Excuse me if I suggest the Colorado Avalanche's management re-organization sounds a little like a shuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic.

The coaching staff -- Tony Granato, Jacques Cloutier, rising star Dave Barr and goalie instructor Jeff Hackett -- was let go in a sweeping blood-letting. And that's not including the firing of Hall of Fame winger Michel Goulet, who was former general manager Francois Giguere's assistant and the best player to ever play with the Quebec Nordiques before they moved west to Denver.

There is conjecture that the proud Goulet may have quit when he was bypassed for the GM job and Hackett, who did a nice job turning Jose Theodore's career around, may not have wanted to hang around, either. You can pencil Hackett's name in as a strong candidate for the vacant goalie coach job in Montreal now because he played there.

Coming aboard, or shall we say, taking different watches on the Listing Ship Avalanche: Greg Sherman, Craig Billington, president Pierre Lacroix's son Eric, former Edmonton Oilers winger David Oliver and one-time Oilers scout Brad Smith.

Through all the manoeuvres, Pierre Lacroix continues to steer the vessel for owner Stan Kroenke, even though the former GM is as culpable as anybody for the slipping franchise, which picks third in the June draft.

But, with his two Stanley Cup rings, Lacroix is bulletproof.

Lacroix's telling quote Wednesday that Sherman will be "under his supervision" as the new general manager sounds like Sherman will be a puppet for the powerful Lacroix, who chose not to hire Jay Feaster, the 2004 Stanley Cup-winning GM in Tampa Bay who used to run the Avalanche farm team.

If Sherman, who looked after contracts and the salary cap, is under Lacroix's "supervision," does that also mean Lacroix will be hiring the new coach? Does that mean that 39-year-old Sherman, who was in charge of the Avs' merchandise stores in 2001 when they last won the Cup, is only keeping the seat warm for somebody else?

The key figure in all the moves is Eric Lacroix, who leaves the Phoenix Coyotes' scouting department and becomes head of hockey operations in Denver -- for a second time. He had the same job several years ago.

Lacroix is likely being groomed to be a GM by his dad, but at 37, he's not ready yet. So Sherman, who's been with the organization for 13 years, becomes GM for now.

Billington moves from vice-president of hockey operations to assistant GM. Smith, the director of player personnel in the organization, gets more responsibilities for the players on the NHL club. Oliver, the bright GM of Colorado's Lake Erie farm club in the American Hockey League, is now director of player development, which means he oversees all the drafted kids and farmhands.

It sounds like management by committee, but Sherman has the title and inherits a club that has 13 regulars signed for next year at close to $44 million, including Ryan Smyth.

Smyth had a good season before breaking his hand (59 points, 26 goals), but his name may come up again this summer in trade talks to clear up some salary cap room. But Smyth has three years left at a cap hit of $6.25 million, which may be difficult to move.

Granato, who has had two kicks at the cat to coach the club, deserved much better. He was hung out to dry for weeks while Lacroix courted Patrick Roy for the coaching job before the former netminder decided to stay with Quebec Remparts as coach/GM/owner of the junior franchise.

Granato, who replaced Bob Hartley in 2002 and held the job for a couple of years, says Lacroix told him he was talking to Roy, but it was still tough to stomach.

"It's the nature of the business. It's part of what happens in our game," Granato told the Denver Post, refusing to speak badly of Lacroix.

Maybe, but if they didn't want Granato after he was dealt a crummy hand this season with major injuries to Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny and lukewarm goaltending, he should have been gone days after the season ended.

Now it looks like Lacroix is cleaning up after Giguere, who fired Joel Quenneville after the 2007-08 season and named Granato coach again.

Marc Crawford, who won a Cup as the Avs head coach in '96, told the Denver Post he is interested in coming back. Hartley, fired after a Cup win in '01 and four great years, probably isn't on their short list, and Jacques Lemaire says he wants to be back east to hang around his grandchildren more.

The leading candidate may be Joe Sacco, Colorado's AHL coach. They would be trading Sacco for Sakic, who likely isn't coming back.

jmatheson@thejournal.canwest.com