Confirmed with Link: Boudreau fired; Evason interim head coach

[TaLoN]

Careful...what if he has another great game tonight you'd make Goofy look like a winner.

Another? I don't think I've seen one of those from Zucc yet here...

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Lol Russo bashes Zuccarello in KFAN. Said he played awful last the other night even though he got 2 assists

 

[MuckOG]

Lol Russo bashes Zuccarello in KFAN. Said he played awful last the other night even though he got 2 assists

He basically said that those assists should be ashamed to call themselves assists.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

He basically said that those assists should be ashamed to call themselves assists.

The 2nd secondary was as legit as secondaries usually go.

 

[fentonsbrainchild]

The 2nd secondary was as legit as secondaries usually go.

He had a good zone entry and great shootout goal. A whole lot of nothing a part from that

 

[Ban Hammered]

Careful...what if he has another great game tonight you'd make Goofy look like a winner.

He has to have a great game first to have another one.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

He has to have a great game first to have another one.

I think he’s been good today. He’s still got a lot of work to do to be worth that contract, though.

 

[fredrikstad]

Oh that fredrikstad guy is still on my back, he only posts here if he got something to tell me.

But of course, you are my boy, and I worship you!

 

[fredrikstad]

I think he’s been good today. He’s still got a lot of work to do to be worth that contract, though.

That's good to hear. Let's hope he can build on that. Gain som confidence back, and find his A game again. I know he can be a really good player.

 

[AJ Thelen]

@Webster : I had high hopes when the only regular NHL-player in Norway signed with my favorite NHL-team, but let's be honest here, his game is way off what we were expecting. On a positive note i don't think the Zuccarello we're seeing now is the Zuccarello we are seeing next year. I really believe that he can turn it around and bounce back next year with a proper build up to the season when everything is back to normal and he is not joining a new team with unfamiliar faces. I also think the fact that Boudreau got fired benefits him going forward.

But for your sake i think the discussion about Zuccarello's play would be less hostile if you toned down the talk about his poor play being everyone else's fault. The fact is, even though he scores his occasional goal or get's an assist nobody can argue about the fact that his play has not been anywhere close to how it should have been based on the fact that he is the 3rd best paid player on the team. (Tied with Dumba)

 

[Bazeek]

It hasn't even been 10 games yet so it feels premature to say much about the guy, but any thoughts on Evason so far?

I admit that I'm guilty of somehow disliking the guy up until two weeks ago, mostly for reasons that had nothing to do with him, but after seeing him with the reins for a few games he's kind of growing on me. Not "extend him now" growing on me, but if the team makes the playoffs I think he should get serious consideration.

I'm not sure how much we can even say about his coaching at this point, but I've liked the following:

- While I can't offer any real analysis of his line choices, they've felt more plastic since he's taken over and I think it's helped. I don't know if it's real or perceived, but there seems to be less of a tendency to lean on specific lines/forwards and it's benefited everyone.

- Similarly, he seems more willing to just give Stalock the net while he's the hot hand. The steady goaltending has been as central to the team's recent success as Fiala going off has.

- While I don't think there's been a huge boost from what we saw under Boudreau, the team does seem to play hard for him. If there's been an extra step gained I'd probably chalk it up more to the overall shake-up than him specifically, but it's still to his credit that he's got them clicking at a crucial time.

- He usually looks like a nervous retired cop that's stuck in a waking nightmare where he's coaching a goddamn hockey team for some reason. Not sure why I find this endearing, but I do.

All that said, I think he's (sensibly) kept Boudreau's systems and structure in place so we probably haven't seen what an "Evason coached" team really looks like. Still, I'm kind of pulling for him to take the opportunity and run with it.

 

[Engebretson]

I still think Evason's a sleeper agent for Fenton and that one day Evason is going to pick up the phone, hear an eerily familiar voice whisper "Computer Blue" causing Evason to run down the entire team (and Russo) with a zamboni at practice.

 

[Uberdachen]

 

[Engebretson]

Holy crap... Dean Evason is Creed Bratton and now I will never not see it.

