Panthers coach Joel Quenneville explains what he liked about Bill Zito’s Columbus teams
Joel Quenneville and Bill Zito had only crossed paths a few times before the Florida Panthers hired Zito as their new general manager Tuesday.
Zito was an agent before he was the Columbus Blue Jackets’ general manager, so Quenneville would occasionally bump into him if he was coaching or dealing with a player who also happened to be one of Zito’s clients. Most of what the coach knows about the new GM, though, comes simply from watching the Blue Jackets and the way they played throughout most of the last decade while Zito was working in their front office. It was always easy to find stuff to admire about those Columbus teams
“You look at Columbus: The way they play, the competitiveness of their team is something that you appreciate, whether that’s a trait right from the day they were drafted to how they evaluate players,” Quenneville said. “[Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella] — that’s one of his most expected standards is you’ve got to play all out and you’ve got to play together as a team is part of it, but I think identifying those kind of players is something that kind of represents what kind of team Columbus is and has. And I think as a group here you bring that intensity, that emotion brings a little bit of consistency and expectations to your game.”
A day after Florida officially introduced Zito as the 11th general manager in franchise history, Quenneville spoke admirably about the executive he hopes to work with for years to come. Although he has never been an NHL general manager, Zito built up a strong reputation with the Blue Jackets, both as their assistant general manager and as the GM for AHL Cleveland.
Quenneville admitted he’s not sure what Zito will be like as a GM. He is excited, however, about building up a relationship with one of the league’s up-and-coming executives.
“I think something like that will develop quickly, and that relationship has no problem improving every single day and getting familiar with each other’s habits. It’s something to look forward to,” Quenneville said. “We’re happy to have him join the Panther organization. He’s excited as heck. He’s been looking for this opportunity for some time now, and I think he’s got a really good feel for the league, the players, the situation as far as where we’re at and I think he’s ready to welcome the challenge. He’s been around some coaches, he’s been around players, he’s been around management putting teams together in Columbus. I think he did a fine job with the big club, as well as Cleveland and here we are here in a situation where he’s excited to put it all together, and get us back to be a playoff contender and get some consistency.”
Quenneville also admitted it was “tough” to see the Panthers fire former general manager Dale Tallon last month. Tallon was in the Chicago Blackhawks’ front office when Quenneville took over as the coach there and Quenneville was excited to work with his longtime collaborator again when he came to South Florida last year. Quenneville also said he “thought we had something going,” despite falling short of the traditional 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs once again this season.
Zito’s arrival will mark a reset for everyone in the organization as the Panthers try to get back to the Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“Bill’s coming in with a fresh look at how he sees the game. It’s something that we’re not sure exactly what the top priorities are going to be,” Quenneville said. “The bottom line is we want to get better as a team across the board. I think he’s got a real good feel for players in the league. I think that how we’re going to set up or how he’s going to set up the structure of the organization — whether it’s the amateur, pro scouts, hockey staffs here and [AHL Charlotte] — there’s a lot to look at. I’m sure that there’s a lot of work ahead of us and him, and putting it all together. I look forward to his new ideas and how he sees the game, what he’s looking for, what he wants and I think I’m pretty flexible as far as being able to work with different people. And I know his enthusiasm is very high end.”
