniel Alfredsson and defenceman Chris Phillips could be moved it they agree to the deals.

The team will make no statements leading into this time from, but one source says “our actions will speak for themselves.”

The new general manager – tentative interviews have already taken place, with deeper interviews to come – would be in place for the June entry draft. At the moment, the presumption is that the team will finish low enough to qualify for the lottery that determines the first five picks. A top pick is considered a priority for the rebuilding process.

Over the summer, the new GM, with Murray acting as consultant, would be expected to re-calibrate the team by chasing prospects rather than expensive free agents, as has been the case in past summers. Re-signing veterans whose contracts are expiring is no longer a priority.

Nor is saving this season.

It is, as of this weekend, considered a lost cause – and the first step toward a necessary fix.