JR Speaks: The Kids Are Alright
by Elsker on Jul 28, 2010 12:09 AM EDT
29 comments
I DVR Sports Night, TWC's all-news channel's nightly sports show, every night, mostly cruising for Canes news and features. During the season, there is something every night with game nights warranting two segments and interviews if a home game.
On Monday night, in addition to the obligatory All-Star logo announcement coverage, they had a second segment that was a video clip of JR speaking to them in an exclusive interview. Looked like it was shot in his office and it was short, but what he said I thought was significant.
I can't find a clip of it anywhere, but here is a transcript of what was said:
News Anchor: Back to the ice now for a bit with the Carolina Hurricanes, who are getting ready for the start of camp in mid-September. It’s a team in transition, the like of Rod Brind’Amour and Ray Whitney gone. But, General Manager Jim Rutherford has a laundry list of other reasons to keep this foundation intact.
JR: Well, we really don’t have anything else to do now. We’re finished a lot earlier than we usually are. We have our guys in place.
Based on where we’re at in this collective bargaining agreement, and where teams are positioned…they’ve put themselves up against the cap or over the cap…we really don’t know what might come along. So, we’re going to be open to listening to different things, as to whether it’s a trade where we can pick up a player to improve our team, or what it might be.
But, I am going to be very careful with those three or four spots that are kind of open now, up front on the forwards. Because we’ve taken the time to develop young players. We’ve told them that they’re going to have a good opportunity to be on this team. And if I go out now and sign one or two free agents, even if it’s at a bargain price, because of where we’re at in free agency, I don’t think it’s fair to the players that we’re developing.
And we really believe in these young players. But, I will caution people that say we haven’t seen them play 82 games. Sometimes guys can come right in, and jump in, and can play those 82 games in a tough schedule. And sometimes it takes them a year or so where they may only play half the games and the other half in the minors to get the proper development, and then they’re ready the following year.
Although there's been little speculation here, I have seen some fretting on other fanboards by seasoned veterans of JR's team building approach that he just won't be able to resist the bargain bin atmosphere of late August and early September when veterans are wandering the streets looking for work. That surely he'd sign some "toughness" or a face-off specialist, thereby denying one of our prospects a forward slot.
Well, I never worried about such a thing, but the fact that he says this out loud is, in usual JR "I'm talking to you through the press" speak, a direct reassurance to those of you out there that have seen him do this in the past. It's not happening this time...or so he says. :-D
But, there's more in this short little missive. Note the musing about trades and teams in cap trouble. He's certainly not ruling that option to "improve our team" out.
Finally, no surprise, but a firm commitment to work the roads (and rails?) between Charlotte and Raleigh well, moving talent back and forth as necessary "for their development".
This should be fun.
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Great Find
Thanks for finding and sharing that piece; and I thought Jim Rutherford’s reference to being fair with the young forwards was particularly insightful. I can’t imagine Burke or Sather caring at all about being fair to young prospects.
On another subject, I do wonder what happened between Rodney and the coaches and organization. Maybe he was simply beaten out by Carson and McBain; but it seemed to me somehow the coaches did noft feel he was putting enough concentration on the defensive side of his game. There is a lot of talent now with young defensemen, but I still believe Rodney can play in the NHL.
Sent via Ipad
why would they be fair, being nice/fair to people and being successful aren’t synonymous, plus the markets they operate in are far diffirent from Carolina. Neither organizations develop players very well because they always have that “win now” pressure from their respective fan bases, not a strategy I agree with. Toronto will be interesting to watch this year, Burke seems very close to having his pieces in place, they might be very good. At this point I agree with what JR’s saying, the UFA’s that are left he’ll probably have to overpay and it’s tough to tell if we’ll get more production out a current UFA versus the young guys we have in our system. Even if PK gave him a spend to the cap budget I’m not sure he much he would get done based on the lack of activity that’s happened this summer.
by Go_Shelf on Jul 28, 2010 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
A different take...
The tone of his talk about UFA’s/ trades struck me he’s definitely listening to opportunities, because he perceives some “real” bargains possible, out there! b4 i read this i presumed he would wait til training camp b4 making any moves, now i’m not so sure!!! i’m sure he won’t go hog-wild picking up players, but if he see’s something he likes, i bet he’ll jump!!!
..and toronto pretty good??? NOOOOOOOO…won’t happen!!!
