Earlier today, we talked about the acquisitions made by Don Waddell to help the Columbus Blue Jackets turn the corner and try to better compete. Those acquisitions have not worked to this point. Should we be surprised that this front office matches the roster just as much as the GM does?
It's time to face the facts. From the top down, this organization is ran by the "old guard". The 68-year-old Waddell has made generally sweeping changes that have weeded out any youth or promise within the front office; replacing them with guys he's known for years.
What does that mean? While Metro Division foes such as the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils lean towards a more modern type of management built around analytics-and, coincidentally, pace the division-the Blue Jackets are playing a brand of hockey that was popular in the late-90s and early 2000s. You know, when most of their management and coaching staff were in their primes.
Analytics? In this economy?
If you check out the CBJ website's staff directory, you might be surprised to see that they list an analytics department in the first place. No, it's true, they have one analytics guy and a couple of consultants listed there.
I will be the first guy to admit that I'm not big on analytics. As someone who has long been in the scouting community, I'm an "eye test" torch bearer. However, I'm also smart enough to admit that whatever these analytically driven teams are doing is clearly working. My modern admittance is that you need both to really compete, and the two teams I just mentioned seem to have it figured out.
The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup last year. While Don Waddell himself helped assemble that roster, it's pretty hard to overlook the fact that they could never get over the hump with him at the helm. It's also hard to ignore the fact that the franchise never really took major swings with him leading the way.
The moment he was gone? They tried with Mikko Rantanen. When that didn't work, they were smart enough to pivot and turn him into assets that would work, essentially vaulting themselves from fringe contender, all the way to the top of the league.
Why did those assets work? I have a sneaking suspicion that analytics played a part. Of course, the eye test would have been important here as well, because they acquired a guy who fit right into their system like a puzzle piece.
A quick check of the Carolina staff directory points to a broad analytics department, with several specific roles called out. The New Jersey Devils page looks very similar, in stark contrast to the three guys the Blue Jackets employ.
I've gone down this analytical path as one example where the Blue Jackets are failing. It's only part of identifying talent and building a roster. There is also the scouting department, which certainly has to be better than the other guys, right? Well...
Check back through those staff directories and count the number of scouts each team lists. Better yet, I'll do it here. The Blue Jackets list a director of scouting (Basil McCrae), a scouting manager (Jim Viers), then directors of European (Ville Siren) and amateur (Trevor Timmins) scouting.
Aside from those guys? They have 4 pro scouts, and 6 amateur scouts; along with some consultants for each. The Devils list 22 players in their scouting department, as one example. It's another area where the Blue Jackets are just not strong enough.
Of course, Waddell can only spend so much money to fill out his front office. Maybe this is more of a knock on ownership than anything else. Still, the money he has spent has been bringing a guy like Laurence Gilman to serve as his VP of hockey operations.
The 61-year-old has been a front office executive for more than 30 years. Not much innovation happening here, I'm afraid. While other front offices adapt and move towards a more modern NHL, the Blue Jackets remain stuck in the past. Note: building a slow, middle of the pack roster whose only ambition is competing for a wild card spot.
Another area where teams can adapt is behind the bench. That may be the main area where the Hurricanes have things figured out, and Waddell is the one who put Rod Brind'Amour in place there. Surely, he's done the same for the Blue Jackets? Um...lets talk about coaching on the next page.
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