Over the next few seasons there may be no team more interesting than the Carolina Hurricanes. Not for the on ice play (even though they have exciting young players like Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen), but for what develops in management with new owner Tom Dundon. Already Dundon has begun to rearrange the front office by “promoting” general manager Ron Francis to the role of President of Hockey Operations.
“Promoting” is in quotes because Dundon is using the transition as a way to fire Francis without actually kicking out one of the most legendary players of all time. Francis means a lot to the Hurricanes organization, both current and when the team was in Hartford. Even though Francis is receiving a promotion, he will have no real input on day-to-day operations as the new GM will report directly to Dundon.
The inside story of the 'Canes change is that the owner wants to deal directly with the coaches and the players…and have a figure head GM. Dundon wants to do it like Mark Cuban runs the NBA Mavericks.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) March 8, 2018
The move isn’t necessarily bad. Francis has not been able to get the team jump started since he came on board four years ago. He managed to build part of a good team with Teravainen, Aho, and Hanafin, but in reality the core of the current Hurricanes roster was already in existence before Francis arrived. He hasn’t been able to get the Hurricanes in the playoffs and has made no big moves to change that. With a stockpile of quality defensemen many were expecting a trade to be made for a quality forward, but it never developed.
Dundon has also started off on the right foot for Hurricanes fans. He openly stated he wants to spend money on the team to see them succeed. Dundon seems like he is the type of owner who wants wins more than money, and the passion is obvious. Having someone who cares about your team will always feel good, especially when the fans up north are constantly calling for your franchise to be moved.
However, what Dundon is doing is rare to the sport. It has been covered thoroughly that he is friends with Mark Cuban, outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Cuban takes a very hands-on approach to the Mavericks, but has proven successful. If Dundon takes a similar path, he will blow away the much more conservative NHL. Success in the NHL is much harder, but if Dundon is willing to try something different for the franchise they might as well embrace it.
The problem will occur if Dundon is too aggressive with his new team. Success in the NHL takes time. The Winnipeg Jets have shown that standing pat might very well be the best option for smaller market, smaller budget teams.
If the Hurricanes become the new laughingstock of the NHL, does that endanger their future in Raleigh? On the other hand, isn’t anything better than the Hurricanes suffering in mediocrity as they continue to hold the longest active playoff drought in the NHL? Something needed to change, and maybe Dundon is the answer. Only time will tell, but for hockey fans outside Carolina, this may be the most interesting story line of the next few seasons.
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