Dundon said that he has to come in and be hands-on because he needs to know what he hasGETTY IMAGES
Hurricanes Owner Tom Dundon believes Ron Francis is a "very smart hockey guy and a quality person," but an impetus for removing Francis from the GM role was that Dundon "believes he needs to create a better structure to help the organization move forward," according to a Q&A with Pierre LeBrun of THE ATHLETIC. Dundon said Francis, who was reassigned to President of Hockey Operations, is "really valuable," but their "styles are a little different." Dundon: "It felt like we just needed more throughput." He added, "There’s more to do to get the infrastructure in place to make sure we’re competitive. It’s pretty much as simple as that." When asked what he is looking for in the next GM, Dundon said, "I’d like someone to come in who can really focus on a certain portion and then have other resources around to help organize and put the structure in place. Maybe a more institutionalized process." On the importance of analytics Dundon said, "You have to use analytics. But if you use analytics and replace experience and judgment, I’d much rather use experience and judgment than analytics alone." Dundon on what the team's new GM should expect, said, "Part of going through this process (GM search) is having somebody who knows exactly my expectations and is comfortable doing it the way I want to do it. The way I would expect it or the way it’s worked for me in the past is, I have to come in and be hands-on because I’ve got to know what I’ve got. So how do I know who I trust or what they’re doing if I don’t understand the process?" Dundon added, "For a while, I’m definitely going to be hands-on" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/8).
IT'S A PROMOTION DEMOTION: THE HOCKEY NEWS' Ken Campbell wrote Francis is "no longer, and never will be, part of the player personnel decision making-process in Carolina again." The new title is "basically a placeholder for Francis, who will be paid out the rest of his contract to stay away, and will likely move on before long." The Hurricanes have a "decisive new owner who doesn’t feel beholden to former star players and recognizes that a change is necessary to move forward." In a way, that is "refreshing." Campbell: "Anything is worth a try in Raleigh, isn’t it? This is a team that has floundered for the better part of a decade and has consistently led the NHL in only one category -- empty seats" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 3/7).
SIN CITY IMPACT: SPORTSNET.ca's Damien Cox wrote under the header, "How Vegas Success May Have Doomed Ron Francis In Carolina." Francis had "been on the job since replacing Jim Rutherford" in '14. He had three full seasons and one partial season -- "not very much time at all -- to fix all the problems that ailed a team that had 83 points at the time, few top prospects, a chronically ambivalent market and an owner who desperately wanted out." The success of Vegas is "likely signalling a sea change in expectations for many NHL owners." Based on this new environment, or at least, the "perception of a new environment produced by the Vegas View, we should probably expect more current GMs might end up in the same position of Francis, and soon" (SPORTSNET.ca, 3/8).
