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Meet the new boss, not the same as the old boss?
Ledecky Speaks
- Jon Ledecky had a frank discussion with media during a meet-and-greet luncheon Wednesday. He is determined to produce a winner and has been talking with fans to hear the word on the street. (No truth to the rumor he is "Brian Strait" on LHH's boards though.) [NHL.com]
- "Full-time focus" Ledecky is a contrast to Charles Wang in a lot of ways, he wants to be out there and hear the fans, work constantly on upgrades (like LIRR access), and yeah, make sure Sparky is there too. [Times]
- Now even more than ever, the "six games in Nassau" sounds like a Ratner pipe dream that the new owners want no part of. (Well, you know how developers are.) [Newsday]
- Lots of great quotes from Ledecky on wanting to win, on the passion he shares with Garth Snow to see John Tavares lift the Stanley Cup, and on the reality of accountability while also having the resources to spend to make it happen. [Post | Daily News]
- This was taped before the Ledecky meet, but the IPB podcast had Arthur Staple on for one last discussion of free agent moves before everyone takes a chill pill (that's what we're doing, right?) for summer. [SNY / SoundCloud]
McPhee Leaves
- As expected, Isles special advisor George McPhee was named general manager of the Las Vegas expansion team. Five really useful observations from McPhee's opening press conference. [CBS Sports]
- And Washington media calls it "rolling the dice," which I guess is the first of many gambling puns to come. [WaPo]
- But Las Vegas calls him an "artist with a blank canvas." [Review Journal]
- Fellow Montana pleasurecraft owner Murray Craven was instrumental in getting Vegas owner Bill Foley to consider McPhee. [Review Journal]
Beyond Barclays
- Part of P.K. Subban's first post-trade sit-down interview. He wasn't touching the anonymous murmurs about locker room discord. He was saying you always have to be prepared for a trade, even when your NTC gets Visnovsky'd. [Sportsnet]
- Fans loved Subban. Marc Bergevin, who was the opposite kind of defenseman as a player, not so much. [Sportsnet]
- The Capitals will make small changes to how they approach things after losing to the eventual Cup champion [REDACTEDS], but not really. [WaPo]
- Allow yourself to eye test your eye test. [Winging It In Motown]
- NHL GMs should say goodbye to the bridge contract. [Sportsnet]
Oh, and speaking of the eye test, ain't no fight like an analytics vs. old school fan fight (read the replies to the tweet if you want to gawk):
Was just informed by a source that the Montreal Canadiens let go of analytics specialist Matt Pfeffer.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 13, 2016
Montreal Canadiens clarify that Matt Pfeffer's 1-year contract was not renewed + that they will be pursuing other options re:analytics hires
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 13, 2016