Patrick Roy as Coach and GM?

If the reports are true and Pierre Lacroix offered Patrick Roy the coach and GM roles with the Avalanche, then Lacroix has lost his friggin' mind. The dual role may work in the WHL, but I don't think it's sustainable long-term in the NHL these days.

If it's a ploy to sweeten the deal and keep Roy away from Montreal, then it's a bad one. Unless Lacroix's genius vision is to put Roy in as GM in a figurehead role and let people like Craig Billington et. al. do all the work. Once again, I come back to the whole "lost his friggin' mind" thought.

I spent most of my Sunday reading Batman comics - what? - and sleeping, so I missed this one until Elpou fired me an email which I got this morning. If anyone even has any articles or opinions to send my way, feel free to contact me via email, comments or telegraph.

And I swear, at some point I'll come out of hibernation and write more than once a week.

Not that far outside...

The weekend was shaping up nicely. Eric Lacroix is not up for the Avs GM job, UFC 97 is on tomorrow night, I caught I Love You, Man which was hilarious and I felt pretty damn good. Then Dater came up with this ditty.

I nearly lost my head. If he was saying that McGuire might be a replacement for Tony Granato, I could buy it. I wouldn't like it, but I could buy it. But as the GM? No friggin' way.

...can you name me anyone who has seen more NHL games in the last few years than McGuire has most likely

I bet Gord Miller has watched as many. Or Jim Hughson. Or Bob Cole. Or Craig Simpson. Or James Duthie. Or Bob McKenzie. Hell, I might be willing to give McKenzie a shot as the Avs GM.

Can you name me a person who has has a more varied menu of personnel he’s spoken to in the last few years

That might be fair. But I would change "spoken to" to "sucked up to". Because that's the real part of the job description. He's not there to call out coaches or GMs or players. He's there to get sound bites.

He’s got two Stanley Cup rings on his fingers, as a scout and assistant coach with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992

He was hired as a scout in '90. I doubt he was crucial to the Cup win in '91. I'll give you '92 because he was an assistant coach at the time. His head coaching career went down in flames following those years and he hasn't been back since. I'm going to call that a pattern.

I mean, why not?

Because his first order of business would be to trade the farm for Dion Phaneuf.

Eric Lacroix Rumors Shut Down

Amidst a bit of buzz over why Adrian Dater removed a post on Eric Lacroix becoming the next GM of the Avs, he has cleared the air on why: Eric Lacroix isn't being considered for the job and wouldn't take it if offered.

I can finally exhale.

Avs to Hire In-House GM; Does Jay Feaster Count?

This little ditty was in a Montreal Gazette column today:

Colorado looks for GM 'in-house': A report in the Denver Post said fired Colorado Avalanche general manager François Giguère will be replaced by "one of several in-house candidates." If that's the case, you can bet team president Pierre Lacroix has already decided Patrick Roy will be behind the Colorado bench next season.

Color me unsurprised.

Promotion from within is great but there is also a time for outside help. Last year's coaching "search" was likely one of those times. The new GM is possibly one of those times as well.

Former Tampa Bay Lightning GM Jay Feaster has contacted Lacroix regarding his interest in the position. Will Lacroix - even with the history between the two - bother to entertain the notion? It feels doubtful.

Feaster is by no means the answer, but it would be nice to know that they're casting the net far and wide in their search.