Also:
- overuse of 11-7 earlier in the year
idk, I was fine with this...I figure the logic was to ease in the new kids on defense rather than throw them to the wolves so to speak playing more minutes every night.
- constantly line juggling not allowing players to develop chemistry
once again, bunch of new faces this year...every coach juggles lines trying to find what works..that takes some games and things have settled in now although all coaches usually continue to make changes based on what they are seeing on the ice...this isn't new.
- benching skilled prospects for large stretches of time such as white and batherson
large stretches of time is an exaggeration...that being said...it's way easier to send a message to a rookie than it is to a more experienced "stuck in their ways" player. And a few points down you complain about Boucher not holding players accountable enough...so which is it?
- keeping two borderline AHL players in the lineup in Pyatt and Pajaarvi and playing them excessive minutes
This is on Dorion....Boucher may have some of a say in what players are on the roster but the buck stops with Dorion...so blame him for this issue. And again with the minutes..if you are personally fine with throwing the kids to the wolves then fair enough...personally I don't think that's a recipe for success or nurturing their confidence.
- favoritism towards plugs (pyatt, paajarvi) just like last year (Dumont, Oduya, Pyatt)
so would you rather we rolled 3 lines?...Pyatt and co get their minutes and while I agree we could have better players in those roles...again...blame Dorion.
- Giving up way too much space in the defensive zone by getting players to collapse
This I agree with and has been my biggest beef with Boucher. I'd much rather see more pressure on trying to retrieve the puck rather than constantly collapsing in front of Anderson.
- overemphasis on stick checking as opposed to checking, defense rarely takes the body to impede zone entry
I don't feel this is that big of a thing. And it's also hard to say if that gripe is on Boucher or the players.
- dumb line combinations such as pyatt on the first line
I really think Boucher did that to send a message, which was start being more defensively responsible or you'll get the plugs on your line screwing up your offensive numbers. You did want more discipline from the coach.
- sitting back on leads and playing passively instead of maintaining offensive pressure
This is so 2 years ago....not even relevant this year.
- not holding players accountable (blames rookies for mistakes and losses but when veterans do the same mistake they don't see limited ice time, are scratched or called out by coaches)
so you'd rather Mike Keenan as coach?...but seriously....I think he is holding players accountable...perhaps just not as strictly as you'd like him to.
- not dressing the best roster he can (paul and Chlapik down in belleville when they should be taking Pyatt ad Paajarvi's spots)
again...Dorion.
- other than that three games there were no trends suggesting improvements in defensive zone coverage or that shot against would decline
Boucher's on record for not concentrating on Defense until just recently...if you want to take issue with that fine...personally I'm fine with that strategy. Our defense was going to be a tire fire starting the year AND moving forward, what with the personnel Boucher was given to work with.
- restricting playing time of key prospects and potentially preventing their ability to grow by doing so
again, I've no issues with easing in the rookies...this isn't a coaching error...you just have a different philosophy.
- passing is still somewhat weak, the team can still struggle at times to put three or more passes together leading to turnovers and lost possession time
this is totally on the players. No coach is teaching them to be poor passers or to create turnovers.
- team can struggle to sustain possession in the offensive zone
Their goal totals so far this year fly in the face of this statement. Their offensive zone play is not only fine, it's the best it's been in years.
- shot attempts are in the bottom ten in the league so offensive success is contingent on unsustainable shooting percentages
time will tell. You may be right but it's too hard to predict. Personally I'd be more interested in the quality scoring chances vs shots taken. Either way there's no reason to be concerned about the teams scoring ability at the moment.
- Poor defensive coverage by defensive players (multiple times where Ceci, Boro, and Harpur make really poor reads of defensive plays and take them selves out of the play. Also poor defensive play by so called defensive forwards such as pyatt and paajarvi leading to bad turnovers in the defensive zone)
once again that's a personnel issue...you really think any other coach is going to come in here and magically turn all the players everyone loves to hate into better players? You and Aaragorn are quick to point out that Boucher should take no credit in the solid play of Stone, Tkchuck, Duch and the other players playing well...then why should be be responsible for these AHL players as you called them, consistently playing poorly?
All in all you made one decent point....not enough to fire the coach.