Opinion: Chris MacFarland’s job is not safe
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
It’s not his fault, though. Yes, you read the title right.
Colorado Avalanche General Manager (GM) Chris MacFarland is not safe in his job. In fact, no GM in their job is safe right now.
This is due to the breaking news of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas leaving his post. It initially seemed like a personal decision to go, as Dubas had suggested he would leave and not work anywhere else but Toronto.
But, Brendan Shanahan said in his press conference he fired Dubas. Dubas’s agent suggested much more money than he was willing to pay and more than what Dubas had suggested in contract talks. Therefore, he let him go.
Another curveball in the Dubas/Leafs situation: Brendan Shanahan says he got an email from Dubas on Thursday night indicating he wanted to stay on as GM. However, Dubas's agent had also come back requesting a pay bump on the #leafs offer, per BS. Shanahan then fired Dubas.— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 19, 2023
So how does this involve the Avs?
Well, it doesn’t directly correlate to Colorado. But, because Dubas left after doing so much to improve his team, it doesn’t look good for any other GM. Shanahan said it himself: Dubas had a lot of good moves to improve the team. Good enough to earn him at least the chance to talk about a contract extension.
Meanwhile, MacFarland only made a couple of moves, including bringing in Lars Eller from the Washington Capitals and bringing back Jack Johnson from the Chicago Blackhawks. With very few moves and the little impact many players had, they could be seen as “bad moves.”
NEWS | The Washington Capitals have acquired a 2025 second-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Lars Eller.— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 1, 2023
If the Kroenkes look at what Toronto did throughout the season up until now, they may decide MacFarland isn’t fit for the job and look elsewhere for a new GM. This may be internal such as bringing back Joe Sakic to make the moves, or externally by bringing in someone else.
While it’s highly unlikely, it’s something to consider. The GM market has been hot with plenty of moves made across the league, and it could be far from done for all we know....
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