Muckler Out, Murray Moves Up

The Ottawa Senators have dumped John Muckler, replacing him with the team's coach, Bryan Murray.  Muckler's firing underscores how tough the hockey business can be. 

By most measures Muckler did a stellar job as GM.  Since taking over the job in the summer of 2002 the Senators have compiled a record of 195 wins, 115 losses (25 in OT) & 8 old-school ties.  Muckler's Senators have won the Northeast Division twice, and lost in the Conference quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, and of course in the Stanley Cup finals this year.  Does any other GM in the league have a recent record to match Muckler's?  Nope.

Muckler appears to have been fired for 3 reasons.

1) The Senator's did not win the Cup.  To coin a cliché, "hockey is a results-oriented business" and Muckler failed to give Senator's owner Eugene Melnyck what he wanted - a Stanley Cup.

2) Gary Roberts.  If media reports are to be believed, Muckler's great failing, at least in owner Melnyck's eyes, was his failure to make Gary Roberts a Senator at the 2007 trade deadline.  Over the year's a mystique has developed around Roberts, largely because of his pivotal role in playoff losses Ottawa suffered at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Melnyck appears to have discounted the fact that Roberts was largely a non-factor when the Senator's defeated the Pengiuns this year. 

Beyond Roberts, Muckler's deal record is spotty, at best.  Many of his most high profile acquisitions, including Peter Bondra, Dominik Hasek, Tyler Arnason & Martin Gerber, failed to produce meaningful results.  His biggest success was the acquisition of Dany Heatley in a trade for Marian Hossa that also saved the Senators significant cap space. 

3) Succession planning.  Muckler was heading into the final year of his current contract, and Murray was up for renewal.  By moving Murray into the GM's office, the Senator's have stabilized their senior management for several years. 

In addition to the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Murray's first big job will be hiring his replacement.  Lots of names are being bandied about for the Senator's coaching vacancy.

• John Paddock, currently a Senators' Assistant Coach
• Greg Carvel, currently a Senators' Assistant Coach
• Randy Cunneyworth, former Captain and currently the head coach of the Rochester Americans
• Pat Quinn, because Quinn's name comes up for every vacant NHL head coaching job
• Dale Hunter, now coaching the OHL's London Knights, Hunter played for Murray in Washington
• Doug MacLean, coached the Panthers when Murray was GM
• Pat Burns, the former Hab, Leaf, Devils coach got his start in Hull, across the river from Ottawa
• Craig Ramsay, recently let go by Tampa, also a former assistant in Ottawa
• Larry Robinson, former Devil's boss with local connections
• Dave Lewis, out in Boston, was a Murray Assistant in Detroit
• Don Hay, led the Vancouver Giants to a 2007 Memorial Cup win
• Marc Habscheid, success with Canada's National team
• Terry Murray, because blood is thicker than water
• Pierre McGuire, because he's bizarrely worshipped by many Ottawa sports radio callers
• Garry Galley, apparently all former NHLers now living in Ottawa are being considered
• Brian Kilrea, local legend
• Dave King, because his name is always on these lists
• Spartacat

Comments

[CW]

If Gary Galey is being considered - what about Mike Eastwood?
My only concern with this move is not Bryan Murray's skill as a GM but i think Bryan Murray's work as a coach behind the bench and in practice working to instill a system and change the mindset of the players to buy in to his vision. This worked because of Bryan Murray the coach. As well, I think the reason the sens did so well in the playoffs and in the second half of the year was due much more to Murray's skill as a coach and motivator and much less to the skill of the GM. Whoever they bring in as coach is going to have some awfully big shoes to fill.

[pool winner]

I like Spartacat as a trainer- he's already wearing gloves and sometimes an injured player just needs a hug.

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[Sens Fan]

Can you retards figure out how to make a plural of Senator? Hint: it doesn't have an apostrophe.

[Seattle Hockey Player]

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[Robert]

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