The new Dallas Stars General Manager, Chris Cauto
Dallas, TX - With one of the worst starts in the history of the Stars and North Stars franchise, Dallas Management has made some drastic personnel changes. The stars have only four wins this season, and are in tied for the worst record in the Western Conference. Just eleven games into the season, the Stars announced Wednesday that Joe Nieuwendyk has been fired as General Manager in favor of a relatively unknown GM, Chris Cauto.
"This is going to be a new era in Dallas Stars history," remarked Cauto, "I realize that people are worried about the way this team is headed, and I agree that things need to change."
Dallas fans have certainly been demanding change, but will Cauto bring what they want? To bring in a GM that relatively few fans of heard of will definitely stir up some commotion.
"I have had success in other, lesser known leagues. I want to assure our fans that we will settle for nothing less than a playoff birth. What needs to change is our philosophy. While I know it is not the most flashy of styles, we will start by playing a gritty defensive-minded game, similar to the neutral zone trap New Jersey Devils of the past decade. We will try to bring in players who will fit well in our style. For now, I see guys like [James] Neal, [Nathan] Horton, [Matt] Niskanen as guys who will thrive in this system. We will look to move many of our players who have previously been deemed 'core players.'"
Dallas is fighting the cap, with less than $50,000 left to spend. They also have nine players approaching free agency. Cauto will certainly have his hands full.
"Yeah, we have some cap trouble," Cauto responded, " But I plan on moving some big players, so it's nothing to get too worried about."
Cauto's team will play its first game under new management tomorrow against the Colorado Avalanche.
