Laurence Gilman hired as AGM

[Zee]

I don't know this guy but just to be a bit prickish

Wouldn't be the first time!  Ohhhhh nooooo I went there!!  ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

At least it's self-aware prickishness.

Damn.  This could be taken as a dig at me that I'm a prick and not aware of it.  :-\

 

[Zee]

This also explains the mystery of last off-season of why the Vegas draft and the main thrust of their strategy in the expansion were such savvy moves. I thought it was largely McCrimmon's influence, but here we are.

You're saying the guy that masterminded the Erat for Forsberg deal couldn't have built that Vegas roster on his own?

Was that an outlier fueled by circumstance?

Or was it a long con to set himself up to a) be fired, b) nerf his former team when he faces them in the 2018 Cup finals

Then as McPhee is talking post Stanley Cup he'll throw some compliments the Caps way.  "They had a really good team there, I really think if they had one more quality forward like a Filip Forsberg, they might have beaten us."

 

[ZBBM]

I don't know this guy but just to be a bit prickish if he's wonderful with twenty years experience why isn't he a GM already? Carolina owner stuff notwithstanding.

It could be that he doesn't want the full responsibilities. Or, maybe he's excellent in a number of supporting areas, but has gaps in some of the key facets of the role of GM (like contract negotiations - or just direct negotiations in general). There could be a number of reasons. Sometimes, guys are just best suited to the AGM role instead, and want to stay in a role where they can shine rather than take on a larger role they (or others) don't think they'll successful in.

FYI: We don't know what position he was offered in Carolina - just that it was a front office position. There's some speculation it was also essentially an AGM type role.

Aside from Carlton's probable reason, Gilman (who I hadn't really heard of until yesterday but am now an expert on his life, times, and achievements) was always kind of seen by the hockey world as not the hockey guy, but still a useful exec. i.e. how MSM viewed Dubas as just the numbers guy.

From the aforementioned article from The Athletic:

Prior to his dismissal, Gilman forged a reputation as one of the league?s sharpest financial minds, though the ?capologist? label is one he disliked. There was a certain pigeonholing that came along with it. While the perception often worked in his favor ? folks around the league respected his ability to value players, negotiate contracts and navigate CBA complexities ? it also limited the scope of his executive ability. He was pegged as a numbers guy, one banging on a calculator in a widowless room in the back office.

Not exactly a hockey guy.

I think it bears repeating that a lot of the NHL is made up of people who have a limited scope of experience (i.e. played hockey through high school, skipped college/university for the career, and maybe jumped into coaching or management), fueled and fawned over by media and agents in a very small ecosystem egosystem.

Fixed your typo, which also serves to answer my own saucy question.

 

[herman]

From the Custance podcast: https://theathletic.com/366897/2018/05/24/the-full-60-q-and-a-leafs-assistant-gm-laurence-gilman/

The owner and president of the Winnipeg Jets, Barry Shenkarow, decided they were going to change the way they negotiated contracts and take that job out of the purview of the GM. And his innovative idea was to hire an outside counsel to represent the club in negotiations, but they needed someone internally to help defray the costs. I was ultimately hired as a member of the finance department of the Winnipeg Jets as legal council for the princely sum of $32,500 Canadian to do the work on the contracts, do the research, assist the lawyer.

When I started, Mr. Shenkarlow said to me, ?This business is evolving rapidly. There?s always going to be a place in the game for ex-players ? they?re going to be coaches, scouts and general managers ? but the future of the game is going to involve people like you, people with law degrees, business degrees and advanced education.? He said, ?If you shut your mouth, pay attention and you?re 50 percent smarter than I think you are, you will become an expert in this business within five years.?

 

[herman]

Fixed your typo, which also serves to answer my own saucy question.

 

[Bullfrog]

Hi everyone I know I'm doing a good job hiding it but I'm very excited about Dubas and this hire and the draft and this offseason.

But, do you think it was the right move?

Please explain your answer.

