Post by markovforpm on Jun 20, 2009 20:58:05 GMT -5
New Toro's GM and Head Coach Chris Manning held court today at the Hyatt as he used this year's "State of the Union" presser to both calm the fans worried about the teams' state of flux, and spread hope by introducing the teams newest addition, Simon Gagne(aquired through the IHL's contraction draft), as well as pointing out that the team has only 8 or 9 roster players signed to contracts; "It's actually a GREAT situation to walk into, if you want the long and short of it..... I've got a few solid pieces in Kimmy, Simon, and the Twins, and a LOT of money to spend...." Manning's attitude seems to be a breath of fresh air to an organization that seemed to be in a free-fall mode over the last couple seasons....
When it was brought up that the Toro's only have one signed defenseman and that Andrei Markov(a favourite of Manning's when he was GM and Head Coach in Helsinki) was potentially going to be available, Manning was coy "Yer not gonna catch me tampering... as far as I'm concerned he is still a member of the Moscow club and until the moment he becomes a UFA, he will be..." When asked about any other potential free agents, Manning again was extremely guarded...."Look, its a BIG year for free agents, I can tell you right now that there are at LEAST 13 potential UFA defensemen that ANY responsible team would try their darndest to sign if they became available, and I'm just glad we have an obscene amount of money to spend this year....."
With that Manning thanked everyone for coming out and left to meet with his assistants presumably to look at who may be available to them during the second round of the draft.....
While it is not clear what exactly will transpire between now and the start of the season, one can be sure it will be an exciting off-season, with tons of superstars potentially up for bid this summer it will be amazing to see just how far turned around Manning can get this once-great franchise.... for now, buckle up and enjoy the show
Covering the Toros 24/7, this is Howard Berger
When it was brought up that the Toro's only have one signed defenseman and that Andrei Markov(a favourite of Manning's when he was GM and Head Coach in Helsinki) was potentially going to be available, Manning was coy "Yer not gonna catch me tampering... as far as I'm concerned he is still a member of the Moscow club and until the moment he becomes a UFA, he will be..." When asked about any other potential free agents, Manning again was extremely guarded...."Look, its a BIG year for free agents, I can tell you right now that there are at LEAST 13 potential UFA defensemen that ANY responsible team would try their darndest to sign if they became available, and I'm just glad we have an obscene amount of money to spend this year....."
With that Manning thanked everyone for coming out and left to meet with his assistants presumably to look at who may be available to them during the second round of the draft.....
While it is not clear what exactly will transpire between now and the start of the season, one can be sure it will be an exciting off-season, with tons of superstars potentially up for bid this summer it will be amazing to see just how far turned around Manning can get this once-great franchise.... for now, buckle up and enjoy the show
Covering the Toros 24/7, this is Howard Berger