Knights deals-so far

[ruxpin]

11 hours ago, nossagog said:

I'm trying to go through some brain cells that may or may not be damaged.   This is the kind of thing that the Sabres and Panthers did many a year ago, and did not work out.   It went something like this. The Rochester Americans were the standalone of the Sabres, but not owned by the Sabres, so when players were sent down, the Rochester owners(local) had to pay the salaries agree on by the Sabres.  So the local Americans ownership was losing money.  So they made a deal to be the farm team of both the Sabres and Panthers.   But there were some bitter feelings on which players were getting which roles, and I believe both teams were not satisfied that the players were not  being groomed to their systems when they arrived in the NHL as they were all independent.  This lasted a few years until the Sabres finally purchased the Americans and took control of the AHL affiliate solely. 

 

Can't see how an independent team can work out as an AHL affiliate.  Looking at how teams that are solely owned by their parent club work out with coordinated coaching schemes so that players can be brought up seamlessly into the NHL systems seems like perfect system.  Plus it allows the parent club total control of player developement. 

Did something change with the Hershey Bears? They were always owned independent of the NHL team (I think they still are, but I'm on my phone and lazy).  I'd thought that was actually the norm and ownership by the NHL team the exception (Philly was one and what you describe was largely the reason). 

 

I don't know. And I'm still on the phone, so... 

[yave1964]

2 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Did something change with the Hershey Bears? They were always owned independent of the NHL team (I think they still are, but I'm on my phone and lazy).  I'd thought that was actually the norm and ownership by the NHL team the exception (Philly was one and what you describe was largely the reason). 

 

I don't know. And I'm still on the phone, so... 

There are still about ten AHL teams independently owned but more and more they are falling under the thumb of the big club. The Wolves are one of the few to have the Balls to tell the parent club to take a hike, they will play who they want and will be happy to take suggestions as long as the parent club understands that they are just that and not orders. Wendell Young has survived as GM thru the Canucks and the Blues and now the Knights, his goal is to put a winner on the ice and make a profit, development a distant but respectable third. I watch entirely too much AHL Hockey, the Wolves have always stressed the independently owned part while a lot of others are subservient and lazy allowing the parent club to more or less dictate the roster. It still blows my mind that the Blues are shrugging off this season developmentally tho, just shrugging their shoulders and saying, 'we will get our guys on the ice somewhere' willing to loan them to the Knights AHL team, especially as stubborn as Young is insisting on playing his vets and going for the wins instead of the kids and struggling. Plus the Blues are gonna squeeze a few guys here and there wherever they can and stuff the younger kids in the ECHL. Just bizarre. How you can not have an AHL team, independent or team owned is beyond me.

[ruxpin]

4 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Just bizarre. How you can not have an AHL team, independent or team owned is beyond me.

Completely agree. It's mind bedoggling. 

 

Thanks for the other info. Much appreciated. I only very vaguely follow it and catch only a couple games a year. It waa easier when I lived in Harrisburg and was right on top of Hershey. At 10, yeah they're getting picked off. It's becoming more like baseball. 

 

I also seem to remember other teams sharing an AHL team (was it the Flyers sharing the Bears with someone way back?). It does have to suck having only limited control over ice time, use, etc.  But I imagine it's similar to juniors in that respect. 

 

In any case, sending them to the ECHL is an astoundingly bad idea. They'd get better grooming and training simply working the drive thru at a Carl's Jr.