00:00Doug Karsh, Scott Anderson, 97.1.
00:02Hope everybody's doing well on a Tuesday.
00:04Yeah, I'm looking at this, and the more I think about it,
00:10the more I think this is probably what I would end up doing, honestly,
00:15if I ran the Red Wings.
00:17You could just say, if you parachute,
00:19if you suddenly had a moment where you were the owner of the Red Wings back in July
00:26and right in the wake of the reassigning of Steve Eisenman,
00:34and you're interviewing candidates, and nobody emerges,
00:39I think they're just basically saying,
00:41we went from the back of the line, let's get in the front of the line,
00:43and it's going to suck.
00:44It takes a year.
00:46The unfortunate part is anything other than there being a flag,
00:50if they just decided in July, if the organization knew all the information
00:55that they had and decided in July to make the change,
01:00then they're getting kind of what they deserve here a little bit.
01:04That's a terrible time to decide you're going to change your head of hockey operations.
01:09But if the organization, like I said, a flashpoint moment is more sensical,
01:15more logical, and typically, I know that people tend to think that
01:18everybody runs organizations, GMs, coaches, they're idiots,
01:22they do stupid things, like really nonsensical things.
01:26Usually, there's a more logical reason why decisions are made
01:30when they don't seem sensical.
01:31Changing your hockey operations guy in July feels like more likely a flashpoint event,
01:37something with Eisenman.
01:39This isn't done on a whim.
01:40This is done because we're left to speculate on it,
01:45but it seems like there was some sort of, like you said, flashpoint moment
01:48or a rift or whatever it was, a disagreement in philosophies,
01:52and if you have that disagreement at that high up, then something's got to go.
01:57But keep this in mind, too.
01:59When we first learned of that, when we were out at the Police Athletic League
02:04or at the old Tiger Stadium for the combine workouts they had
02:08in an incredibly hot, sweltering summer day when that news broke,
02:12there were candidates immediately that different reporting had come out with.
02:19And in the days that followed, there were tons of candidates that all made sense.
02:24Why would those candidates not make any sense anymore?
02:27I mean, I don't think that's my counter to you about, you know,
02:32well, they had to pick over the leftovers now that they're going to have to wait
02:37before the next cycle begins.
02:39I don't feel like those were leftovers back in July,
02:42and I'm not sure.
02:44I guess that's why I'm disagreeing with you a little bit on that.
02:47Well, here's why, and this is what I would say.
02:51The interview process is done for a reason.
02:54You might think, this is the guy we want.
02:55Then you have the interview, and you go, oh, maybe not.
02:58Oh, hell no.
02:58Yeah, I mean, because that's happened.
02:59I mean, I've been a part of hiring process, I think, on both sides.
03:03It was a favorite to get a job and somehow blew it in the job interview,
03:07or was a part of the hiring process, read a resume, and said,
03:12this is our guy, did the interview with that.
03:13Oh, no, it's not.
03:15So that's why you don't just hire someone without the interview process.
03:20Something else in the statement from Chris Illich was interesting.
03:24It says, Sean has my complete support and the authority to make decisions
03:28in the best interest of our organization.
03:31So does that mean that he's got all the power right now of a normal GM,
03:37even though he's got the interim tag on it?
03:39Yes.
03:41They need to have somebody in place.
03:42It should, because there are big things that can be done.
03:45Well, the Evanston thing is a big thing.
03:48And, you know, if your interim GM screws it up for the next guy,
03:52well, then that's unfortunate, but you can't stop operating.
03:56You have to still, I hope, be trying to make this the best possible team
04:02the Red Wings can put on the ice.
04:04Tim in Kalamazoo, you're on 971.
04:06Hello, Tim.
04:07Hey, good morning, guys.
04:09I think the statement should just have read, we don't know what we're doing.
04:12We're just going to tank for Landon DuPont next year
04:14to hopefully get first overall, which I do hope that happens.
04:19But I just, the disconnect to me, what doesn't add up is Frank Cervelli
04:25and Elliott Friedman both reported that there was a number of candidates
04:30that the Red Wings got permission to talk to that never took it any further.
04:36They didn't talk to him any further.
04:37They just got permission to talk to him but didn't interview him.
04:40So that's where I'm like, well, what pool of candidates did we actually get an interview?
04:45I don't know what to make of that.
04:47That doesn't make any sense to me.
04:48Well, yeah, I mean, there's vetting that takes place between asking for permission
04:53and, you know, if you're using a search firm, the search firm might say,
04:58you know, this guy isn't paying child support
05:00or that guy isn't allowed within 500 yards of a petting zoo.
05:03Like whatever you might come up with, you know, you use a search firm that vets candidates
05:12and those candidates, then you decide you don't want to talk to them.
