Poll: Thoughts on Bill Peters

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Setting some of the emotion of the GDT and last couple of games aside, I wanted to get the boards feel on Bill Peters. I was surprised to see that he's the 7th most tenured coach in the NHL right now. The 6 guys ahead of him:

Quenneville: Multiple Stanley Cups to his resume, currently not in a playoff position
Cooper: SCF to his resume, currently the best team in the NHL
Vigneault: 2 SCF's to his resume, been to the playoffs 9 times, currently not in a playoff position
Maurice: 1 SCF, 1 ECF to his resume, currently the 3rd best team in the NHL
Laviolette: 1 Stanley cup, 2 SCF (2 different teams), currently the 5th best team in the NHL.
Trotz: No SCF or CFs to his resume, regular playoff appearances, currently the 3rd best team in the east.

I'll keep the poll choices simple.
1) Keep: He's done a good job getting the most out of a weak line-up.
2) Unsure: He hasn't had great talent, but his system doesn't seem to be working. Maybe give him 1 more year with the new owner.
3) Get Rid Of: He's had enough time to prove he can't get the job done.

Click to read more...

 

[The Faulker 27]

You forgot kill.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

My vote was keep. We said going into this year that just getting League average goaltending would be the difference between being a playoff team and not being a playoff team. We haven't gotten that and that's one part of the issue. Combine that with several forwards dropping off the map in terms of productivity and Faulk cratering on this season and I'm not ready to put the blame at Peter's feet - yet. I'd still like to see Peters's system with League average goaltending and with some of these guys not playing as snakebit as they are. I'm not of the "just one more year or you're through" mindset but I also don't have him on an incredibly long leash beyond that. Part of the length of his leash is predicated on hopefully getting something useful out of Darling next season.

 

[Negan4Coach]

My vote was keep. We said going into this year that just getting League average goaltending would be the difference between being a playoff team and not being a playoff team. We haven't gotten that and that's one part of the issue. Combine that with several forwards dropping off the map in terms of productivity and Faulk cratering on this season and I'm not ready to put the blame at Peter's feet - yet. I'd still like to see Peters's system with League average goaltending and with some of these guys not playing as snakebit as they are. I'm not of the "just one more year or you're through" mindset but I also don't have him on an incredibly long leash beyond that. Part of the length of his leash is predicated on hopefully getting something useful out of Darling next season.

These are really good points, and I agree with them, however- Mike Tyson doesn't

" Everybody has a plan...until they get punched in the mouth."

A good commander is able to improvise when the plan does not survive contact with the enemy. Peter's and RF's plan went off the rails immediately when the season began, and he did nothing except stay the course. That's not good leadership.

I kinda like Peter's system- but it doesn't work with shitty goaltending and fragile forwards who get pushed effortlessly to the ice. I voted no, because other coaches in the league manage to do more with less. I mean look what even Paul Maurice is able to do, not to mention Vegas. That being said, I won't be mad if they give him another year and see if they use brute force to bend reality "plan"

 

[Breakdowns]

I choose unsure option. It's been a pretty long time with him, many players have came and gone, so far no playoffs appearance no matter what we tried. I don't like some of his stubborn decisions regarding our lineup and call ups. IMO his system is good enough to make playoffs, but his man management is not always good enough. I would give him another year to see if GMRF and Peters can fix our situation with better talent, when we have an owner who is willing to pay. If it's same old, same old after next season, get rid of him, and bring in new face.

I kinda like Peter's system- but it doesn't work with ****ty goaltending and fragile forwards who get pushed effortlessly to the ice. I voted no, because other coaches in the league manage to do more with less. I mean look what even Paul Maurice is able to do, not to mention Vegas. That being said, I won't be mad if they give him another year and see if they use brute force to bend reality "plan"

What the f*** are you talking about? Jets has one of the best young teams in the league.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

We talk about his system, can someone explain Peter's system to me?

Defensively, I see what they do. The keep tight gaps, they pinch aggressively, and they try to disrupt the flow in the neutral zone with those tight gaps, but this sometimes exposes there defense and goalies. The pinching and tight gaps are an attempt to keep the opposing team's chances down and maintaining possession.

When they are in the offensive zone, it seems to be grind the cycle and try to get it back to the point for a shot with traffic, yet we don't have very good shooters from the point or guys that get traffic.

What is his "system" on breakouts and on entering into the zone? It seem like a lot of dump and chase, but maybe that's the result, not the intent, but I'm struggling these last few games to understand what he is even trying to do.

