I think it's hysterical that people are planting all the Bears troubles on Haviland. He made some decisions I wondered about, but he was being force-fed a system he didn't believe in (and, judging by the results up top, didn't work on either level), and he was working with circumstances that would've challenged anyone.
Dane Byers talked about the situation at season's start, when people had trouble running their roles. Fact was, the Bears had 30 players on the roster at the start of the season - that's an insane total, and that falls on Yingst and the Caps.
Also remember, the Bears lost Garrett Mitchell and Kundratek to injuries early on, and that hurt their chances as well. I don't count losing Orlov to Washington; callus are part of the deal in the AHL. We likely would've had Mitch & Kundo more or less all season, and that would have to have made a difference.
Major point - the players simply didn't get it done. Look at the Bears roster, and you see a team that should've been battling for home ice in Round 1, not begging for 8th place. This team underachieved, and as much as Haviland has to look in the mirror for what happened, the players and upper management are at least, if not more accountable.
Don't look for a new Bears coach until everyone's in place in DC. They'll likely want to hire someone who fits their philosophy (and that in itself will be an interesting discussion between the Caps & Bears management).
