Management Dean Evason - Fired!

[Obvious Fabertism]

Our next three games are against STL, NSH, CHI. If we go:

- 0-3, Dean's gone.

- 1-2 probably gone.

- 3-0, or 2-1, he stays.

- 1-1-1.....ehhh?

If you are going to fire Dean, then you have to have an alternative. There is nothing on the existing staff that is suitable. I think that long term they were trying to groom Maclean, or at least see what they have in him, but it's way too early. It's not like he is setting the house on fire down in Iowa.

It may only take the St Louis game if we lose it convincingly, easy enough target to say that he has to win that one or it’s a sign he hasn’t grown from our series losses. Dallas embarrassed us, if St. Louis does it too then pull the plug.

But it’s just so frustrating because this team has performed more than well enough at 5v5 where they should be in every single game IMO, and mostly they have been, but nothing goes right, and the slightest miscue puts the game out of reach. The team is even responding well when going down on the scoreboard, but they can’t buy a goal from their big players.

You can only wipe the slate clean so many times, even with the team playing better defensively, it just feels like any coaching move is far likelier to take this team backwards rather than forwards. I think Dean has made some good adjustments to his coaching style since he’s been here, a lot of the dinosaurs that could replace him don’t have that same kind of flexibility in their blood.

 

[AKL]

What I found most interesting about the article was Russo reporting that it’s really Leipold that’s giving the directive to make the playoffs every year. I know it’s been talked about before but I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed like this. Really unfortunate if true.

The entire trio is rotten and they can all go. We've kinda had clues for years about it, back when Fenton was hired even, there was talk that Leipold wouldn't hire a GM who wanted to do a full tear down rebuild. That's why Fenton came in and started making moves like Nino for Rask and Coyle for Donato, because he needed to get younger but he didn't have the green light on trading exclusively for futures. Nothings ever gonna change with Leipold making these GM decisions.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

The entire trio is rotten and they can all go. We've kinda had clues for years about it, back when Fenton was hired even, there was talk that Leipold wouldn't hire a GM who wanted to do a full tear down rebuild. That's why Fenton came in and started making moves like Nino for Rask and Coyle for Donato, because he needed to get younger but he didn't have the green light on trading exclusively for futures. Nothings ever gonna change with Leipold making these GM decisions.

We’ve won 5 games out of 20 and the arena is sold out most every night. I don’t understand why he puts so much emphasis on being consistently mediocre. I wonder if it’s one of those things where these older owners don’t have time (literally) to wait around through a rebuild. He might not make it out the other side.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Didn't even have to tear it down. Just re-calibrate Zuccarello's + Foligno's + maybe Hartman's + Fleury's cap into a couple/few new players ($15.6M to work with) + sprinkling in more prospects (Faber + Rossi this year; Wallstedt + a Russian + a defenseman next year; another Russian + another defenseman the year after).

 

[TaLoN]

You can only wipe the slate clean so many times, even with the team playing better defensively, it just feels like any coaching move is far likelier to take this team backwards rather than forwards. I think Dean has made some good adjustments to his coaching style since he’s been here, a lot of the dinosaurs that could replace him don’t have that same kind of flexibility in their blood.

First...a step back from where we currently are? 32nd... one whole spot.

Second... flexibility and adjustments are NOT what Deano is known for. He's the most inflexible unadaptable coach I've seen in this league.

 

[AKL]

We’ve won 5 games out of 20 and the arena is sold out most every night. I don’t understand why he puts so much emphasis on being consistently mediocre. I wonder if it’s one of those things where these older owners don’t have time (literally) to wait around through a rebuild. He might not make it out the other side.

I don't think the sell outs last at this rate. He definitely seems to care more about turning a small profit than actually winning it all though. I'm glad we have the confirmation now though, because throughout the years it's been people speculating on Leipold pulling the strings, and others shooting it down saying he's a great owner who just wants to win and opens the checkbook and stays hands off.

But he's not going to win a Cup like this, he's been here 15 years and his team hasn't been close in any of them. If he thinks 15 more years of the same is the way to go? Well he's made his bed and we all have to lay in it.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

First...a step back from where we currently are? 32nd... one whole spot.

Second... flexibility and adjustments are NOT what Deano is known for. He's the most inflexible unadaptable coach I've seen in this league.

I think that second statement would be a more accurate assessment of you than Dean to be honest, he absolutely has been making adjustments on a shift by shift basis for the past two seasons. You not liking the adjustments is not the same as him not making them.

