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Is Mats Waiting for the Rangers? The Next Isles Coach? |
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Your Mats Update...
Sources continue to tell me that the Montreal Canadiens are leading the way for Mats, so much so that although they won't always call him by name, "waiting on a big player before we can make that decision" is something that several people have told me they have discussed with the Habs.
There is however another growing theory, brought up by a source in Western Canada yesterday, but also gaining momentum all over the league.
"Many people now feel that Sundin is waiting on the NY Rangers. That is the holdup" one source told me.
Obviously the Rangers would have to move mountains to bring in Mats cap-wise...Just remember: The only team that Mats approached himself to play for was the NY Rangers.
Another theorized that Mats has talked to several players about retirement, and a few that have played most of their careers with one organization who told Mats they regretted going to a different team at the end of their careers.
It is very possible that Mats will go back to the Leafs to finish his career, and you really couldn't blame him for doing so.
Who's next on the Island?
My bet is on Hartley. He has a past relationship with Snow and it makes sense on many levels. The issue could be control with Hartley however. It is no secret around insiders that Nolan wasn't thrilled with the fact that DiPietro had a direct line with Snow and Wang. Some players will tell you he was quite open about that. Some players even would tell you that he would do things that would make you wonder if he was 'trying' to get fired.
Perhaps that's a little bit of an overstatement, but essentially if Nolan wanted to do something his way he would do it with a cavalier attitude almost with one person telling me, "It was as if he was saying 'if you don't like it, then fire me.'"'
And many will tell you that is just the way Nolan is, regardless of the Islanders infra-structure.
"He was the same exact way in Buffalo."
What can't be overstated were the results obtained by Nolan on the Island. He got a team into the playoffs two years ago that had no business being there, and last year the team was more competitive than it ever should have been.
As Jim "Boomer" Gorden said yesterday on XM204, "When was the last team that was this competitive and didn't have a single FIFTY point scorer."
That is pretty amazing when you think of it, however there is more to this story and the way the Isles do things and the way more classic NHLers like Nolan or Neil Smith do things is just different. It doesn't make either side right. It DOES make neither side compatible.
Sources are telling me that the chances are it will NOT be Tortorella. I am told that Torts wants to sit on the sideline for a year here. At least he won't be out there seeking offers. John would be a great choice, but my bet is that he waits for a clean slate next summer.
One coach I know the Isles would like is Laviolette. I am curious if we see a temporary guy until Laviolette is available.
The Buzzcast will be live at 4pm.
I am working on more for this afternoon...
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