Kroenke/Sakic Take the Reigns
Posted 3:09 PM ET | Comments 0
The Avalanched have taken the first few steps needed in order to turn around this franchise. Sacco being fired and winning the lottery (albeit by chance) take the first 2 spots, but the biggest and possibly the most crucial move came when the club announced that Josh Kroenke and Joe Sakic will be replacing the Lacroix's who previously held the President and VP positions. Changing the culture of the front office was a necessity, only more obvious after the tact (or lack thereof) when considering the Ryan O'Reilly saga. The old mentality of not negotiating and standing firm may have worked when the Avs were the powerhouse of the late 90's but not when they have been the basement dwellers of recent years.
Admittedly I never was a believer in the Kroenke's, but my impression from the press conference was that Josh was always vying for the presidents title which was firmly held by Stan's longtime friend Lacroix (i assume theyre friends because thats the only reason he wasnt let go years ago). Josh seems very motivated to once again prove he is a more than capable president and it should excite fans a bit that someone younger and more friendly to social media is now in control.
Speaking of control, Sakic is pretty much the face of the front office. He has final calls on all decisions and Sherman, although retaining the GM title, goes back to working with numbers and negotiations, which should leave him smiling.. for now atleast.. he'll be fired once Sakic is firmly entrenched in his role. Super Joe did address the empty coaching position, not mentioning specifics aside from someone passionate and a winner. People jump to Patrick Roy, but im not so sure he wants the job, nor that he would be the one you might want in charge. Lindy Ruff strikes me as the new coach, he has solid defence first fundamentals and his teams always score. Defence is the primary area of concern with this team, the second being their age. Ruff has always managed the young sabres well. Roy with Junior experience as well as being a Hall of Fame Cup winner among many other accolades which is essentially what keeps his name in the running... not many mentions of his coaching skills (that should be worrisome *cough* Gretzky)
The times they are a changin.. I for one am excited.. how about you guys? Who do you see being the head coach of this team?
Admittedly I never was a believer in the Kroenke's, but my impression from the press conference was that Josh was always vying for the presidents title which was firmly held by Stan's longtime friend Lacroix (i assume theyre friends because thats the only reason he wasnt let go years ago). Josh seems very motivated to once again prove he is a more than capable president and it should excite fans a bit that someone younger and more friendly to social media is now in control.
Speaking of control, Sakic is pretty much the face of the front office. He has final calls on all decisions and Sherman, although retaining the GM title, goes back to working with numbers and negotiations, which should leave him smiling.. for now atleast.. he'll be fired once Sakic is firmly entrenched in his role. Super Joe did address the empty coaching position, not mentioning specifics aside from someone passionate and a winner. People jump to Patrick Roy, but im not so sure he wants the job, nor that he would be the one you might want in charge. Lindy Ruff strikes me as the new coach, he has solid defence first fundamentals and his teams always score. Defence is the primary area of concern with this team, the second being their age. Ruff has always managed the young sabres well. Roy with Junior experience as well as being a Hall of Fame Cup winner among many other accolades which is essentially what keeps his name in the running... not many mentions of his coaching skills (that should be worrisome *cough* Gretzky)
The times they are a changin.. I for one am excited.. how about you guys? Who do you see being the head coach of this team?