Fire Hakstol

[Rebels57]

Hak wanted to split up Provy and Ghost because they were bleeding goals the first 4 games. I get that, but he could have found a way to configure the pairings so that Sanheim stayed in.

Provorov - Gudas
Sanheim - MacDonald
Hagg - Ghost

That took me like 30 seconds to think up.

 

[Beef Invictus]

When you're entire defense is soft, except for one guy who is gun shy, hitting, especially in front of the net, does matter.
Provorov is at best slightly below average size, Manning is below average and MacDonald and Ghost couldn't move their sister from in front of the crease.

Ghost's sister is stronger on her skates than most men.

 

[achdumeingute]

It's amazing how many people are dumb enough to overvalue hitting.

Guess they don't know it's 2018 and skill is far more important.

Hitting and physicality are not necessarily the same thing. I'm seeing physicality in every single playoff series.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Who wants to bet, just because, that the Flyers are going to start 2-7-1 with being in the bottom 3 for PK and they will still have their jobs?

 

[Domino666]

Who wants to bet, just because, that the Flyers are going to start 2-7-1 with being in the bottom 3 for PK and they will still have their jobs?

This is all but set in stone, bro Hack got a rebuilding team into the playoffs twice, single handily might I add, using his favorite sons, plus Hexy knows more than all of us dude, so trust the process

 

[Rebels57]

Who wants to bet, just because, that the Flyers are going to start 2-7-1 with being in the bottom 3 for PK and they will still have their jobs?

They are all untouchable until ticket sales plummet.

 

[hatcher]

Hitting and physicality are not necessarily the same thing. I'm seeing physicality in every single playoff series.

Yes these games are killer. Hitting is just crazy in each of the rounds and the physicality is at a high right now.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Yes these games are killer. Hitting is just crazy in each of the rounds and the physicality is at a high right now.

But Hak doesn't coach his teams to play big boy hockey.

 

[hatcher]

But Hak doesn't coach his teams to play big boy hockey.

Lethera, weise, konecny, Simmonds, provy, coots, Laughton and even read all took the body and played the pens even up and created scoring chances. The rest did not show up which is scary to have to build around.

 

[Striiker]

At this point I can’t even tell if this board is getting worse or if I’m just noticing it more.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

In civilized discussion arguments rectify wrong opionions all the time.

 

[deadhead]

Lethera, weise, konecny, Simmonds, provy, coots, Laughton and even read all took the body and played the pens even up and created scoring chances. The rest did not show up which is scary to have to build around.

Well, I don't expect Giroux to take the body on a regular basis, nor Ghost, but they need other people to cover for them, which is why I want Sanheim to hit the weight room. Morin, Myers, Ratcliffe, Vorobyev, NAK, Bunnaman will add size and physicality the next couple years without being slugs. Strome, well, he may be our honorary slug.

You can have a Giroux or Frost, as long as they have two linemates who can do the dirty work.
Lindblom and Patrick should be far more physical next year.
I like Laughton and Simmonds on the 3rd line for that reason.
Raffl, Bardreau and NAK could be a heck of a checking line.

 

[Striiker]

Giroux doesn’t need two linemates to do the dirty work.

 

[deadhead]

Yeah, he does, Giroux is 185 lbs, no matter how big the heart, he's not going to win board battles on a regular basis and you don't want to get him pounded along the boards or in the corners - just don't want my small guys to play like Leier and be totally allergic to contact.

TK is different, he's built like a little tank, should be around 190 in camp and plays like he's 210.

But Frost will probably max out to 180 soaking wet from all reports, so he doesn't need to be wrestling with 210 lb centers, use his speed and anticipation to get their first and use his stick (instead of trailing the play and reaching with the stick and drawing penalties).

To me, smurfs have to be smart, fast and skilled to have value, and you balance them with big guys who go to the net, retrieve pucks along the boards and feed the smurf.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Giroux doesn’t need two linemates to do the dirty work.

Yep, his line is better of playing hockey as seen this year instead of doing the dirty work like they've done with schenn and Simmonds.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Yep, his line is better of playing hockey as seen this year instead of doing the dirty work like they've done with schenn and Simmonds.