 

[AKL]

I think that second statement would be a more accurate assessment of you than Dean to be honest, he absolutely has been making adjustments on a shift by shift basis for the past two seasons. You not liking the adjustments is not the same as him not making them.

@TaLoN when did you become a coach in the NHL and why didn't you tell us

 

[TaLoN]

I think that second statement would be a more accurate assessment of you than Dean to be honest, he absolutely has been making adjustments on a shift by shift basis for the past two seasons. You not liking the adjustments is not the same as him not making them.

Adjustments involve more than just a player swap on a line or two. It involves adapting the system to the strengths and weaknesses of players. Putting players in position to succeed.

Dean never changes schemes, his idea of change? Play harder with more grit.

 

[LachWild925]

Mark my words, Dean is gone. Who would be a good replacement?

 

[AKL]

Adjustments involve more than just a player swap on a line or two.

And for the record, most of his player swaps are retreads of old things. Ek back to the third line to try to form another GREEF line, Boldy back with Johansson and Gaudreau who didn't work with him before, giving up on Kaprizov-Rossi-Boldy after 3 games and putting Zuccarello back there.

 

[Arturia Pendragon]

Mark my words, Dean is gone. Who would be a good replacement?

Anyone from this forum

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Adjustments involve more than just a player swap on a line or two. It involves adapting the system to the strengths and weaknesses of players. Putting players in position to succeed.

Dean never changes schemes, his idea of change? Play harder 27th more grit.

He does those things too, you think the Kap line plays the same way as the JEE line? How about the post PK lines where he throws out our alleged best offensive players to play against the opponents depth guys? Is that not a position for Boldy Zucc and Kap to succeed? He lets the top guys play creatively, he only complains about them when it’s extremely egregious, like it has been lately. Kap and Boldy are the only shooting talent and possession talent that we have, with both playing so poorly it’s not possible to form a cohesive system with them in it.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

The gamble with "tanking" is losing money in the short-term so you can ratchet up the prices when you have a fun contending team later on. And, in theory, a tanking roster can be in the $70-$75 million range against the cap, so right there is a $10-$15 million offset to lost gate revenue.

 

[TaLoN]

He does those things too, you think the Kap line plays the same way as the JEE line? How about the post PK lines where he throws out our alleged best offensive players to play against the opponents depth guys? Is that not a position for Boldy Zucc and Kap to succeed? He lets the top guys play creatively, he only complains about them when it’s extremely egregious, like it has been lately. Kap and Boldy are the only shooting talent and possession talent that we have, with both playing so poorly it’s not possible to form a cohesive system with them in it.

These are things he's always done. What adjustments has he made schematic-wise that he does now that he didn't do 3 years ago?

 

[57special]

I really don't think BG wants to have to tell Leipold that he has to pay Dean for 1 2/3 rd of a year for sitting at home. Or, more to the point, have to explain the above when his new coach in comes in and has more or less the same results. Cause that will shine a light even more on the self imposed cap penalties, and his "plan".

 

[AKL]

The gamble with "tanking" is losing money in the short-term so you can ratchet up the prices when you have a fun contending team later on. And, in theory, a tanking roster can be in the $70-$75 million range against the cap, so right there is a $10-$15 million offset to lost gate revenue.

+ more playoff revenue from maybe 8-12 playoff games as opposed to 2-3
+ maybe a Stanley Cup just for fun (if we were gonna pretend it's not all about money)

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

These are things he's always done. What adjustments has he made schematic-wise that he does now that he didn't do 3 years ago?

We play an entirely different forechecking style than when he started, look to the way the team played when we acquired MarJo the second time, our system when he is on the ice looks very different from prior and when the 4th line energy guys are out there, almost like he adapts the playstyle to the individual players strengths and lines they are on…

Hockey is way too fluid of a game to even have a set Xs and Os system. The Jacques Lemaire trap was solved even while we ran into the ground, there isn’t a one set system solution that works for this team as rostered, and that ideology works league wide, the player base is far too diverse in talent and skills to run a fully coherent system successfully.

 

[TaLoN]

We play an entirely different forechecking style than when he started, look to the way the team played when we acquired MarJo the second time, our system when he is on the ice looks very different from prior and when the 4th line energy guys are out there, almost like he adapts the playstyle to the individual players strengths and lines they are on…

Hockey is way too fluid of a game to even have a set Xs and Os system. The Jacques Lemaire trap was solved even while we ran into the ground, there isn’t a one set system solution that works for this team as rostered, and that ideology works league wide, the player base is far too diverse in talent and skills to run a fully coherent system successfully.

