jimbo2006 said:
I think Burke's track record speaks for itself. Wilde brought up some good examples of what he's done and is capable of doing.
In fact, I'm willing to bet that if Burke had stayed on as Canuck GM, he still would've landed Scott Niedermayer and that alone would've made a big difference.
counterfactuals are interesting, but little evidence to support that conclusion
unless Scott publicly admits he signed because of Burke and not because he wanted to be out west and/or play with his brother.
jimbo2006 said:
Is it a coincidence that the Canucks drop from 3rd to 9th in the standings and miss the playoffs after Burke leaves, while the Ducks not only make a huge 21 pt improvement over the previous season, but make a convincing run in the playoffs?
well, the Canucks were basically the SAME team that Burke compiled over the years ... so was it just Burke? Crow? Bert? Chemistry?
and same with the Ducks ... was that Burke? new players? coaching?
jimbo2006 said:
On the financial side, the ducks were a finanical mess before Burke arrived. One season was all Burke needed to restore profitability and fiscal discipline.
okay, so here is what I consider the first 'objective criteria' that could be used to compare all GM's the same way ... we can ignore some of the 'intangibles' like coaching, team chemistry etc. and concentrate on simple economic indicators -- increased season ticket sales, revenues, profits -- but only if the GM is in charge of those factors.
jimbo2006 said:
Burke's every success is the Canucks' loss..now only time will tell us whether Nonis is up to snuff
and ironically, Nonis is Burke's protege ... so we will see if the 'formula' works.
I may not know hockey, but if someone tells me that Burke is an excellent GM and then only gives me 'cherry picked' stats that cannot be used to determine how well any other GM is doing, then its not an objective criteria.
For example, does Burke have the absolute final say on every player on the ice? Ownership has no say? the Coach has no say? What about the contracts? How the players are coached? Do we then blame Burke if the 'product' doesn't produce? Do we blame the Coach? the Team Chemistry? the bloody schedule? ice conditions? the fans?
So what about financials? Burke turned the Canucks around on that, but did he put a better team on the ice? Was it better for the financials but not for their chemistry/performance? So are the Canucks successful because they have great financials, lots of season ticket holders, sold out games but miss the playoffs or out in the first round for five years (including lock-out)???
Or is it about great trades? Leadership? What is the measure of a GM???
Until someone answers that in a manner that can be objectively applied to any other GM (including Garth Snow!) then its all 'opinion' and we know what those are worth.
And I'll stick by mine.