Chicago: GM Tallon Out, Young Bowman In
Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League
Jul 14, 10:35 AM | Hype this story!
Following a huge free agency gaffe that could have had serious ramifications, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon has been ousted and will be replaced internally.
According to CSN Chicago, assistant general manager Stan Bowman, son of legendary coach Scott Bowman, will take over control of the team effective today.
The firing marks a complete transition in the front office since John McDonough became team president.
Per the article: “Stan is a very sharp guy. Though his background is the financial side, rather than the player/scouting side, he’s been around hockey all his life. (He was named after the Stanley Cup for Pete’s sake!) He’s been involved in the decisions about on-ice personnel since I’ve been around the team. With Stan, the club is in good hands going forward.”
Comments
TIM
Jul 14, 10:57 AM
Matt I have heard conflicting reports about the free agency incident being the reason he is getting fired. I was surprised by this move. I felt that Tallon had done an admirable job there. I think this might be more of the Blackhawks new front office getting all Their guys in place.
Test
Jul 14, 11:30 AM
Well, Tallon might be a good hockey guy, but FAILS at:
1. Completing paperwork
2. Balancing a ledger sheet
That’s how you get fired from any management position.
mbizzle
Jul 14, 12:35 PM
I feel as though Tallon is being used as a scapegoat here. They wanted to get Stan Bowman to become the GM all this time, and with Scotty Bowman doing scouting for the team or whatever he’s doing, he probably had a big influence on the decision.
Was it really the fact that he didn’t sign the paperwork? Why does that matter now that 2 days after that news came out they were able to sign Barker and then Versteeg shortly after. The 2 most important RFAs.
You have to give credit to Tallon though, he signs Hossa for $5 mil a year, only increasing their chances of winning the cup next year. He also helped draft Barker, Versteeg (trade), Havlat (trade), Kane, Toews, Byfuglien, Seabrook, Keith, etc.
I find it hard to believe it was because of some paperwork for some reason. Sure it was a mistake, but how big of a problem is it? And doesn’t the turnaround he’s helped master substitute for any paperwork issues.
miami85
Jul 14, 12:43 PM
would’ve have been smarter to maybe fire him before offering the Hossa contract – though he may help chi win, that is a very risky contract
Ray aka WildcatRay
Jul 14, 02:13 PM
As stated above, the failure to send the qualifying offers by the deadline and the Hossa contract will cost the Blackhawks big over time.
In fact, if I understand the Hossa contract terms correctly—that it is front-loaded, but the cap hit is spread evenly over the lifetime of the contract—Hossa becomes almost untradeable. Few would want to take on a cap hit higher than the value of the player except under very special—and unlikely—circumstances. Hossa’s disappearing act in the Finals only adds to this undesirability.
The fiasco with the restricted free agents, I suspect, likely means the Blackhawks are paying more than they originally wanted for those 8 players. That translates into bigger cap hits and less for the role players that all teams need.
The final straw is that all this occurred knowing that the cap will fall next year and likely for the few years after next as well.
Moq
Jul 14, 02:38 PM
I think it has very little to do with qualifying offers and the Hossa contract. One could possibly argue that Versteeg might have received a little more than expected of the five RFAs involved in the QO debacle. But his recent performance qualifies him for a significant raise, and the salary isn’t unusual for his point production and future potential. Therefore the fault didn’t really cost Blackhawks anything but embarassment in my opinion.
The Hossa contract wasn’t really that bad in comparison with similar cases, eg. Franzen and Zetterberg in Detroit. The cap hit isn’t that significant and will probably be worth the potential trade of younger players. Regardless of Hossa retires before his production declines dramatically, or has to be bought out, won’t be an imminent problem. Compared to Campbell and Huet, the Hossa contract looks a lot better. Even so, I have a hard time believing that Tallon forced this contract through without consent.
Personally, I believe the Bowmans forced Tallon out of Chicago in some shape or form. Not exactly a surprising outcome given their family reunion in the city, regardless of any success attributed to Tallon and his decisions. A few dubious contract decisions, where Stan Bowman was supposedly the expert assistant, hardly negates the results, ie. a WC final. But regardless of accumulated mistakes, or hostile takeover, the Bowmans are in charge in Chicago.
No, I'm Steve!
Jul 14, 04:53 PM
What MOQ said — Scotty got in bed with Wirtz & McDonagh (only figuratively I hope) and they conspired to put his son in charge. Tallon was a holdover from the previous era and not “their guy”. The qualifying offer screw up is likely only a convenient excuse. All the contracts — however one views them — are likely immaterial as well. I highly doubt that Tallon had the authority to conduct business without approval from above.
It’s also worth noting that Tallon was re-assigned to the role of “senior advisor/hockey operations”, which I don’t believe is mentioned in the OP…
No, I'm Steve!
Jul 15, 03:00 PM
Ha, wasn’t expecting to see a “Lilliputians” reference any time soon…
And for the record, when I said “conspired”, I meant it in the more benign sense of ‘Hey Scotty, if you come aboard, we’ll promote your boy when the time is right’. Not in the extreme sense of someone intentionally delaying the RFA offers on orders from above as some have suggested…
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