The only difference I see is the player's individual style differences. Obviously Hartman plays center differently than Rask, but other than that? He's still encouraging dump and chase. Always has.

The zone exit on the PP is so beyond predictable its crazy. Like clockwork, the player takes the puck up ice, but as he crosses his own blue line, or a few feet further, he drops it back to a trailer who moves up to the red line, then when his path is inevitably blocked, passes it to one of tree wings perched at the blue line stationary, who then chips the puck deep, where they hope to then race to win the puck... usually losing it and having to start all over again.

Everyone in my section at the X now makes a joke out of this constant repeated action.

 

[Digitalbooya]

And for the record, most of his player swaps are retreads of old things. Ek back to the third line to try to form another GREEF line, Boldy back with Johansson and Gaudreau who didn't work with him before, giving up on Kaprizov-Rossi-Boldy after 3 games and putting Zuccarello back there.

Most lines are going to be a retread when most of the roster has been the same for years.

Isn’t this proof though that Dean has made a number of different line combinations this year? The only thing he hasn’t done is put Ek next to Kaprizov. With Rossi playing well, I don’t foresee that change happening anytime soon.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

The only difference I see is the player's individual style differences. Obviously Hartman plays center differently than Rask, but other than that? He's still encouraging dump and chase. Always has.

The zone exit on the PP is so beyond predictable its crazy. Like clockwork, the player takes the puck up ice, but as he crosses his own blue line, or a few feet further, he drops it back to a trailer who moves up to the red line, then when his path is inevitably blocked, passes it to one of tree wings perched at the blue line stationary, who then chips the puck deep, where they hope to then race to win the puck... usually losing it and having to start all over again.

Everyone in my section at the X now makes a joke out of this constant repeated action.

that’s what everyone does nowadays, and that’s also the responsibility of the PP coach so I don’t see how that is some sort of Dean only issue.

 

[TaLoN]

that’s what everyone does nowadays, and that’s also the responsibility of the PP coach so I don’t see how that is some sort of Dean only issue.

This started when Dean was put in charge of the PP before Bruce was fired.
This was when Dean was forced onto Bruce's staff under Fenton. Our PP immediately dropped in effectiveness, and has been suspect his entire time here.

Also, how is a head coach NOT responsible for anything the team does schematically? He's the head coach, right? If he's ignoring what's failing to work, it's up to him to fix it... right?

Oh yeah...Kap and Zucc don't work well together anymore either, yet they're still stapled together. That's on them though, right? They just need to work harder?

 

[mezcal]

Dean is cooked. I believe he has been for awhile, since the last few weeks of last season.

Mind blowing how Guerin gave everybody extensions including the coaching staff like clockwork.

 

[AKL]

I actually think they should fire Dean in the summer, not during the season. Couple concerns regarding a coaching change though:

-If they do fire Evason, and they do turn it around, we lose on a lottery pick AND Guerin/Leipold continue to feel vindicated that the way they're doing things isn't wrong
-If they do fire Evason, I want to make sure we get a coach who's more youth-centric and will give opportunities to guys like Rossi, Yurov, Lambos, etc in the coming years, rather than lean on old dusty vets like Foligno and Zuccarello
-If they don't fire Evason, and the team turns it around (I think they're already going to rebound slightly at some point, just a matter of how much), that may "prove" to them that Evason is still an adequate coach and we still have a viable roster and it was just a long slump, and that's not good either

Most ideal outcome for me is to keep Evason around this season, the team finishes with a top 5 pick, we fire Evason at the end of the year, and we bring in a new coach who understands that the youth is the future here, and the vets Guerin insists on having around are a stopgap, and that new coach has an entire offseason+training camp with all the guys to get acclimated before he starts coaching.

 

[AKL]

Of course if they fire Evason and the team continues to suck to a top 5 pick, and we start to see that it's on Guerin, and his seat starts getting hot, that would be great too. But long term, Leipold would just bring in another GM and handcuff him with the "always gotta be a first round exit team" stuff, so what difference does any of it make.

Then again, maybe Guerin is a 200IQ guy and has been actively trying to tank for the last three years while making it look like he's trying to win, but the team just keeps overachieving so it's not getting those top 5-10 picks he built it to get. Who knows.