 

[herman]

https://theathletic.com/367039/2018/05/24/mirtle-maple-leafs-continue-to-go-new-school-in-filling-out-their-front-office-with-gilman-pridham/

Apparently Pridham broke into the league as a scouting coordinator, scouting and it?s process being his primary background.

 

[herman]

https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2018/5/26/17388856/who-is-laurence-gilman-toronto-maple-leafs-assistant-general-manager

Again, we note the overlap in capability and philosophy between Gilman, Pridham, and Dubas. Though they will have different departments to manage, they?re probably readily hot-swappable.

Referring to the situation in Minnesota (at the time, Chuck Fletcher, who is also a friend, had just been fired) he talks about the job of GM in general:

The guys who became the General Managers were the best scouts, but those days are gone, particularly in the salary cap era. Managing now has gotten far more modern, Hockey Operations departments have quadrupled or quintupled in size over the last 20 years.

 

[L K]

This is a surprise, Steve Simmons pumping Mark Hunter's tires again...

https://twitter.com/simmonssteve/status/999643751327842304

Simmons is a twat.  He should go chase after a few more hotdog stands.

 

[herman]

As a tabloid columnist, Simmons is quite effective for clicks either in mindless agreement or in angry disagreement. His real job is not actual analysis.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

As a tabloid columnist, Simmons is quite effective for clicks either in mindless agreement or in angry disagreement. His real job is not actual analysis.

The thing is the vast majority of the hockey community doesn't see him as a tabloid columnist, he's a (mostly) respected hockey writer.

Anyway, here's another hot take by him where he claims Dubas isn't comfortable dealing with the media even though he routinely made radio appearances prior to Lou coming in and has had multiple conversations with media members since being named GM:

https://twitter.com/3rdPeriodSuits/status/1000713990245412864

 

[herman]

As a tabloid columnist, Simmons is quite effective for clicks either in mindless agreement or in angry disagreement. His real job is not actual analysis.

The thing is the vast majority of the hockey community doesn't see him as a tabloid columnist, he's a (mostly) respected hockey writer.

I think that says more about that vast majority of the hockey community than it does about Simmons.

 

[Kin]

The thing is the vast majority of the hockey community doesn't see him as a tabloid columnist, he's a (mostly) respected hockey writer.

I mean, aside from the fact that he literally is a tabloid columnist I don't know if that's true. I think there's maybe some "respect" coming from the fact that he's been in the business a long time but my guess is most people know what he's about.

 

[Zee]

The thing is the vast majority of the hockey community doesn't see him as a tabloid columnist, he's a (mostly) respected hockey writer.

I mean, aside from the fact that he literally is a tabloid columnist I don't know if that's true. I think there's maybe some "respect" coming from the fact that he's been in the business a long time but my guess is most people know what he's about.

Hasn't Simmons won writing awards in the past though?  I know he's covered multiple Olympics in his day, and I seem to recall him winning something.

 

[Kin]

Hasn't Simmons won writing awards in the past though?  I know he's covered multiple Olympics in his day, and I seem to recall him winning something.

I don't know. But media awards given by and to that same media aren't exactly universally acknowledged symbols of greatness.

 

[herman]

Hasn't Simmons won writing awards in the past though?  I know he's covered multiple Olympics in his day, and I seem to recall him winning something.

I went to his wiki to look up if any awards were logged. The entry that points to Footnote 5 is really something.

 

[Zee]

Hasn't Simmons won writing awards in the past though?  I know he's covered multiple Olympics in his day, and I seem to recall him winning something.

I went to his wiki to look up if any awards were logged. The entry that points to Footnote 5 is really something.

Are you challenging his expert knowledge of Jews in sport?

 

[Bullfrog]

Seems legit.

 

[L K]

Hasn't Simmons won writing awards in the past though?  I know he's covered multiple Olympics in his day, and I seem to recall him winning something.

I went to his wiki to look up if any awards were logged. The entry that points to Footnote 5 is really something.

Are you challenging his expert knowledge of Jews in sport?

Ahem.  He's not referred to as an expert on Jews in sport.  He's an expert on Jews in the sports.