Millers Press Conference December 2, 2020

 

Millers Press Conference December 2, 2020

Millers GM Chris Kash took questions from the local press via Zoom call today. Media involved in the call included The Georgetown News-Graphic, The Stamping Ground Herald and The Sadieville Weekly Bulletin.

 

Q: Are you done dealing?

A: Probably not.

 

Q: What would you like to acquire?

A: It’s not been any secret that we’d like a defensively strong Dman to pair with Theodore on the top unit. One with term and in his prime. Del Zotto has done a great job stepping up but he fits better down the lineup and he’s UFA and although he’s been an asset I can’t guarantee he’ll be re-signed.

 

Q: Anyone you’re desperate to trade?

A: Desperate is not the right word, but we have a lot of bottom 6 guys and we can’t play them all. It will be a logjam when Byron returns. These are good players who will have to sit and I’m willing to find them a place to play and not ask for the moon in return.

 

Q: Will Parise be your UFA re-sign?

A: Too soon to say.

 

Q: Chris Tierney has been drawing a lot of trade interest from what we hear. Is he on the market? What would you move him for?

A: Tierney has been fantastic for us, he’s in his prime, and his next contract will be reasonable. I’d have to be blown away to move him. He’s no superstar but this is a guy that teams need to be successful.

 

Q: You acquired Troy Stecher with the idea of playing him regularly. Lately he’s sat as you’ve brought in Simek, now Sbisa and even Brad Hunt. Is he out of favor?

A: Troy needs to play better. It’s simple. He needs to play strongly at both ends of the ice. When he shows that consistency he will play. I have faith and I’d expect him to be a regular sooner than later.

 

Q: Joel Farabee played one game which has knocked him out of the CCHL Prospect Tournament. Any regrets?

A: That was an oops on my part. I still think us and Siberia have the best team in the tourney, but Farabee really could have put us over the top.

 

 

 

 

Q: Will Kotkaniemi, Texier, Farabee or Peeke see the ice?

A: Really depends on how the rest of the season goes. If we are in contention for a playoff spot probably not as they don’t really fill a particular role. If things go south and we move some players they’ll get a chance to play.

 

Q: When the outdoor series was announced with Halifax you said the game would take place in Georgetown or somewhere in Scott County. You decided to stay at the Horse Park and hold it in the outdoor stadium. Why the change?

A: We really did want to play in Georgetown and thought we could use the Bird’s Nest Stadium but  neither the football field or the soccer pitch would support the rink structurally. Georgetown College did not feel they had adequate parking or facilities to host the game at Toyota Stadium.  We considered the open field behind Cardome where the summer Shakespeare plays are held but again there’s just not enough parking and building a temporary stadium was prohibitive. Rolex Stadium is of course adjacent to Alltech Arena, has plenty of parking and is right off of I-75. It’s perfect for what we need, and it’s a mile from the Scott County line.

 

Q: Several fans say the team, and specifically, your leadership, does not have a long-term plan and that you are essentially playing it by ear.

A: Eh, maybe. We tried to provide entertaining hockey after last year’s disaster, bringing in several highly-paid veterans. Given the high payroll we had to have good results quickly and when the team stumbled out of the gate we had to make moves to cut costs. We have a healthy balance sheet but I’m not willing to lose $50 million on a team that’s struggling to reach 8^th place in the standings. We cut payroll, identified areas we could strengthen without giving up top prospects and acted accordingly. We’ve brought in Fabbri, Schmaltz, and Tierney to augment the top 6 and dealt one top prospect in Formenton to do so, and we are loaded at LW with roster players and prospects. We are building this team to be a long-term contender, but in the meantime I want a competitive team on the ice. We won’t be a bunch of no names and journeymen trying to get a lottery pick. We’ll stay in the hunt for a playoff spot until it’s not feasible to do so. The bottom 5 teams in the Canosa are separated by 6 points. There’s no reason to not keep chasing a playoff spot but we can do it in a responsible way.