 

[TaLoN]

I still think Evason's a sleeper agent for Fenton and that one day Evason is going to pick up the phone, hear an eerily familiar voice whisper "Computer Blue" causing Evason to run down the entire team (and Russo) with a zamboni at practice.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

It hasn't even been 10 games yet so it feels premature to say much about the guy, but any thoughts on Evason so far?

I admit that I'm guilty of somehow disliking the guy up until two weeks ago, mostly for reasons that had nothing to do with him, but after seeing him with the reins for a few games he's kind of growing on me. Not "extend him now" growing on me, but if the team makes the playoffs I think he should get serious consideration.

I'm not sure how much we can even say about his coaching at this point, but I've liked the following:

- While I can't offer any real analysis of his line choices, they've felt more plastic since he's taken over and I think it's helped. I don't know if it's real or perceived, but there seems to be less of a tendency to lean on specific lines/forwards and it's benefited everyone.

- Similarly, he seems more willing to just give Stalock the net while he's the hot hand. The steady goaltending has been as central to the team's recent success as Fiala going off has.

- While I don't think there's been a huge boost from what we saw under Boudreau, the team does seem to play hard for him. If there's been an extra step gained I'd probably chalk it up more to the overall shake-up than him specifically, but it's still to his credit that he's got them clicking at a crucial time.

- He usually looks like a nervous retired cop that's stuck in a waking nightmare where he's coaching a goddamn hockey team for some reason. Not sure why I find this endearing, but I do.

All that said, I think he's (sensibly) kept Boudreau's systems and structure in place so we probably haven't seen what an "Evason coached" team really looks like. Still, I'm kind of pulling for him to take the opportunity and run with it.

I like his systematic tweaks and his deployment has been fine. The biggest thing for me has been that we’re not playing not to lose. I don’t know how much of the teams play is due to Evason, and there hasn’t been much coverage on him, so it’s really not clear if he’s a good solution long-term. I will say though, he’s on a short-list of coaches for me.

 

[a79krgm]

Evason is a genius. He's starting Stalock instead of Dubnyk. The Wild are winning. Did I mention that Evason is a freakin genius?

 

[123TripleDoge]

I mean, if Fenton can ID talent like Fiala, and he basically wanted bruce gone for this guy... At first i didn't really care for him because he's not bruce, he seems to get it. If not here, I hope somewhere. With big names on the block this offseason, i'm glad he'll get legit consideration, kinda like a Yeo 2.0 style guy. His history with Fiala is kinda neat and special too, if you have a coach who helped mold a player like him in the past, it can give some confidence that he knows how to motivate and help the prospects.

Essentially tho, it all depends how the rest of the season goes and how we play in the potential playoffs

 

[BagHead]

- He usually looks like a nervous retired cop that's stuck in a waking nightmare where he's coaching a goddamn hockey team for some reason. Not sure why I find this endearing, but I do.

I've been trying to figure it out, and you just summed it up perfectly. Thank you!

 

[57special]

It's all fun and games till he draws his gun, lets his badly trained Rautweiler loose on you, and screams, "Assume the position, you Lizard! I thought you were a first line player!"




Not that I have a neighbor like that, or anything.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Zuccarello is obviously reacting well the the BB firing

 

[Webster]

Looks like it, corsi says Mats played very well against the Preds. You can actually do that without scoring...

 

[fentonsbrainchild]

Looks like it, corsi says Mats played very well against the Preds. You can actually do that without scoring...

On pace for 36 points over the stretch BB has been gone, but you’ve been right all along; the problems in place will be fixed. It just happens increasing Zucc’s role hasn’t been important, thus we are back in the playoff hunt.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

Whatever Guerin was seeing behind the scenes looks accurate so far. BB had run his course here.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

If it takes corsi to point out that a guy had an isolated and rather invisible “good” game then it might not be the best use of advanced stats. Lets see him have an ol’ fashioned good game before propping him up by way of corsi.