Never will understand why we bought him out. Especially when his replacement was lazy ass Tanguay.
That said good for Vinny P and you guys. He's a pretty loyal (came to Tampa 3 different times) player. Don't find that too much anymore, especially for a veteran that could very easily have asked to be traded to a contender.
Maybe Prospal can convince Vokoun to sign here in the off-season.
Boom! I'd take that. It would be nice to use our early 2nd on one of the goalies (if still there) and Vokoun woudl be a good mentor.
But this is Vinny's thread. I'm thrilled with this move and think it's a great way to keep leadership in the room. I think this smells of Mike Peca. Great presence that couldn't be over stated in the room.
I absolutely love Prospal. And this is a great move by Howson. We need him around to lead a culture change in the locker room and the entire organization.
Has anybody considered that Prospal has been working so hard for so long that he just wants to learn how to unwind in a country club like atmosphere? He obviously hasn't been tainted by the suck of the CBJ yet so he's willing to come back until that happens...
Just saw it.... Wow. Interesting stuff... My only hope is that Prospal works hard once his on ice career is over and that he gets better results than the last "fan favorite" that got a front office job here (Wright).
I think it's more important that he be around our team and have him help us with our transition.
--Scott Howson
Transition is an interesting wording. I wouldn't be surprised if Vinny is wearing the "C" come next fall.
As for the gentleman's agreement, if I were Vinny, I'd want that agreement from JP himself.
If I were Tyler Wright, I might want to raise my game with the possibility of another player moving into the front office not too far down the road. Player development would be a logical role for Vinny....
The only thing that I question is the timing. It seems to suppress whatever leverage the Jackets have as far as the other players they might trade away is concerned. If I'm a different org and I was interested in Prospal, now he's off the table. Even if Howson had planned on doing this regardless, maybe he can string one of those teams along and convince them to take someone else for a little less than they'd have given for Prospal.
Anyways, timing's never been Howson's strong suit I guess.
Still, I wouldn't take it as a sign that Howson's going to be around forever. Didn't MacLean do a deal with one of Hitchcock's favorite players very near the end of DM's regime?
Howson and Hitch also had evergreen provisions I believe, to be fair. This organization hands them out like candy.
They did and they do....
As far as Wright is concerned, the guy's work has been unimpressive since he was hired in the front office, says this bystander.... And he was promoted after Boyd was let go... pretty typical for this organization as well as Boyd was promoted no less than 3 times since 2000.
Central Ohio is a great area to raise a family. The Prospals have moved quite a bit in Vinny's career. This makes so much sense.
Vinny isn't quite a Reggie White but perhaps something like this helps change perceptions.
I'm not quite ready to wonder at the "position within the organization." I'm looking forward to having him on the ice for a couple more seasons.
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"Every game, every point is a necessity." -- Ty Conklin, January 2007
"I'll have a chance to compete for the post of first issue. This is the most important thing." -- Sergei Bobrovsky, June 2012
Transition is an interesting wording. I wouldn't be surprised if Vinny is wearing the "C" come next fall.
As for the gentleman's agreement, if I were Vinny, I'd want that agreement from JP himself.
If I were Tyler Wright, I might want to raise my game with the possibility of another player moving into the front office not too far down the road. Player development would be a logical role for Vinny....
Wondering the same thing. Could be as simple as the coaching transition. Could be a whole lot more.
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Remember - when you're a hockey fan, it's not "reckless driving", it's "good forechecking".
"Viqsi, you are our sweet humanist..." --mt-svk on the CBJ boards
Thanks, Howson, for cleaning up MacLean's toxic waste. Welcome, Kekalainen; let's get good things built!
Awesome news! Seriously sent chills through my spine. We were just lamenting about that Vinny was most likely gone after trade deadline. Really excited about this move.
