Dubas hired as President of Hockey Operations

[nocera]

That’s Jason Spezza’s music!

[Ad@m]

[Morkle]

I'm fine with it, it's been predictable. Now I'm curious whether he hires a GM or just runs the show.

[dodint]

Assistant to whom, indeed.

I'll also restate my position, though with less fervor given AGM is a bit of a developmental role, hiring people with little to no executive training to a decision-making role simply because they took pucks to the head for 20 years continues to be dumb and I had hoped FSG/Dubas would do better.

[nocera]

Pridham.

[Lelldorin]

I generally agree with you dodint, but clever players might be useful since they have connections, can scout a little and know the game somewhat. A Shanahan is ok but Gretzky and Rpy have not been so successful?

[dodint]

Yeah. It'll probably work. There's plenty or precedent for it. Just hoped FSG would be more business and less buddy system. Doesn't appear to be so.

[Morkle]

BY all accounts, Toronto wanted to keep Spezza and Pridham. I don't think Pridham comes to the Pens, I think Dubas GMs / Spezza does the light lifting stuff is still the route being taken.

[meow]

You still think Spezza laughs like a dog’s reverse sneeze?

Someone answer this

[Pavel Bure]

Goofy looking assistant GM or goofiest looking AGM?

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Assistant to whom, indeed.

I'll also restate my position, though with less fervor given AGM is a bit of a developmental role, hiring people with little to no executive training to a decision-making role simply because they took pucks to the head for 20 years continues to be dumb and I had hoped FSG/Dubas would do better.

yeah it's kind of funny. I'd be curious how often former players succeed in the role vs non-players (though the role of GM is so abstract anyway. Rutherford was a good GM until he wasn't)

my fear with most former players is that they over-value players who have a similar style to their own; while non-players come in without that bias

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

also I can't imagine they hire an AGM without a GM so I'm guessing Dubas will perform that role for x years until Spezza gets promoted fulltime

[King Colby]

Assistant to whom, indeed.

I'll also restate my position, though with less fervor given AGM is a bit of a developmental role, hiring people with little to no executive training to a decision-making role simply because they took pucks to the head for 20 years continues to be dumb and I had hoped FSG/Dubas would do better.

This is a bad position. You have no idea what executive training he does or does not have nor how he compares to other candidates who did not take pucks to the head for 20 years. Neither do I.

And bringing your "buddy" along when you get a new role is not new and not exclusive to sports.

[dodint]

Dude played his last game in May of 2022. I can make a pretty reasonable inference about this particular individual's experience, yeah.

[willeyeam]

Assistant to whom, indeed.

I'll also restate my position, though with less fervor given AGM is a bit of a developmental role, hiring people with little to no executive training to a decision-making role simply because they took pucks to the head for 20 years continues to be dumb and I had hoped FSG/Dubas would do better.

This is a bad position. You have no idea what executive training he does or does not have nor how he compares to other candidates who did not take pucks to the head for 20 years. Neither do I.

And bringing your "buddy" along when you get a new role is not new and not exclusive to sports.

[Gaucho]

FGMJR is probably the same GM he ever was. A high risk, high reward kind of guy, not afraid to make bold moves.

[Morkle]

I think it's hard to discredit players turned executives considering only 9 out of 32 GMS have never played in the NHL.

[dodint]

That supports my opinion though. Players walking into executive positions is an archaic mindset that I hoped FSG wouldn't indulge in. Obviously, that's just my opinion so you can take it for what it's worth.

Then there are guys like Francis that did actually go back to school to learn something about sports management. I don't paint him with the same brush as Spezza-types. I'm not saying that a playing career should preclude someone from being an executive. But stepping off the ice and into the front office with nothing more than mentorship is just another form of cronyism, to me. And I'd hoped for more professionalism from FSG.

[Gaucho]

I tend to agree.

[faftorial]

That supports my opinion though. Players walking into executive positions is an archaic mindset that I hoped FSG wouldn't indulge in. Obviously, that's just my opinion so you can take it for what it's worth.

Then there are guys like Francis that did actually go back to school to learn something about sports management. I don't paint him with the same brush as Spezza-types. I'm not saying that a playing career should preclude someone from being an executive. But stepping off the ice and into the front office with nothing more than mentorship is just another form of cronyism, to me. And I'd hoped for more professionalism from FSG.

Do you think Dubas has to get approval from FSG for his hires?

[dodint]

Approval? Nah. But they hired Dubas and do set the tone for the kind of climate they want to run. They did give Hextall one of the shortest tenures for a Pens GM in my lifetime.

[nocera]

Hextall earned it.

[Morkle]

I think you either have what it takes to be a good GM, or you don't to a degree.

Yzerman/Blake/Sakic stepped right into it and were largely successful, IIRC. Drury isn't doing bad either in NY.

Sure, you need contract advice, financial advice, etc. But it's not like you can't surround guys who have a keen eye for talent a team building.

I think the other way on this I guess. I want everyone that's recycled to go away as fast as possible, and I'm fine with giving players careers in executive positions because they're closer to the style of play needed today, rather than in 2002.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

what the hell does an AGM even do? does every team have an AGM?

I'm guessing Spezza will be at most a consultant, not a decision maker. While he played only a year ago, he'll have a few years of on the job training with Dubas likely

[mikey]

Varies by team...some are the GM of the AHL team, some are up to handling everything but the NHL trade negotiations...