bluedevil58
Registered User
- Oct 19, 2017
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A Serious Debate: How to fix this team?
- Thread starter bluedevil58
- Start date
the halleJOKEL
strong as brickwall
fallin for dahlin
lose like heck for quebec
lose like heck for quebec
sheriff bart
Where are the white women at
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
They still don’t have enough talent at forward.
It’s really that simple.
Firing the coach won’t fix it.
It’s really that simple.
Firing the coach won’t fix it.
RibFrabcus
Bevy of Humanity
I really don't know if it's Peters. On the one hand we're a consistently good team with regards to shot attempt s, 2nd in the NHL right now. We've had subpar goaltending. I know Darling has been left out to dry on a few goals but sometimes you just have to get a save. All 3 last night could have been stopped.
Sure, BP has his pet players, but all coaches do to some extent. We need better middle six centers than Rask and Ryan, but it's all we have right now. I still think Kuokkanen has looked good and should keep playing. Sit Ryan/Rask and try Kuokks at center.
Sure, BP has his pet players, but all coaches do to some extent. We need better middle six centers than Rask and Ryan, but it's all we have right now. I still think Kuokkanen has looked good and should keep playing. Sit Ryan/Rask and try Kuokks at center.
Boom Boom Apathy
I am the Professor. Deal with it!
- Sep 6, 2006
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I applaud the use of any gif with Gabrielle and from Burn Notice in general.
bluedevil58
Registered User
- Oct 19, 2017
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I am not sure BP gets a pass this time around. At some point, enough is enough.
FreshSeabass
Aho!
I understand the Rask was officially elected whipping boy this year. But my god does Derek Ryan suck at hockey. How he plays significant minutes is baffling. Then Jooris who has actually looked like a decent bottom 6 guy is out of the lineup. Id almost rather see Jooris center Skinner and whatever other bum plays with them than Ryan.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
Gets a pass for what?
Do you really think a different coach (one who is not currently employed) is going to make this mediocre lineup into more than a mediocre team?
bluedevil58
Registered User
- Oct 19, 2017
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Allow me to counter you and use Las Vegas as a comparison to us. Their line up is shit and they are doing well. Granted it's early in the season but I am getting nervous.
Novacane
Registered User
A few players playing above their skill level for once would be a start. Seems like every other team has one of those players pop up. Instead we have to hope Skinner scores a goal or two a game to spark the offense
I went with someone yesterday who doesn't watch a lot of hockey. They identified the problem pretty quickly. After a couple breakaways in OT, they said, "They never score on those. I hope it doesn't go to shootout.."
In my opinion we have four issues which keep rearing their ugly heads over the past couple of years that lead to the losses:
So, what are the solutions to these problems? I'm not sure. Maybe they play their way out of it? They certainly picked it up last year after a crappy start, and this year's start is much better by comparison, even if it is underwhelming. However, can this market take that chance and fail again? I don't think it can. I think we have to act boldly now or risk rooting for the Quebec Nordiques in a few years. So this is what I would do to fix these issues:
- Very poor stretches of play during a game that result in goals against. The first period vs the Ducks is just one of a long list of examples where everyone just is not clicking/ready/engaged(giving a shit)...whatever it is. To a certain extent, I put this equally on the coaches and the players.
- Poor goalie play at critical/timely points in time. I had hoped we solved those issues with Darling, but I have not been excited about his play so far. Last night's third goal was one he just should have had...that was all on him. But even before that, he has looked jumpy and in consistent. His save% is poor, but from the "eye test" I have put that mostly on very low shot volumes followed by high danger attempts. To me, the jury is still out on if this is fixed (every goalie has a bad night and I'm going with last night as being Darling's example of that). Ward has looked good as a back up so far.
- Defensive turnovers for high danger shots. For the most part, we have a defensive core that is very desirable and better than most. However, there are still too many "brain farts" where they make questionable decisions in their own zone or the neutral zone that lead to grade A chances going the other way. My eye test tells me that most of these lapses on judgement are coming from Faulk and Hanifin. I thought they played well together at the end of last year, so I chalked up their difficulties to their partners prior to that. Now it seems like that short period of time last year was the outlier and that it is their play, not their partners, that was the problem. I keep hoping we can find pairings that will hide/minimize their problems, but at least with Hanifin, he seems to kill whoever he is paired with.
