Arizona Coyotes Slammed By Michael Wilbon On PTI
ESPN stalwart Michael Wilbon slammed the Arizona Coyotes hiring of twenty-six-year-old general manager John Chayka on Pardon the Interruption.
Arizona Coyotes fans have been through the ringer when it comes to insults, mischaracterizations, and general misinformation regarding their favorite NHL franchise.
ESPN talking head Michael Wilbon decided that he’d take a break from discussing the other three major sports in North America – and occasionally the Chicago Blackhawks – to bloviate about the franchise’s hiring of John Chayka as general manager.
He was skeptical of the analytics bent of the hiring, as well as Chayka’s age.
“They (the Arizona Coyotes) screw up all the time on decisions big and small so my concern is…is he the right guy at any age?” Wilbon said.
Who is this mythical “they” and these bad decisions “they” have made?
This is an ownership group that took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2013 and have, to this point at least, done nothing but attempt to push the team forward in the desert despite many years of embarrassment and bad taste being left in the mouth of hockey lovers in the area.
What are these bad decisions, exactly?
The majority of the foolhardy moves in this franchise’s history predate this ownership group that includes Andrew Barroway and Anthony LeBlanc. It sure as hell predates a prospect pool that is ranked tops in the NHL.
The future is looking promising in the Valley of the Sun, but as Arizona Coyotes fans know, nothing is guaranteed no matter how good it sounds.
If ownership wishes to take a calculated risk that might better help them capture the consistency and relevance that fans clamor for, why would we tell them no before seeing the plan in action? More so, why should we bother with what an NBA and NFL guy has to say about an NHL franchise that he only “knows a little bit about.”
Michael Wilbon isn’t completely wrong.
I think we all, as fans, have some degree of skepticism regarding the Chayka hire and whether it’s the right move. Some more, some less, but his age and approach have been a hot button topic.
That doesn’t make Wilbon’s take any less hot. It’s Skip Bayless levels of ignorant, but I suppose that’s what the man was going for.
The bottom line is Chayka and the Arizona Coyotes are an easy target and will remain that way unless the man lives up to his potential and our stockpile of prospects live up to theirs.
In five years we may look back at Michael Wilbon’s rant and think, “Wow, this guy was out of touch!”
Who am I kidding? I’m doing that right now.
The Arizona Coyotes took a gamble, but it’s the kind of gamble that a franchise that is behind the proverbial eight-ball monetarily needs to take.
If Chayka is what Leblanc, Dave Tippett, and the rest of the front office claim, he will find those diamonds in the rough that can turn this team into a consistent competitor. More importantly, he’ll avoid the icebergs that have plagued this organization, particularly in the on-ice personnel department (hello Mike Ribeiro and Mike Smith contracts).
Next: Chayka Hire Brings Promise To Coyotes Franchise, But Not An Immediate Fix
Time will tell.
In the meantime, I’m pretty sure John Chayka’s age won’t have much to do with anything.