Fogghorn wrote:
I thought what he had to say about his time in the AHL was the most damning. Roy didn't control that did he?
No, I think he had a say in some of the signings that ended up there, but really didn't tell Chynoweth and Co. what to do.
I figured they were going to fire Dean eventually but they at least gave him a fair chance to prove himself before doing so.
Roy and Sakic deserve credit for getting the team out of their Euro-phobic funk. Fired draft guru Rick Pracey rarely, if ever, ventured outside of the OHL/WHL to make his picks. This worked out in 2009 when Duchene, O'Reilly, and Barrie just happened to be available there but otherwise left the cupboard practically bare. They attempted to bolster the prospect pool in the interim by reaching out and signing European free agents, venturing into some unconventional territory like Croatia in the process. They damn well near found some diamonds in the rough in Rendulic and Dennis Everberg, but alas, it just didn't work out. Maybe Dean Chynoweth was part of that problem, but whatever the case, they appear to have gotten a guy who should be much, much better in the role of head coach and developer of talent. Whatever the case, the team has made a big cultural shift in the acquisition and drafting/development of European talent. San Antonio essentially got gutted this offseason and the new roster appears to have some legit prospects there. Avs may finally have a real, honest-to-goodness farm team in God knows how long.
On a side note, they also re-affiliated with ECHL team the Colorado Eagles. It was pure idiocy for them to end the affiliation in the first place.
Yet another dark mark on Pierre Lacroix's legacy--Pracey was his guy. Pierre valued loyalty far more than actual competence. Sakic has more or less cleared the organization of all his cronies.
Methinks Dean may have been in "save my job" mode which ironically just hastened his demise.