Confirmed with Link: Brad Larsen Named Head Coach (Pascal Vincent, Steve McCarthy Hired as Assistants)

[NotWendell]

I will say this again.

I made an observation. I'm not the one who brought the pitchforks the discussion. I find it interesting that there were comments on one side and not the other.

How come there are pitchforks without torches?!? Can't this organization get anything right?!? LOL

 

[NotWendell]

Can we move on to talking about Brad Larsen again? Or perhaps his assistants?

Brad who?

 

[CBJx614]

Can we move on to talking about Brad Larsen again? Or perhaps his assistants?

They've made a list...and they're checking it twice...

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I wonder if this is Letestu's oppurtunity to get back into the game in some capacity. Not sure what direction Larsen wants to go in terms of his staff but Letestu maybe in some lesser role has been a thought for me

I’d say hed be good in a player development role, something like that, but that’s where Jared Boll is. So idk if there’s room. And I don’t really want to trust a first time coach to run our PP and our bench.

Maybe Cleveland?

 

[NotWendell]

I’d say hed be good in a player development role, something like that, but that’s where Jared Boll is. So idk if there’s room. And I don’t really want to trust a first time coach to run our PP and our bench.

Maybe Cleveland?

Coaching Cleveland is the perfect place for him. And I don't know why everyone rags on Boll. He busted his ass to turn a modicum of talent into several paydays in the NHL.

 

[stevo61]

I’d say hed be good in a player development role, something like that, but that’s where Jared Boll is. So idk if there’s room. And I don’t really want to trust a first time coach to run our PP and our bench.

Maybe Cleveland?

That was my thought too (player development) but I wonder if Larsen will look to take a more vet assistant and then a more green guy. Im not sure if he'll be the type to want to surround himself with vets or newer guys where he knows hes in charge and they grow as an entire staff

 

[CBJWerenski8]

That was my thought too (player development) but I wonder if Larsen will look to take a more vet assistant and then a more green guy. Im not sure if he'll be the type to want to surround himself with vets or newer guys where he knows hes in charge and they grow as an entire staff

Yeah, Typically a green new coach will have at least one veteran assistant/former HC to help out. Richards was hired for Arniel at least. Maybe McCudden or Legace fill that role for him, and maybe it’s not necessary since he already knows the guys and they know the standard and everything, but I would suspect at least one veteran assistant.

As for Letestu, I think he’d be a valuable piece to the organization somewhere.

 

[majormajor]

And I don't know why everyone rags on Boll. He busted his ass to turn a modicum of talent into several paydays in the NHL.

I believe he had a modicum of talent with his fists. The rest of him I don't think ever improved.

 

[stevo61]

I believe he had a modicum of talent with his fists. The rest of him I don't think ever improved.

I think he had a bit more skill than his NHL stats suggests but played in a time where he knew his role as an enforcer and played it well

 

[majormajor]

I think he had a bit more skill than his NHL stats suggests but played in a time where he knew his role as an enforcer and played it well

I don't know - I feel like they kept trying to give Boll more ice time to get him to breakout. He had good top speed but could never put it together. Wasn't even a good forechecker to be honest - he hit the boards more than the other team.

 

[Forepar]

-- The "smartest man in the room" move is hiring the tenured assistant coach? I would have guessed it would be going with Jalonen, or maybe a recent high profile failure, like when Torts was hired. This is a vanilla move.

-- Torts Jr? Really man? Maybe you should have let this settle in a little longer. Like a few days. You think there is some kind of contamination that spreads from Torts to anyone he works with? And that we somehow already know that Lars is going to be driving talent away?

-- Throughout you're just assuming that he's not going to be a good coach that we can win with, even in some distant world where we end up with talent. Is this based on any actual information? Should I even ask? You obviously don't have the info to back this up.

Your 2nd paragraph insinuates thats Torts drove talent away. Any facts to back that up?

 

[majormajor]

Your 2nd paragraph insinuates thats Torts drove talent away. Any facts to back that up?

No, no facts behind that. I didn't mean to suggest that.

 

[Forepar]

As long as the vision is sold by Jd, and hes front right and center, yes.. I think the fans will stick with them. Also, I expect them for the first time in a long time, to play actual NHL hockey in the year 2021. No more dump and chase, trap hockey. Bring in highly skilled elite prospects/ draft picks, let them play/ grow and showcase their skills. Make no mistake, this is how you rebuild correctly, which will be uncomfortable for some of our fan base.

I've been watching playoff hockey for weeks now. Dump & chase has been 80% of the play.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I've been watching playoff hockey for weeks now. Dump & chase has been 80% of the play.

Gonna add to this, despite it taking the thread off-topic, and suggest that dump and chase is effective with speed and tenacity on the forecheck. Schemes/styles can all be effective, if executed.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I've been watching playoff hockey for weeks now. Dump & chase has been 80% of the play.

All 4 teams are big bruising teams. Tampa is probably the lightest forward wise, but they make up for it with massive defensemen. The league is trending away from the small energy guys and back to the bruisers, but you have to be able to skate.

Unfortunately for us we got rid of our best bruiser with wheels.

 

[LetsGOJackets!!]

I've been watching playoff hockey for weeks now. Dump & chase has been 80% of the play.

