2020 Off Season Discussion Part V

[rt]

The latest Tocchet interview with Morgan was depressing. He’s really proud of how much the team has improved. Just stay the course. Things are great.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

The latest Tocchet interview with Morgan was depressing. He’s really proud of how much the team has improved. Just stay the course. Things are great.

I expect nothing and he still finds a way to disappoint. (Haven't seen it but I trust your word on it)

Only "good" thing I can take from that is this: If he doesn't think he needs to improve, the team will continue to struggle and there HAS to be a point he gets fired sooner rather than later. That seems logical... but it's the Yotes we are talking about so all bets are off.

Worst case scenario for me is that he improves just enough to get an extension, or somehow gets yet another excuse to bail him out.

 

[KG]

I hope Bill fires his ass. Nothing in that interview inspires any confidence

 

[rt]

I expect nothing and he still finds a way to disappoint.

Only "good" thing I can take from that is this: If he doesn't think he needs to improve, the team will continue to struggle and there HAS to be a point he gets fired sooner rather than later. That seems logical... but it's the Yotes we are talking about so all bets are off.

Worst case scenario for me is that he improves just enough to get an extension, or somehow gets yet another excuse to bail him out.

It will be this one. We'll get boned by the COVID schedule and be clearly the team who has it hardest. And then a key player will be injured for the entire season. And maybe they'll finish with a 2pt pace higher than last season anyway, and it will be "improvement" despite some tough circumstances.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

Tocchet has a marketing plan plain and simple. The only thing he can hang his hat on is the fact the team improved slightly. He can't point to individual success, he can't point to special teams success, he literally has a single bullet in his marketing gun, so he has to play it over and over again, hoping people have tunnel vision and can't see all the ways the team is crap with him as coach.

 

[SpaceCoyote]

Hopefully we are just wading into the season for the right replacement to be fired.

 

[Name Nameless]

Tocchet has a marketing plan plain and simple. The only thing he can hang his hat on is the fact the team improved slightly. He can't point to individual success, he can't point to special teams success, he literally has a single bullet in his marketing gun, so he has to play it over and over again, hoping people have tunnel vision and can't see all the ways the team is crap with him as coach.

This after the team became a cap-team, with players not being traded for because they were cheap, but because he (and, of course the GM) liked them.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

This after the team became a cap-team, with players not being traded for because they were cheap, but because he (and, of course the GM) liked them.

Exactly...but all he can say is that the team improved slightly. If we took the improvement into context that we spent to the cap and traded for Hall, people would undoubtedly expect a larger improvement, but since that didn't happen...Tocchet's only talking point is the incremental improvement.

With that said, I like that we have an owner who wants to spend money and be a winner...we've never had that. We just need to get some people in place who are aware of the following things:
1 - Proper Evaluation of Talent
2 - Proper Player Development
3 - Proper Evaluation of Player Contracts
4 - Proper Evaluation of Trade Assets
5 - Proper alignment to rules & regulations

Wendy's boy failed on 4 of those five aspects. I think he had a good eye for spotting talent (Garland *his pick, Maccelli, Jenik, Prosvetov, etc...), but he was lousy with player development. Lousy with understanding player contracts (all 3 of Dvorak, Schmaltz & Keller) are all overpaid relative to their age and productivity...and he traded valuable pieces of the organization's future away when the team wasn't ready nor in the position to make a run for the cup. Just dumb!

What we need is a top-20 player in the league, preferably a top-10 player
What we need is a group of top 3 centers when compared against other clubs would be considered top 10

We're making up for it right now because we have a top 3 goalie in the league, and you could make an argument that he is #1

 

[Sinurgy]

Given the wonkiness of the world right now I wouldn't be surprised if they see this upcoming season (assuming it happens) as a throwaway season so why eat the cash from firing Tocchet.

 

[lanky]

He won't get a new head coach contract from Bill or any other team.

 

[rt]

He won't get a new head coach contract from Bill or any other team.

I sure hope you’re right. So far BA strikes me as a perfect mark for Tocchet.

