WHEN HE WAS president, the sign on Harry Truman's desk read, "The Buck Stops Here." When he was coach of the Eagles, the sign on Buddy Ryan's desk read, "If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes."
Signs. They might not always project reality, but instead announce an intention. And sitting here in Paul Holmgren's early days as the Flyers' general manager, on the eve of his first NHL draft as the man making the final decisions, you are torn by two possible signs for his desk.
First:
"The Future is Now."
Or:
"Safe, not Sorry."
It has been a whirlwind, in many ways. Since getting the job in October, following the convulsive firing of coach Ken Hitchcock and the resignation of general manager Bob Clarke, Holmgren has made a series of very big transactions in an attempt to turn around a team that shockingly fell to the bottom of the NHL.
One, the trade of rarely healthy/always enigmatic superstar Peter Forsberg. Two, the acquisition and signing of goaltender Martin Biron. Three, the acquisitions and signings of Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell.
These all were major moves, involving real players and real draft picks and real money. There are these two threads that run through all of them, this overpaying for certainty and this determination to turn things around immediately.
The other day, Holmgren was talking about the need to keep a pipeline of young talent coming through the draft, about how, "The game's changed. You can't just go out and buy all the free agents because of the salary cap."
This is true. Still, the Flyers have made what amounts to three big-money free-agent additions in Biron, Timonen and Hartnell. They have thrown around more money in the last few months than anyone in the NHL. Their creativity is to be applauded but their intentions are obvious. Forget later. Forget an incremental build back to respectability. Biron, Timonen, Hartnell, now.
But it is more than that. Holmgren has revealed a lot about his temperament in the way all of these deals have been done. He has revealed a real confidence. He has shown that he knows what he wants and is unwilling to allow the uncertainties of the NHL's open market to sabotage that vision - even if it means paying top dollar in cash and picks.
