When a high paid player on the team is in a terrible slump for whatever reason, it's up to the coach to find a way to get that player on the right track. Clueless Charmin usually blames the players than take the blame himself for the losses. I see nothing that TMac is doing coaching wise to get PLD going. PLD at the same time has a bit of an attitude problem. We know that he's not buying into the coaches system, but frankly neither is a good deal of the rest of the team. Drastic measures need to be maid firing TMac and see if PLD game play changes for the better. Kings could really use a coach that is a players coach and who show passion towards the team.
Then you aren't paying attention.
He started the first block of the season with Fiala and Laferriere/Kaliyev. Fiala was playing well and producing, and he wasn't.
So he was put with two grinders to put in the work he refused to do. People then started saying that he'd do better with better players.
He got the most favorable faceoff deployment, starting in the offensive zone more than any other regular forward. He still drags the line down.
McLellan then put him with Kopitar and Kempe, making Byfield take on his "grinder linemates who don't help." Byfield scores in his first game with them. PLD drags the Kopitar line down to a new low.
The experiment lasted 5 periods. Byfield and PLD switch to start the third. And wouldn't you know it? Byfield scores on his first shift back with Kopitar and Kempe. PLD floats his line to another goal against.
As much as I criticize McLellan, he's done everything he could to make Blake not look like a cuck in the trade. And PLD is playing like a rag they won't even use to clean off Blake's face.
