@HatterTParty The thing is...A lot of what you bring up doesn't have much to do with Stan at all though. I can site here and say Q is currently the best coach in the game and mean it. (I do for the record believe that) I can also say Stan's done a good job himself. Those comments are not linked. The only thing that gets linked is team success..and who needs a fall guy. Q was fired by John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz. YES, I understand that Stan and Q didn't get along great, but SO FREAKIN WHAT?! That's the point of upper management. John and Rocky could have just as easily fired Stan, BUT you know better than anyone...over the years Q's brought in "his guys" (Jamie Compon, Kevin Dineen, Mike Kitchen heck Kitchen is still his assistant in FLA) which is 100% fine! It's just when there's a carousel of "your guys" coming in and not fixing the problem...you're the fall guy. The situation is far more likely that no change was needed at all, but rather years and years of going for it @ the TDL making trades (that Q wanted too...cough cough Andrew Ladd...cough cough) like every team does depletes your farm system which happened.
This is a good transition to that Ladd Trade you referred to. The Hawks were firmly in Cup Contention. I mean, how could they not be? They were the reigning cup winners. I have ZERO problem with Stan trying to win another cup while the window is open. Everyone in the entire organization wanted him to make a move...yes even Q.
He's claiming it's a retool because he'll get fired if he doesn't. Rocky is a penny pincher and needs to sell tickets. Publicly saying that we're tearing this thing down while Toews/Kane are still on the team...while Debrincat/Strome are under just got into bars a few months ago...while we have young prospects ready to come into the NHL...would be a bad move. What would we be tearing down for anyway? Another 3rd OA pick. We got (3) of those all at various ages. In the end this is a business and Rocky needs to sell tickets.
I'm a believe in a retool. It's nice to have DeHaan, but in all seriousness...they don't have a #1Dman. Keith is at best a #2. Matta/DeHaan/Murphy are all good middle to bottom pair guys, but Where's the John Carlson, Victor Hedman, Brent Burns, etc... They don't have him anymore and it's hard to get one when Seabrook has $7M along with Toews/Kane getting $21M.
I agree that Stan's fault is extending his own players. Seabs, Bickell, Panik, etc... But he has gotten better at that. Gus for $1.2M is 1 example. I'd also say that he brings an element most GMs don't have. You bring up Panarin, but that's only because Stan stuck to his word and allowed Panarin to get his Schedule B bonus. Yes...it was on the 82nd game of the year firmly in the playoffs... That takes guts, but that also pays dividends. Guys like Kahun, Kampf, Kubalik, Kempny, Rutta, Wedin, and yes...even...Panarin. All CHOSE to come to Chicago. Not all of them when Q was here either. Yes, most of that due to the players, but part of that because if you sign your bonuses...you'll get a shot at them.
Again, I wouldn't have fired either of these guys. Going for it year after year is tough on a farm system, but we're at where we're at. I still wouldn't fire Stan...yet...he's made too many good moves recently.