 

[Jakey53]

The latest Tocchet interview with Morgan was depressing. He’s really proud of how much the team has improved. Just stay the course. Things are great.

That's great news. If they stay the course RT will be fired.

 

[Schemp]

Given the wonkiness of the world right now I wouldn't be surprised if they see this upcoming season (assuming it happens) as a throwaway season so why eat the cash from firing Tocchet.

I would say the sooner the better, but you are right about the situation. No need to do it just yet, especially when you still haven't got the team you want.

 

[rt]

It’s true. This feels like such a lame duck year. Like BA would have traded half the vets anyway if there was a market. So it’s really just go through the motions until around TDL time and try to offload as many as possible. Same for the coaches probably.

 

[Schemp]

It’s true. This feels like such a lame duck year. Like BA would have traded half the vets anyway if there was a market. So it’s really just go through the motions until around TDL time and try to offload as many as possible. Same for the coaches probably.

I wouldn't wait for the deadline, let it be known your open for business now. Black Friday special, get 2 for the price of 1...

 

[rt]

I wouldn't wait for the deadline, let it be known your open for business now. Black Friday special, get 2 for the price of 1...

The death rattle of the corpse of Chayka’s plan.

 

[WrinkledPossum]

If we can get 1sts before the deadline for 2 do it. If not holdout until then when the cap hits are easier to take.

As a fan who especially wants to watch games this year with COVID going on, I want a competive team for most of the season.

 

[RemoAZ]

If we can get 1sts before the deadline for 2 do it. If not holdout until then when the cap hits are easier to take.

As a fan who especially wants to watch games this year with COVID going on, I want a competive team for most of the season.

They might as well try to win a few for the fans. No 1st round pick makes losing that much harder to take. Definitely should give the younger players minutes to develop though.

 

[RemoAZ]

This was a few days ago but I just saw it.
Is The Door Fully Shut On Ekman-Larsson Trade For Boston Bruins? (bostonhockeynow.com)

 

[BUX7PHX]

The latest Tocchet interview with Morgan was depressing. He’s really proud of how much the team has improved. Just stay the course. Things are great.

Damn. I mean, yes there are some younger players that are still learning the nuances of the game, but good coaching and strategy is what helps level the playing field some.

I feel like Tocchet is the type that goes into the GM's office, and says that if he only had player X, they would be that much better.

Enter Hall (or whomever could fit that description), but turns out it's not just the players. It's the system and how you play hockey chess in terms of matchups, but that is not what Tocchet is good with.

 

[Mosby]

Cory Stillman and Mike Peca being discussed as candidates to replace McLean.

 

[Heldig]

Cory Stillman and Mike Peca being discussed as candidates to replace McLean.

Peca? He has not coached in over 6 seasons. And even then it was only Ontario Junior Hockey.

 

[WrinkledPossum]

It's amazing how Tocchet was an offensive player but can't coach offense at all. We don't have elite talent but we have enough mid-high end offensive players that we should be at least average in scoring.

Keller, Kessel, Schmaltz, Garland, Dvorak are all very skilled forwards. Most are one dimensional but we should be able to score.

But yet our defense is very good. I saw a couple days ago Darren Pang was raving about Tocchets defensive system which helped Kuemper achieve great numbers.

 

[rt]

Cory Stillman and Mike Peca being discussed as candidates to replace McLean.

Stillman would be a good hire. Peca would be an absolute joke. Complete sham.

 

[rt]

Mike Peca has never coached kids older than 16. This is going from American AAA hockey, directly to the NHL. This is appalling that he’s even being considered. I thought we were going to see merit-based decision making under the new regime. This stinks to high hell of the same old cronyism that has seemingly always plagued this franchise. Armstrong talked so much about killing the country club culture. This feels like more of the same nonsense that has been as toxic to this teams chances of success as their dismal drafting has.

Maybe BA thinks he can be a Steve Ott? Just a former player with absolutely zero meaningful experience who can just waltz into the NHL as a coach and be successful? Seems like winning the lottery (Ottery?) twice. I’m extremely skeptical.