From the time you were named GM, there has been a lot talk from the outside about you and coach Babcock potentially not being on the same page, whether it's because of a difference in age, philosophies, or just the fact how close to Lamoriello and Hunter he was. How do you respond to that?
"If you know Mike, people have a perception of him and how he operates and how he looks. Yes, he's very confident and sure of himself but he's very sure of himself because he goes out of his way to seek multiple opinions of others. So when he makes a decision or takes an action, it's not just what he wants to do, it's also aided by the opinions and insights of others. That's one of the interesting things. When people see the final product, they don't see the process someone goes through to form their opinion. I was previously on the staff where I saw firsthand him seeking the opinions of others. That's my interaction with him. He wants to have disagreements. He wants to have dissent. It's all to come to the end game of our process. I just laugh and find it comical that people want to spend their time worrying about that instead of getting more info on things that really matter. The proof will come in the team's record as we move forward."
