It can't be easy to be the general manager of a last place team in a major sports league. Any positives are continually washed out by the media circus and fan pressure surrounding the team. Most of the time it seems like the GM just can't win no matter what he does. The key phrase in that last sentence is most of the time, because we also have cases like Scott Howsen, general manager of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets. A completely incompetent boob who has almost single handedly pissed away a chunk of Rick Nash's prime by wasting draft picks and trading good young talent.
Howsen hit an all new low when he threw his (for now) star player, Rick Nash completely under the bus. In an interview just minutes after the NHL trade deadline, Howsen bashed Nash for requesting a trade out of Columbus. That did not sit well with me. All reports out of the city say that Nash has given his all to the team, and the community. He has toiled with this futile franchise for 10 years, all along saying things like "I'm happy to be here" and "I'm proud to be a Blue Jacket." What possible positive outcome could Howsen be expecting out of all this? For starters, it is now all but certain that Nash will be headed elsewhere in the offseason - but the real kicker is that Howsen is now going to get much less in return than he could have previously. When you're dealing from a corner, you can't really hold out forever.
Of course, this whole situation relies on the fact that Howsen will be the GM this summer. So long as the Jackets owner hasn't been in a coma for that last five years, Howsen should be sent packing as soon as the buzzer sounds on this dismal season. Let a fresh mind come in and utilize the first overall pick (which they will likely get) to select a new cornerstone for the franchise, and trade Nash somewhere that he can succeed. And hey, if all else fails, move the whole god damn franchise to Quebec City. Go Nordiques!
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