I don’t think he’s going to anything unless the youngsters disappoint early and there’s someone available for a good price, but I still think that’s unlikely. Look, I don’t like Toronto either, but when you look at their back end and their goaltending you can make the argument that if they can find some goal scoring they can win some games. On paper, they look like they’re 1 or 2 top 6 forwards away from being a EC contender. They have a big chip in Kaberle that might land the piece they feel they are missing. We’ll see, I have no problem with the Toronto Make Believe’s tanking again this year.
hey randycane
i had a super bad thought…as I had a bad dream the other night that the canes lost to the leafs who went on to play the Yotes for the cup! man what a nightmare that was !! and yes it was the 2010-2011 season too…in the east divison the Canes 7 leafs were kicking but taking names and leaving bodies and victims all over the place…and when teams from the west the only teams that could handle or beat the leafs of the canes was the Yotes,the Blues & the Flames…like i said…one heck of nightmare !! TTYL !! Be Safe !!
And if it Aint Hockey,It Aint Nothin !!
That Checkers 3rd Sweater ROCKS !!!
by CaniacSteve on Jul 28, 2010 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I hear a subtle difference, randycane.
Yes to trades, where a one-for-one player exchange does not eliminate a slot for a prospect, but might improve the team (say Samsonov and Babchuk for a top-4 RFA defenseman and a pick/prospect, which would actually open up a forward slot for another prospect).
No to free agent acquisitions, as bargain-priced as they might be (think Stephane Yelle), which would take a slot away from a prospect.
Here we are now...entertain us.
OK..
no disagreement here, but i could see cole, dwyer moved b4 Babs! i think JR wants to see how well he plays this year, and will wait on moving him…(baring a really special deal)
I think Babchuk could have more desire from other GMs than Cole because of his skill set and his smaller cap hit, which would make him more likely to be first out. I also think that Babchuk’s skills are covered between Joni, Corvo and McBain. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but what happens if the Canes were able to move Babchuk for Bieksa? Then the D becomes:
Gleason/Corvo
Joni/Bieksa
McBain/Carson or Harrison
I think that’s a defense that could potentially get the Canes in to the playoffs without needing gargantuan efforts from the offense. Even if Babs is replaced by a more solid defensive defensemen then the D will improve IMO. It’s by no means addition by subtraction, but right now there are a few too many offensive defensemen and swapping one out for a more defensive guy could pay dividends.
Is it possible to be addicted to hockey?
What makes you think Babs would net us Bieksa?
If he were under team control, maybe, but he’s a UFA after just one year.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 28, 2010 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Bot players are UFA’s after one year, and up until recently Vancouver was actively trying to move Bieksa to free up some cap space. I think to get Bieksa it would take Babchuk +, but as I said above “I’m not saying this is going to happen”. I used Bieksa because he’s being shopped and has the skill set the Canes need.
Is it possible to be addicted to hockey?
…and I thought Jim Rutherford’s reference to being fair with the young forwards was particularly insightful.
Not only is it possible to conduct business in a fair and transparent manner, as a choice, but JR openly uses our org’s well-deserved reputation for fairness as a competitive advantage when wooing free agents, trade targets with NTC’s, and even in contract negotiations.
“Fairness” does not necessarily have to equal “sucker” in business. It can pay off.
And, since we “acquire character”, it’s almost imperative that management have a bit of character itself.
The fair treatment of players under contract here is notable, from sending Jeff O’Neill homeward for practically nothing when family tragedy struck, to making sure vets get a “last hurrah” playoff run if they want one with another team, we’ve been nothing but consistent in our treatment of players and prospects.
And, rock-solid consistency is an essential ingredient for the ultra-valuable relationship attribute known as Trust.
Here we are now...entertain us.
He did a great job with Whitney and getting him to waive his NTC that was masterful. Nice guys finish last, you can’t make everyone happy. I think JR’s done a decent job this summer of measuring expectations and getting people on board for getting more with less.
…laughing…dripped a little sarcasm there, in case you didn’t notice.
Yeah, that NTC (actually a NMC) being given in the first place probably qualifies as being an example of “fairness”. But, it’s all part of the deal. No NMC, more money, presumably, so it all works out.
I’m over that. And my money is on JR eventually acquiring Teubert anyway. He nearly always gets his man…just sometimes a few seasons too late…*cough*Anson Carter*cough*.
Here we are now...entertain us.
How much more money though? Maybe half a million per year. So, that’s about 1.4 the Canes are on the hook for (3 * 500k – 100k picked up by a team he’s traded to). Would you pay 1.4 million for Colton Tuebert and the Kings second round pick last year? To me, that kind of sounds like a steal.
Is it possible to be addicted to hockey?
Wait a minute. You lost me there.
You mean maybe a half million more for Whitney without the NMC? Yeah, maybe, if so. Or maybe it was a deal-killer without it, if he was looking for stability.
