TSN's Bob McKenzie made his standard pregame appearance on TSN 1200 (that you can listen to here) and was asked by AJ Jakubec what he had heard concerning Tim Murray's candidacy for Buffalo's vacant General Manager position.
Yeah, it certainly seems that (Buffalo is being thorough) and I think if they’re taking the time to ask for permission to interview him, you would like to think that he’s a serious candidate. I think they all are. Having said that, there are some that have stronger connections to (Pat) LaFontaine and or the Buffalo organization than maybe Tim Murray, but Tim’s done a good job. The Binghamton Senators, which he’s really in charge of overseeing and the player procurement, in terms of drafting players – Tim does a lot of scouting along with Pierre Dorion and the other guys in the organization and that – so, it’s a testament to how they develop players in Binghamton as well that speaks well of the job that Tim Murray has done. He’s like a lot of Assistant General Managers, whether it’s Jimmy Benning in Boston, or Brad Treveling in Phoenix, or Jason Botterill, who’s more of a numbers guy in Pittsburgh, Paul Fenton in Nashville who’s done an excellent job there in terms of the drafting and overseeing the development of players in the Nashville organization – all of these guys are to varying degrees in the mix. It seems as though Pat LaFontaine is being thorough. I think at the end of the day… he said he didn’t want to be the General Manager, and I take that at face value, but I also think he wants to have significant input into how the team is run. And I think whoever is going to be the General Manager, I know Pat said at the news conference when he was introduced and Teddy Nolan was introduced that Teddy was the interim head coach, but I suspect, when the new General Manager shows up, it’s going to be fairly clear to him that Ted Nolan is not the interim head coach.”
The interview certainly certainly didn't leave me with this foreboding sense 'Oh no, Tim Murray is gone for sure' feeling, but if McKenzie has an idea of who the frontrunner is going to be, he certainly wasn't tipping his hand.
It's interesting to hear that LaFontaine is going to have some significant input into player personnel decisions and that the incoming GM will have to inherit Ted Nolan as the head coach. Considering how I have already written about the perks that the Buffalo situation has to offer, maybe these complications will give any candidate concerns over autonomy and have them second guess whether they want to take the position.
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