
Devallano went earlier and more extensively to the Russian strategy
than anyone else...and was the first GM to "waste" high draft choices
on young Russians...Devallano would still be GM but he succombed to
Demers pleading to make the Oates-Federko et al trade...which is the
deal that sealed his fate.

Murray has made some decent trades...no doubt...but these are more
due to the stupidity or cheapness of other teams than brilliance on
his part...Washington was too cheap to pay Ciccarelli so they
essentially gave him away...and Carson was really a big anchor to
the team, and he was able to sucker a rookie GM to give him Paul
Coffey for deadweight.

If Detroit still fails this year because he was one defenseman short...
then he will have wasted an opportunity because Manson was available,
and he was unable to pull the trigger.  It is his judgement that he
has enough with what he's got...Yzerman doesn't have that many more
years in his prime.