Gonna add to this, despite it taking the thread off-topic, and suggest that dump and chase is effective with speed and tenacity on the forecheck. Schemes/styles can all be effective, if executed.

I don't see that at all. Colorado & GK's were skating their butts off, but generally had the puck or were being led by an outlet pass. Possession hockey is where it is at.. they aren't playing 50/50 % with the puck whatsoever. does anyone have stats on this?

 

[Forepar]

I don't see that at all. Colorado & GK's were skating their butts off, but generally had the puck or were being led by an outlet pass. Possession hockey is where it is at.. they aren't playing 50/50 % with the puck whatsoever. does anyone have stats on this?

Yes, VGK skated like hell, got the outlet pass, but more often than not the puck gets dumped in at the blue line and they skate like hell again to get it back, in that zone.
VGK's CF% for the season was between 53 and 54 percent. In the top 10, but not miles ahead of other teams.

TBL is another example. They don't play particularly fancy 5x5, they are fast and positionally sound, drawing penalties at a high clip. And then they go on the PP and make hay - during the playoffs, they are scoring on 41.7 percent of their man advantages, almost double their regular-season rate. Their CF% was in the 52 range. Not much different in the Carolina series.

NYI CF% was in the 53-54 range for the season. They kept Boston out of their zone, only allowed wing outside shots and pressed up after dumping the puck in.

I left MTL out of the equation because I don't know what they are...they don't either. But they were able to physically manhandle TOR (which tries to play the possession game but does not have the talent at D to succeed at that style in the playoffs). Let's just say MTL escaped the Northern division.

Colorado was the exception. But they are out. During the regular season, Colorado was head and shoulders above the rest of the league in corsi (57.83), shot share (+23 per 60 minutes, which was more than double the next best figure), and in high danger chances. They are a possession team. Good at it, but Vegas beat them to the puck after games 1 and 2. Vegas plays almost exactly the way Torts, Larson or any other "dump and chase" coach would have them play - get it deep and then forecheck with your hair on fire. Many good teams still do that - it isn't dinosaur hockey, it's just the pendulum going back and forth, and teams emphasizing their strengths and personnel. CBJ shifted to quickly to speed, and paid for it. And didn't have enough speed, talent or experience to make it work during the regular season, certainly not with a coach who is dump and chase oriented. And CBJ is not built for a playoff run even if they somehow got there....too light on their skates. No matter who the coach is.

Playoff hockey, while faster and more intense than regular season, is mostly a dump and chase game. Keep the puck out of your own net, keep it out of your own zone and hem in the other team with pressure to create high-quality chances. And stay out of the box. Style points don't matter, wins do. I agree with CBJWerenski - you can't just be big...a team needs speed and size and skill. Style points matter when you are talking about regular season attendance or highlight reel goals. Vegas simply hemmed in Colorado the last 4 games - bigger, more physical. And they draw because they win and because the intensity of the pressure is intoxicating. In comparison to CBJ, Vegas plays the same style. They just play it WAY FASTER. Vegas has that much more size and speed and more developed (read experienced but still young) skill to make it work. CBJ has acquired some of the speed, but has lost the size and does not yet have the developed skill to get it done. CBJ traded away much of their size that also had grit/talent.

You certainly can prefer Colorado's style of play. It works during the regular season, it is fun to watch. It can work during the playoffs, but doesn't usually work, especially in later rounds. It worked for COL the first 2 games of the series against VGK, albeit one game in which VGK rested Fleury. But generally in the playoffs, good goaltending, keeping the opponent out of your zone and getting pucks deep remains the staple of most SC finalists. I'd love to find a stat that simply gives a percentage of attempted skate/pass into the zone vs dumpins, but I can't find it. All of the other stats above are from Moneypuck.

 

[ColumbusTrill]

I honestly don't remember if this is a thing or not. Are players supposed to issue public support through social media when they get a new boss?

I was actually really surprised when they showed up at the presser, blown away by it actually.

Just looked at the top 6 point getters on the Rangers, no posts/stories on their IG or Twitter welcoming Gallant. I don't think its a thing

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Larsen told the DFO Rundown podcast this week that he was closing in on hiring one of his two assistant coaches. He’s got two spots to fill.

Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Finding and fixing the problems, an important new role for Rick Nash

 

[majormajor]

Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Finding and fixing the problems, an important new role for Rick Nash

On Rick Nash's interview with one of the Vancouver sportsnet stations, he said he was the one who hired Letestu and Dorsett. Can Larsen steal his hire away and put Letestu behind the bench? I'm joking obviously, I bet he was already considered for that, but I want to see Letestu in that role.

 

[KCbus]

I always laugh a little bit when fans complain about dump-and-chase. They want to possess the puck across the blue line, and they think NHL coaches and players just go “oh, that’s a good idea. Why didn’t we think of that?”

 

[Viqsi]

I always laugh a little bit when fans complain about dump-and-chase. They want to possess the puck across the blue line, and they think NHL coaches and players just go “oh, that’s a good idea. Why didn’t we think of that?”

"Shoot the puck at the net? My G-d, this changes everything! And here we thought only deflections off the boards counted..."

 

[KJ Dangler]

Wow , nice hire

 

[koteka]

Wow , nice hire

Wonder if he’ll bring along Eric Dubois.

 

[DJA]

Wow , nice hire

dont know who “AHL Winnipeg” is, but sounds like a decent hire