Jamie Dodd

They don't have the money.

They can't attract experienced candidates.

So they're going for these rookies.

They're just going for whoever will take their money.

And look...

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that there's zero possibility that money is playing a role.

I'm sure money is playing a role.

It's been reported they negotiated very hard with Ryan Johnson.

It's been reported they negotiated very hard with Manny Malhotra.

Obviously, financials are playing a role.

But I think the other side of the coin is what Ryan Johnson is doing here is kind of the front office version of what he was often tasked to do as the Abbotsford general manager, which is find the below-the-radar guys that you think can grow.

and really make an impact in a bigger opportunity.

And we saw, obviously, the classic example from Ryan Johnson's time with Abbotsford was Dakota Joshua.

Someone he had eyes on in the AHL and thought, hey, there's a player there.

Boom, came in, turned him into an effective player.

Now, ultimately, the contract didn't really work out.

There's some unfortunate circumstances around that with Dakota Joshua.

But the player development story and the scouting story was a huge win for Ryan Johnson.

And I think if you look at his hiring pattern so far, he's trying to replicate that

but with his coaches and his executives.