It didn't take the Black Frost's new GM long to make a splash. Only days after coming on board, the team has already seen big changes.
The coaching staff has been completely re-vamped. Ken Hitchcock and Dan Bylsma are out, and Jeremy Colliton and Marco Sturm are in. A younger coaching staff is more consistent with the new GM's objective of building a much stronger team over the next three years and beyond.
The team also spent BIG on defencemen Shea Weber ($12M/yr). They opted for a more expensive 2-year contract, rather than a lower-priced 3-year contract in order to better manage the team's cap hit and contract expiry over the next several years. Weber has at least that much left in him as one of the league's best defencemen. He will also have at least one season to play along-side P.K. Subban. Imagine that!
When asked about his plans over the remainder of the offseason and whether we can expect any other big moves, GM Eisenbraun responded: "We are taking a hard look at our roster and platform. We see a team that has the potential for a great Season 39. With top-notch goaltending and defence, and a group of strong forwards that can carry momentum into the boards and crash the net, we beleive we can contend - and will be an even stronger team in the playoffs. However, nobody is un-touchable - perhaps with the exception of Tkachuk, Tippett and Sieder who are the future of this team and the players we will build around. Subban and Weber are likely also un-touchable - if not due to their huge un-movable contracts, for their tremendous leadership and community involvement. We want this to be a fun team to be around, and a place people want to play. We are trying to build a winning culture that will last a long time. Those guys will get it done. All that said, we would like to move a goalie during the offseason and are listening to offers on Blackwood, Grubauer and Ullmark. It is not a good situation to have three star goalies - for the team or the individuals themselves. We need to fix that, and would like this resolved before training camp."