You saw what happened when they put Raffl up there and how that f***ing failed until they finally put TK back on there at the last minute. Hak wanted the FIRST LINE to be a GRINDING LINE. That is inexcusable and beyond f***ing stupid.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

You saw what happened when they put Raffl up there and how that ****ing failed until they finally put TK back on there at the last minute. Hak wanted the FIRST LINE to be a GRINDING LINE. That is inexcusable and beyond ****ing stupid.

Putting Raffl on top line and his off wing just to compound the problem is peak Hakstol. Kinda like scratching sanheim for injured hagg. I've never seen a coach who has better feel for his lineup.

 

[Rebels57]

You saw what happened when they put Raffl up there and how that ****ing failed until they finally put TK back on there at the last minute. Hak wanted the FIRST LINE to be a GRINDING LINE. That is inexcusable and beyond ****ing stupid.

Haktard seriously thought because Raffl played well on that line in Game 82 against a checked out Rangers team that it was a good idea to roll with them in the Playoffs, despite the 40+ games of dominant success the line had with Konecny. He is TRULY the worst coach I have witnessed in my life.

 

[Striiker]

Yep, his line is better of playing hockey as seen this year instead of doing the dirty work like they've done with schenn and Simmonds.

That’s why Giroux-Couturier-Konecny was BY FAR better than with Raffl or Simmonds.

Skill > size or strength

 

[deadhead]

Raffl was a desperation move because that line struggled to match up physically with the Crosby line and they had no viable 3rd line.

Coaching is much easier when you're fitting 10 top 9 forwards (Lavi) into the top 3 lines than 7 top 9 forwards (Hakstol).

Which is why a veteran 3C is crucial next year if Frost isn't deemed ready, then Laughton at LW and Simmonds at RW gives you a viable 3rd line, Vorobyev can remain in LHV to start the season, and you put 3 skaters who can hit on the 3rd line, Raffl, Bardreau, NAK, MV (if you want an offensive center), Knight, free agent/trade.

Raffl and Filppula in the top 9, and Weal and Lindblom in the playoffs was too much dead weight.
Hopefully Lindblom will take a step up, Raffl will be on the 4th line and Filppula and Weal will have new addresses.

 

[Rebels57]

Putting Raffl on top line and his off wing just to compound the problem is peak Hakstol. Kinda like scratching sanheim for injured hagg. I've never seen a coach who has better feel for his lineup.

Even worse is that he could have easily gotten Hagg back in for Manning and made the D pairs work.

Provorov - Gudas (has NEVER been tried once despite conventional wisdom suggesting it would make a heck of a shutdown pair)

Sanheim - MacDonald (Actually played well together with Sanheim dragging up MacDonalds metrics)

Ghost - Hagg (not my favorite partner for Ghost because he has tunnel vision and doesn't get Shayne the puck but it's work as a 3rd pair)

Instead we got..

Provorov - MacDonald (Farmer drags Provy down every time)
Manning - Gudas (GOD f***ING AWFUL)
Ghost - Hagg (see above)

He always makes things worse than they need to be. Every single time. What the opposite of the word optimize is should be on Hakstols business card.

 

[deadhead]

That’s why Giroux-Couturier-Konecny was BY FAR better than with Raffl or Simmonds.

Skill > size or strength

Not in the playoffs, as we saw.
Our best line was Laughton - Couts - Simmonds.

 

[Lindberg]

Coaching is much easier when you're not throwing out Filppula and Lehtera in the last few minutes of a game. Hakstol is a moron there isn't much to it.

 

[hatcher]

You saw what happened when they put Raffl up there and how that ****ing failed until they finally put TK back on there at the last minute. Hak wanted the FIRST LINE to be a GRINDING LINE. That is inexcusable and beyond ****ing stupid.

Real is useless. The game right now is all along the boards where this failed so bad.

 

[hatcher]

Not in the playoffs, as we saw.
Our best line was Laughton - Couts - Simmonds.

Easily was and that why the coach made the change.