06/13/12 No Really, What Is MacTavish Going To Do?

Is it out of line to think that there's more going on than what we're being told when it comes to the MacTavish hire? There's no doubt that he's a smart hockey mind, but we still don't know exactly what he's going to do. What vital role necessitated the creation of a new position?



In the press conference to announce the return of Mac T, Steve Tambellini was asked what the job description is for a Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations.

"I would expect Craig to be involved in all decisions of the hockey club," Tambellini answered. "I expect him to be heavily involved in our scouting; in our pro scouting; in our amateur scouting. We have great people that are involved in that."


Alrighty then. Which means that despite the great people involved, the management team needed help with those things? Many fans and analysts would agree. The decisions made at the top haven't exactly received overwhelmingly positive reviews over the last few years. But is MacTavish - a man with no NHL managerial experience - the right person for the job?

And what exactly is that job going to be, again? On the Tuesday edition of The Jason Gregor Show, MacTavish was asked what his role will be.

"I just think there's so much going on in the game today, and so much is reliant on the management team to spit out the right decision. I think you can get spread a little thin with management. I look forward to the opportunity to jump into virtually every aspect of the game."

Right, so, that's also incredibly vague. It's fine to add another brain to the collective, but what exactly is MacTavish going to bring that Lowe and Tambellini thought was missing from Lowe and Tambellini? Was it that 'spitting out the right decision,' thing? It's hard to know whether to be encouraged at the recognition of the need for help, or discouraged that the men running the team since 2008 now realize they need some assistance.

So is there more to this hire than what meets the eye? MacTavish is now a triple threat that could potentially replace any of Lowe, Tambellini or the new head coach - whoever that may be - if necessary. It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened.

Jay Feaster was hired as Assistant General Manager of the Calgary Flames in July of 2010, at a time when GM Darryl Sutter was on the hot seat. Feaster's job description included the "pro scouting staff reporting to him" and it was reported at the time that he was "reading scouting reports to get a feel for what Calgary [had] in its prospect cupboard."

Sound familiar?

By late December of 2010 the Flames were 14th in the Western Conference, Darryl Sutter was allowed to resign, and Feaster took his chair.

Hmm...