 

[Canes]

Unsure leaning towards get rid of for me.

It's true he has to make chicken salad out of chicken shit to an extent but his system seems to be too rigid and unable to make adjustments on the fly, and he tries the same few fixes over and over again (same centers always play center, just shuffles the wingers and D combos before quickly changing them back, repeat ad nauseum) and seems to be mostly talk when it comes to holding players accountable for their play.

We talk about his system, can someone explain Peter's system to me?

Defensively, I see what they do. The keep tight gaps, they pinch aggressively, and they try to disrupt the flow in the neutral zone with those tight gaps, but this sometimes exposes there defense and goalies. The pinching and tight gaps are an attempt to keep the opposing team's chances down and maintaining possession.

When they are in the offensive zone, it seems to be grind the cycle and try to get it back to the point for a shot with traffic, yet we don't have very good shooters from the point or guys that get traffic.

What is his "system" on breakouts and on entering into the zone? It seem like a lot of dump and chase, but maybe that's the result, not the intent, but I'm struggling these last few games to understand what he is even trying to do.

I mean you pretty much nailed it, at least from watching the games. Peters might say or think his system is different than what you've just described, but I don't think there's much anyone here is going to disagree with you about. The fact that we've seemingly had these same strategies with him for years now and we've seen little sustained success with them, you would wonder why he wouldn't maybe change things up. The easy answer (maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong) is that this system is the most optimal one since it's all our players are capable of, but I guess we won't have a definitive answer to this until we cycle through another head coach.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I kinda like Peter's system- but it doesn't work with ****ty goaltending and fragile forwards who get pushed effortlessly to the ice. I voted no, because other coaches in the league manage to do more with less. I mean look what even Paul Maurice is able to do, not to mention Vegas. That being said, I won't be mad if they give him another year and see if they use brute force to bend reality "plan"

That's not really a good example. Maurice has some elite offensive talent on his team with Ehlers, Wheeler, Laine, and Scheifele, not to mention good depth with Conner, Perreault, Little, and Armia. Their defensemen are every bit as good as, if not better than, the Canes with Buff, Trouba, Morrissey, Myers, and Enstrom and a goaltender with a .925 sv% They are a substantially more talented team than the Canes.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Unsure leaning towards get rid of for me.

It's true he has to make chicken salad out of chicken **** to an extent but his system seems to be too rigid and unable to make adjustments on the fly, and he tries the same few fixes over and over again (same centers always play center, just shuffles the wingers and D combos before quickly changing them back, repeat ad nauseum) and seems to be mostly talk when it comes to holding players accountable for their play.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here, on purpose to create discussion, but what if he's the one spoiling the chicken? Is it coincidence that so many guys (Skinner, Faulk, Rask, Lindholm, Slavin, Pesce) that were counted on for big years are laying an egg or at least not meeting expectations? Even Williams, who is fine "point wise" has made way too many crappy plays and isn't scoring goals at the rate we signed him for.

 

[Oogie Boogie]

He will have 1 more year in my books and if it's the same shit then go away

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

If the Canes don't make the playoffs, how many NHL coaches, in recent history, weren't fired after 4 seasons of no playoffs? Tippett in PHX is about the only one I recall, but he had a history of making the playoffs in Dallas and AZ before that. Have there been others?

 

[Unsustainable]

I’m thinking 1 more season for Peters and Francis.

No playoffs this season or next, both walk out the door.

 

[Bub]

If the Canes don't make the playoffs, how many NHL coaches, in recent history, weren't fired after 4 seasons of no playoffs? Tippett in PHX is about the only one I recall, but he had a history of making the playoffs in Dallas and AZ before that. Have there been others?

DA'ing right back at you: how much more leash to you give Peters and Francis to see what they can do with a new owner and a (presumably) larger player budget?

Also, regarding who's spoiling what part of all these chickens, at what point do you watch tentative, lazy play, and think "are these guys bad or just so puzzled and up their own *sses that they can't think straight?" Or thinking too much....Too many metaphors going on around here.

 

[Ole Gil]

Does anyone believe this is the best play you can get out of Slavin/Pesce/Faulk/Hanifin? Or lindholm/Rask/Skinner?

I don't trust that Peters is getting all there is to get out of the talent.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

These are really good points, and I agree with them, however- Mike Tyson doesn't

" Everybody has a plan...until they get punched in the mouth."

