I think you need to understand better how GM-Coach dynamics work. Watch the movie Draft Day, in which Kevin Costner plays the GM of a fictitious losing football team who works with a former Super Bowl winning coach, played by Denis Leary, to turn the team around. There is a tension between coach and GM that is real and palpable. The Coach's job is to win with the players the GM gives him. Please watch how that message is conveyed in this scene:
This is partly true, as a GM in the NHL, you are, generally, allowed a few strikes when it comes to replacing your head coach, before the heat starts burning your own ass.
The answer is on the pro football HOF website:
www.profootballhof.com
There is a recent similar precedent of a player-agent suddenly and inexplicably being made the GM of a North American Sports Team. In 2018, the New York Mets of MLB hired Brodie Van Weghenen, a player agent for the Mets' best pitcher at the time, Jacob deGrom, to be their new GM. It was, at that time, completely unprecedented.. If you are wondering how things turned out for Brodie, the answer is not well. He last exactly 2 years, in which he developed a reputation for making bad trades and bad free agent signings. In 2020 when the Mets were purchased by new owner Steve Cohen, Brodie was quickly fired. He likely would have been fired anyway by the old owners. He is no longer in MLB, either as a player agent or GM. He now works as head of business development for Jay Z's talent agency.
I really doubt Kent Hughes would ever fire his buddy MSL. I think the most likely scenario would be MSL resigning stating personal & family reasons which would be an entirely valid reason considering his family never agreed to follow him to Mtl. Being away from your spouse from Sept-May isn’t exactly great on any marriage. I’m also certain he misses not seeing his children regularly & following their collegiate hockey careers. And the constant pressure to win in Mtl must be unbearable at times. He’s been lucky for two years but now the fans & media are starting to question (with reason) his competency.
He hasn’t feel half of what it can be, because him and his bosses made it clear that the first years would be pretty bumpy. For this season, at the team golf tournament, the different levels of management has expressed their expectations for the 2024-2025 season. Let’s look back at these statements:
It's no greater than what Aaron Boone faces as manager of the NY Yankees, and I can guarantee everyone in this thread Boone has been second guessed 10 times more aggressively in his pressers and for many more years than MSL has.
That’s like comparing apples & oranges. NYC has many major professional sports teams. They have the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Mets, Jets, Giants, Rangers & Islanders. As for the Yankees it’s true that the manager often is under pressure. But let’s face it: the Mets are a better team & the Yankees were very lucky to advance in the playoffs. They were fortunate that they got the inferior matchups throughout the playoffs. Plus people under 40 don’t really give a crap about baseball. Ten years from now it likely will be a dying sport with most stadiums half-full. But that’s another story & i don’t want to go off-topic.
All very valid points & i totally agree with your observations. The current fate of the Habs is all on Hughes & Gorton because they are the ones responsible for the players on the current roster & they are the ones responsible for handing the team over to a guy with zero professional coaching experience who’s highest level of coaching was at the bantam level. When you think about it this was a totally ridiculous move! It would have been ridiculous evennif the team would have been the Kraken, the Ducks or the Sharks! This is the NHL…the best hockey league on the planet! And a guy with no experience was asked to take over the most prestigious hockey organization in the entire world? WTF? This was supposed to work? Why? How? And the sacrificial lamb is to blame for a grossly incompetent decision by upper management? Ridiculous!
MSL has never faced pressure like Boone in his pressers. Has MSL ever been asked if he thought a playoff series was "in the bag"? Boone actually faced this question during the Cleveland series- see 3:59 mark of video. How would MSL handle this same question?
Of course not, the entire management had already stated that a playoff spot was not on the horizon yet. But you can bet that next year the hordes of journalists will be much more incisive in their questions and criticisms, no matter who the coach will be at that moment.
Not only dead last in points. Dead last in goal differential, -23.
No doubt. But Gallant doesn’t speak french. Unfortunately Gerry Gallant will never be the head coach for the Habs. And that’s probably why MSL would agree to hire him as his assistant head coach. He’s aware he’ll never have a chance at taking his job away from him.
No big deal, we are seeing teams hiring seasoned coaches as assistant these days. I don’t think it’s a bad idea, the rookie coach ends up being taught by the assistant who, acts more like a mentor as well as helping behind the bench during games.
