herman said:
Former management frittering away picks and valuable cap space for splashy signings (especially post salary cap and recently to try and reclaim the 'glory' of that playoff series with Boston). Coaching completely mis-identifying the systematic flaws that resulted in the playoff loss. Players who deviate from the script on a regular basis.
But that's not the same thing at all. GMs always care about the big picture. Nobody ever made a trade or signing thinking it was a bad decision at the time. You might disagree with the results of what Carlyle's doing but I promise you he focuses on matchups and the system. I guarantee that the players work hard on "execution" and don't ignore their own development.
When Clarkson got signed, and I have to assume that's chiefly the signing you're talking about, I absolutely guarantee that Nonis thought it would improve the club over the course of the deal. He looks like he was wrong, sure, but I do sometimes think you occasionally lean a little heavy on the idea that success is just a choice that various people in management have been stubbornly refusing to make in favour of...their preference for mediocrity?
Making the wrong decisions is not a symptom of not caring enough or trying hard enough. It's a question of capability and strategy, not focus.