A good commander is able to improvise when the plan does not survive contact with the enemy. Peter's and RF's plan went off the rails immediately when the season began, and he did nothing except stay the course. That's not good leadership.

I kinda like Peter's system- but it doesn't work with ****ty goaltending and fragile forwards who get pushed effortlessly to the ice. I voted no, because other coaches in the league manage to do more with less. I mean look what even Paul Maurice is able to do, not to mention Vegas. That being said, I won't be mad if they give him another year and see if they use brute force to bend reality "plan"

My former Army infantry turned Air Force NCO father had a similar saying - that a plan only lasted the first 5 seconds of battle. It's generally a good saying and one I try to plan around - that said, I don't think it's quite applicable here in that the pieces aren't quite as readily interchangeable. Instead it's a cross between the Rumsfeldian "You fight with the army we have" and "...what I do have are a very particular set of skills." Some things a coach can't reasonably plan around - for instance Scott Darling turning into a pumpkin. Sure there's the hope that you have another goalie waiting in the minors that could step in if necessary, but we don't have that and there's really not much ability to move him at this point.

 

[vorbis]

I think I ultimately fall in "get rid of" camp due to lack of progress (i.e. consistency) in several young players with the tools to succeed. for the sake of the roster as it is, I think it's worth giving the young players a new voice.

 

[Novacane]

Give him this season plus the start of next. If they crap the bed again with a .500 October or worse, he’s gone. Can’t go down the “playing behind from game 1” path again

I realize this season was a bit better than the utterly craptastic starts they’ve had but they still didn’t set the world on fire.

 

[WhiteTrashAmerican]

It doesn't matter what coach we have, until this team gets talent at key positions(C/Goalie) we will forever be mediocre. Either tank or go all in, this riding the fence shit is going to kill the franchise

I'm interested in what the "more with less crowd" crowd has to say. I've seen WPG pop up as an example and I'm confused. Their forward line up is probably one of the most talented in the NHL. They also have a young goalie that puts ours to shame.

Vegas? One of the best goalies in the league, and then like 2 more that are probably better than ours or close. They have seemingly gelled very well and came out of nowhere but they are loaded with NHL quality players and they struck gold on a couple of other teams tweeners looking for a shot. They are also playing with a chip on their shoulder and I bet they drop off next year.

We have some great depth pieces and a good young defense but without either better goaltending or a game breaking forward we will just keep playing .500 hockey forever

 

[MinJaBen]

I'm in the it's time for a change camp. I don't hate Peters as a coach, but I also don't see enough justification to keep him when the team is clearly not a playoff team. If he gets us in the playoffs this year, I'm willing to change my opinion. But as of now, it will be time for a change after this year. If not sooner.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I fall in the "all these motherf***ers make me like sports less" camp.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I just have a feeling we're going to end up firing Peters, cycling through 2 more coaches while we wait to put together a decent collection of talent, and then finally draft top-3 a couple of times in a row and miraculously find a great coach right after that. And meanwhile Bill Peters will be sitting there with 3 rings in a big market coaching superstars.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

I think Peters is a good coach but his time in Carolina is over. That's just how it goes with coaches.

 

[AD Skinner]

I have had some reservations about some of his specific decisions but I think peters is a fine coach for the most part. I have no doubt that if he's fired by the canes, another NHL team will come calling and he will be successful with them. That doesn't make it the wrong move to move on from him if he's not getting it done here though. Just having a different voice could be all some of our stragglers need to step up. Whether it's peters or darlings sister or who knows what there is pretty obviously something rotten in Denmark / the locker room.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

I wanna see someone like Sutter come to Carolina and kick this teams ass

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Give him this season plus the start of next. If they crap the bed again with a .500 October or worse, he’s gone. Can’t go down the “playing behind from game 1” path again

I realize this season was a bit better than the utterly craptastic starts they’ve had but they still didn’t set the world on fire.

That's kind of where I'm at. I'm a bit torn, as I agree with Wally that I don't think it's coincidence that so many players aren't performing to their capability and I have to question how much of that is on the coach. And while I acknowledge that we have a lack of talent on offense, I don't think he has a system that is conducive to creating offense either, and in today's NHL, that's the name of the game. The saying "defense wins championships" really hasn't been the case in the NHL in recent years and I'm not convinced Peter's can create offense unless he has really elite talent.

If it looks like he lost the team the rest of this year though, I'd get rid of him. I also wouldn't wait long next year if they are struggling out of the gate to get rid of him either.