- No finish in the forwards (except Skinner)...including the Finish forwards. We just can't finish when we need to finish. Too many good chances lead to shots into the chest or completely missing the net. We need to add a legitimate scoring threat to what we have now. Skinner is not enough. A center would be perfect, but I'd take a scoring winger if that were available. I don't know who is available or what the costs we should pay for this, but it is the root cause to all our problems above, in my opinion. A team can only cycle the puck for so long without capitalizing on their chances before the other team capitalizes on theirs.
So, what are the solutions to these problems? I'm not sure. Maybe they play their way out of it? They certainly picked it up last year after a crappy start, and this year's start is much better by comparison, even if it is underwhelming. However, can this market take that chance and fail again? I don't think it can. I think we have to act boldly now or risk rooting for the Quebec Nordiques in a few years. So this is what I would do to fix these issues:
- Coaching change. But not Peters. I'd move Rod upstairs and let Peters hire his own guy that is an offensive specialist in the coaching ranks. In the past, I have been skeptical that these types of moves make much of a difference, but after seeing the turnaround the Wild made last year and the Kings are making this year, I'd be willing to bet a small tweak to style may make a difference. Even if it is only in the PP, that would help a bunch. Plus, when you move guy who's number is in the rafters it shows that nobody is safe and should give everybody a wake-up call. I don;'t know if there is a guy that Peters would like for that position available at this point in the season, so I'd consult with him before making this move.
- Goalies, I think we are stuck with what we have for the rest of the year. Ward should get the next start, however, and their should be no favorites...let them compete.
- I'd start by mixing up the pairings again, maybe even making that a shift by shift thing. I think the brain farts are more common when Hanifin and Faulk are too comfortable with the guy they are playing with and each assumes the other guy knows what he is going to do or where he is going to be. If the pairings are changing consistently, maybe that forces them to think more. I also would be very open to moving one or the other for a star forward.
- We need a skilled, first line scoring forward. Too bad they are not free. Do we trade one of our defenders to get that? Who would we target? I would like to hope we wouldn't have to, but I'm guessing that is a pipe dream. That being said, I would first explore the idea of trading for Shipachyov with Vegas. They don't need him given their start, he is causing them problems, and they have let him start looking for an out. He's certainly risky, but given the risk, he may not be too expensive to acquire...maybe a couple of picks not in the first round. If Vegas wants too much or we feel he is the problem, not the situation, then target a trade somewhere else. Maybe a rental type trade like JVR or Evander Kane. Or a down on their luck player like Galchenyuk? Or swing for the fences and see if one of Hanifin/Faulk plus a 1st and Rask would get us Nylander or Draisaitl or an equivalent.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
OK, so let's assume that Vegas is in reality a better hockey team than Carolina, and that it is because they have a better coach.
Gerard Gallant is... employed by Vegas. So we won't be hiring him to wave a magic wand and fix our problems.
What now? We throw a dart at the coaching board and pray?
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
Team shooting percentage compared to the rest of the NHL, in the last six years: 20th, 29th, 29th, 25th, 23rd, 22nd.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
Any minut now they’ll regress to the mean
The Faulker 27
Registered User
The "Vegas Comparison" is gonna haunt us all season isn't it?
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
bluedevil58
Registered User
- Oct 19, 2017
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I agree. Excuses are off the table. This coach and assistant coaches need to either find a way to win some games or some if not all of them should be replaced. I literally cringe every time we get a PP and the bad thing is the PP is getting worse not better which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me...
Novacane
Registered User
Especially since everyone was calling McPhee garbage for his pick selections. Imagine performing worse than a “WOAT AINEC” roster you mocked 4 months prior
Joe McGrath
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2009
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This team isn’t very different from last year. We said over and over again average goaltending and they are a playoff team. It’s no different this year. Average goaltending = 2 more points in October and being on pace for 96 points. It’s not f***ing rocket science.
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
The one bright spot here is that 10 games is actually a relatively small sample size, Darling has been successful in the past, Ward is doing well as a backup goalie, and there's still time to see improvement here.
But the goaltending *must* improve. In a hurry.
Joe McGrath
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2009
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Darling has never been a successful, or been asked to be, an actual starter. That’s my worry. I think I they would be wise to play Cam more (once every 3 games instead of once every 5). Just my outsiders relatively uninformed opinion.
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
Maybe this turns into a 1a/1b situation. That would be ok. If the presence of Darling brings up Cam's game, that's a bonus -- but if we do that, both goalies need to be at or above .915-ish, or this thing ain't gonna work.