Got lost on the 3 times $500K minus the $100K part.
But, would I pay $1.4M for Tuebert (and a second round pick) instead of Babchuk (however you got to that number)? Yeah, probably.
I don’t know much about Teubert, though, since he’s been buried in juniors or the ECHL ever since he was drafted by LA in 2008.
Paging Great Ice-pectations!
I will point out something I noticed the other day when checking the 2008 draft for something else. When it came time for us to make our 14th overall pick, selecting Zach Boychuk…Colton Teubert went off the board at 13th to the Kings right in front of our pick.
What do you want to bet that JR had him targeted even then?
Here we are now...entertain us.
What kind of guy "looking for stability..."
Then takes his first chance to bolt across the country for a marginal pay increase?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 28, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Whitney’s most recent deal was a three year deal that included a NMC. I’m placing the value of a NMC for Ray at $500K per year. If Ray took the money instead of the NMC that would net him an extra $1.5 M in pay over the three year period. Assuming he was traded at the deadline last season another team would have picked up some of that extra $1.5. Quick math says it’s about 1/5 of a season after the deadline so the other team picks up about $100k. That means to keep Ray without an NMC and trade him at the previous deadline would have cost the team about $1.4M over three years.
Is it possible to be addicted to hockey?
The Law of Unintended Consequences
Elsker, you did a great job of explaining the tremendous benefits of fairness. I tend to also include karma in the discussion. I was very disappointed in how the Whitney situation came out; but then the law of unintended consequences and karma came into play yet again. Whitney’s absence meant that Jim Rutherford had the money to re-sign Corvo. The absence of Whitney means there is no psychological push-pull with having younger players have a shot at earning a roster spot. One door closes and another one opens. In the end, some people just don’t comprehend the importance of fairness in business dealings, the law of unintended consequences, or karma. It’s like trying to explain the wind to a person who has never been out of doors. It seems like magic and infeasible unless somebody experiences it. Jim Rutherford’s principled approach and rule of fairness is one of the organization’s greatest assets.
It’s a concept so foreign to Burke and Sather they think it is naivete and weakness rather than an essential element to being a full human being.
Yeah, I believe in Karma, too, even when that phenomena can be explained away by a very scientific approach that shows all the subtle things that are really at play that get summed up as being “karma”.
Here’s where we’re lucky that Gale Force is so…how should I put this?…stable (started to say stuck in the mud :-D).
When a GM knows he’s probably only there for a few seasons before having to move onward, he’s not necessarily going to be making decisions that are good for the long-term growth and health of the org. Short-term results are going to be of interest, instead.
Also, like you, I do believe things work out…if not for a “reason”, they at least work out. So, pick your maxim: no use crying over spilt milk, or whatever.
It is what it is. Live the moment.
Here we are now...entertain us.
Agreed. Different franchises need different GM Strategies. JR does what he can to maximize his assets. I applaud him for that. Burke knows he’s in a good position and knows he puts players in good positions. He asks a lot of his players because he feels like he gives his players a lot. Again, different situation, different GM strategy. If there was one right way to run a franchise then there would be only one type of GM.
Is it possible to be addicted to hockey?
You can't force somebody to waive an NTC
That’s the whole point of having them in the first place.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Jul 28, 2010 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Too bad they don’t make these available online the way WRAL does. Heck, I’m a TWC internet customer, I’m still using them to see the media even. Maybe that will change this year.
I also hope the AHL Checkers get some attention too. Maybe it’s time to set the DVR like you do.
Twitter @HMof2
TWC Channel 14 Sports Night
They always have a Checkers segment, in addition to the Canes segment, during the season.
It’s a dual-anchor show during the week, with Jim Connors in Raleigh and Mike Solarte in Charlotte.
Both are huge Canes fans and very knowledgeable about hockey. Mike was actually a sports fixture in the Triangle, both on TV and on the radio, and may be the most hockey-savvy radio host we’ve ever had here.
So, in season, there will definitely be a Canes/Checkers segment every night. Home Canes games warrant at least two segments, with one being a player or coach interview, as they always have a reporter at the game. But, they also cover home Checkers game, with their Charlotte dual-anchor presence, including goal highlights and coach interviews.
Sometimes they even return to the Canes for a third segment in their “Hot Topics” banter at the end of the show, if we’re the hottest in-state sports story of the day…sometimes even if we’re not, since they’re both such fans of the game.
It’s one-half hour of North Carolina centric sports each night, and you can always fast-forward to the good parts. If you have access to it, I recommend putting it on series record. Also, check out Channel 1414 for their HD feed, if equipped to receive.
Here we are now...entertain us.
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