05:16Yeah, but I got to believe there's enough names.
05:21There's enough names, I would think.
05:23But honestly, just think about if it were a coach.
05:26We're not as familiar with general manager and executive candidates.
05:30Nobody is.
05:30But think of it where a coach, you get to the end of the season,
05:33there's hot names in the coaching cycle, right?
05:35There's always hot names in the coaching cycle.
05:37And you get in the line last.
05:41Now you're behind everybody else.
05:44And that is where, to me, you have to,
05:50they're just basically giving up their spot at the back of the line,
05:52going to the front of the line next year.
05:54And it sucks.
05:55And it doesn't mean they didn't get here through some incompetence
05:58and bad decision-making.
06:00But now that they're here, I'm not convinced this isn't the right decision.
06:05Well, I mean, at this point, I think it's the right decision
06:08because you have to have somebody.
06:09Somebody has to, I mean, with the interim tag on it or permanent tag,
06:13somebody's got to be here.
06:14It makes sense.
06:15It's somebody within the organization on the interim tag.
06:18I know that's not going to be Red Wing fans thrilled.
06:20But they need somebody there that has the authority to make the day-to-day
06:24decisions that a general manager has to make.
06:26Like, what do we do with Simon Edmondson who's a restricted free agent?
06:29And they want to get that done.
06:32Stefan in Madison Heights, you're next.
06:33Hello, Stefan.
06:35Hey, guys.
06:36Good morning.
06:36I'm just curious why the wings didn't have to maybe go after Kevin Adams.
06:41And I'm convinced after all of this drama through the whole summer,
06:45if Scotty Bowman was the GM, things would not change
06:49because we have a putz as an owner.
06:51Take care.
06:52You guys are the best.
06:52Well, let me ask you a question.
06:55I mean, why would you tell me?
06:58I had a whole bunch of questions.
07:00I have no idea why they didn't go.
07:01Or maybe they did go after Kevin Adams.
07:05Doug, I mean, was this the right decision
07:07or was this their only decision they could make at this point?
07:10Well, they could have hired somebody else.
07:12No, but I mean, yeah.
07:12They could have hired somebody from outside the organization.
07:14They could have had a couple months to interview people.
07:16Yeah, and then apparently they want another year
07:18because the problem with this is this can't be a punt year, though,
07:21with an interim GM because they have decisions to make.
07:24Yeah, he's got to make those decisions.
07:25There's big decisions to make with the Larkin and the Edmondson
07:28and DeBrinckit is going to be a free agent.
07:30You know, like, do they extend him and trade him?
07:32Like, these are big decisions that for a guy who might not be,
07:36he's just holding, he's a placeholder?
07:38Yeah.
07:39Yeah, or he's going for the job.
07:41Of course he's going to go for the job,
07:43but do you give him, then basically you're saying,
07:45hey, you could do whatever you want?
07:46I would.
07:46That's kind of what the release says.
07:48It kind of has to.
07:49For a guy who you don't really believe in
07:51because you would have gave him the job without the interim tag?
07:54I mean, the other thing with interim tags is a lot of times
07:56it's just like, hey, you know, we want to give you the job.
07:59You just don't have the experience for it just yet.
08:02It's an ongoing thing, but take your best shot at it right now.
08:06You've got the inside track.
08:07You could say to him, you get Everton at this kind of deal,
08:10you get Larkin to settle down, you get us Quinn Hughes and re-sign him,
08:15and when you make the playoffs, you're the GM.
08:20Here's your to-do list.
08:21Go get it done.
08:22This is a short list.
08:23No, I mean, that's, but I want the guy who's running the Red Wings to be good.
08:28Of course.
08:28And so go do all that, and it's your job.
08:322, 4, 8, 5, 3, 9, 97, 97.
08:36But, Doug, you know as well as I do,
08:37there's a difference between long-term security
08:39and fighting for your job right now.
08:41There's no question.
08:42The decisions you make are different.
08:44And you know what?
08:46It feels to me like it would be the exact opposite of the last guy.
08:49Steve Eisenman played this long game to the point
08:52where he didn't want to give up any of his in-house assets
08:55to make a big move,
08:56was concerned about getting a player back that he couldn't sign long-term.
08:59Everything was long-term, long-term, long-term.
09:02If it's Horkoff and he's given that to-do list,
09:05it is the exact opposite.
09:06It is as short-term as it can be.
09:09You've got one year.
09:11And does he F him up long-term?
09:13He absolutely might.
09:17Or he wins the job.
09:20Yeah, not a great situation,
09:22but I'm not sure that this isn't the best decision.
09:24I got a Twitter question out there about the Lions.
09:27I will ask you at 1035, Gator.
09:28It is Carson Anderson here on 97.1.
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