D Samuel Girard

[a mangy Meowth]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Hughes may be better on the PP, but it wouldn't matter here. Here he would be a part of the shitty Ray Bennett powerplay system, which would instantly make him identical in effectiveness to Makar.

We need a new PP coach.

 

[PAZ]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Hughes may be better on the PP, but it wouldn't matter here. Here he would be a part of the shitty Ray Bennett powerplay system, which would instantly make him identical in effectiveness to Makar.

We need a new PP coach.

Unfortunately we'll probably be stuck with him for another year, since he's had success here in the previous 2 seasons.

 

[Pokecheque]

I'm okay with the assistants staying so long as they start doing something different.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Ray Bennett is a really good tactician, it would be a big mistake to let him go.

 

[Pokecheque]

Let's not forget it's not ALL on the assistants that the power play and penalty kill sucked when it mattered the most--Bednar shares in the blame as well (and yes, it can't be ignored, the spate of injuries took a huge, huge toll on the PK, especially the goalies). He's the one who ultimately decides how the systems that Bennett and Pratt devise are implemented, and whether or not those systems need to be changed.

The power play became effective again when they finally started changing things up and quit relying so damned much on MacKinnon or Makar to zip the perfect shot through traffic. It works best when they can get MacKinnon or Makar different looks and is almost unstoppable when they generate traffic/commotion in front of the net. When they stand still, pass around the perimeter, and keep trying for that perfect one-timer, it almost always fails.

Similarly for the PK, they simply need a more aggressive system that utilizes the speed this team has at their disposal. It'd also help immensely if they have defensemen down low who actually know what to do with the puck. Too often they have guys who simply can't secure the puck or just can't win that battle/race in the corner.

These adjustments shouldn't necessarily require a wholesale systematic change that prompts the team to kick Bennett and/or Pratt to the curb. It just requires those coaches and Bednar to simply analyze what went wrong and take steps on how to fix it.

 

[Foppa2118]

I agree with the notion that Girard thinks the game better on the powerplay than Makar, but even with his issues I think Cale has gotta be on the 1st unit; he brings too many weapons at the point to move him to the half-wall. Perhaps Avs should eventually go back to a two defender system because it's a matter of time before Byram takes over Girard's spot on the second unit.

The 2nd PP unit is actually a good spot for them to experiment with going back to the 2 D men setup with Byram and Girard.

If it starts working well, you can think about bumping one of those guys up to the 1st unit with Makar.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

The coaches probably don't think they need to change anything when our PK most likely looks really good during practice because they are going against a PP that overpasses.

 

[AvsCOL]

Ray Bennett is a really good tactician, it would be a big mistake to let him go.

Joe is that you?

 

[Pokecheque]

The thing that irks me the most is that these special teams struggles are nothing new. Even in the Sakic/Forsberg heydays they had a power play that got way too fancy with passes and a penalty kill that was far too passive. I don't know why the hell that's seemingly written into the Avalanche's DNA but it sure feels that way.

 

[The Kingslayer]

The coaches probably don't think they need to change anything when our PK most likely looks really good during practice because they are going against a PP that overpasses.

Hahaha true.

 

[klozge]

Unfortunately we'll probably be stuck with him for another year, since he's had success here in the previous 2 seasons.

No, he didn't. At least not in the last season. Our special teams always look good against some teams (which is why in the end the stats look okay overall) but always look terrible against the teams which actually are able to do some damage in the playoffs. It's too easy to prevent both our special teams from being successful.

 

[PAZ]

No, he didn't. At least not in the last season. Our special teams always look good against some teams (which is why in the end the stats look okay overall) but always look terrible against the teams which actually are able to do some damage in the playoffs. It's too easy to prevent both our special teams from being successful.

Oh I agree with you, but most organizations almost always go by league wide statistics for their metrics and those metrics say he was successful in the regular season. In the end they'll usually make excuses why the powerplay didn't work in the playoffs (i.e. injuries or small sample size) and keep him around. I would love to get rid of him just much as anyone else, but in the past two seasons the Avs PP was ranked 7th and 8th league-wide.

Hopefully i'm wrong and he gets canned, but I doubt it.

 

[Pokecheque]

Fire him, don’t fire him, but I’m not on board with them bringing aboard another power play guru unless he provides an actual solution. I’d like to see more rotation like what Dallas does. Leads to more confusion for the PKers and open looks.

 

[tigervixxxen]

It’s not my statistic but I’ve seen mentioned that Bennett’s PP has been below league average in expected goals for 12 years.

Last year the PP was a mirage. They were at 30% up to Dec 1 and coasted down from that all year. They went over a month without scoring a PP goal and then got 5 vs Chicago. They scored 2 PP goals in the Sharks series. It’s been a problem for a long time.

 

[Foppa2118]

Last year the PP was a mirage. They were at 30% up to Dec 1 and coasted down from that all year. They went over a month without scoring a PP goal and then got 5 vs Chicago. They scored 2 PP goals in the Sharks series. It’s been a problem for a long time.

This screams 'lapse in execution' to me.

I don't think that's an indication of a lack of options, or that teams figured their PP out. They've got lots of set plays in their back pocket they can break out, that teams haven't seen them use much immediately prior to playing them.

 

[McMetal]

If we're going to replace an assistant, it should be Pratt. He's been here a while now and the PK could definitely use a fresh perspective. Bennett is on thin ice, though.

 

[S E P H]

I'm not sure it's on the coaches anymore, we all wanted Army fired for like half a decade due to a stigmatic powerplay. A new coach comes in - which at times has had a lethal powerplay in Avs history - and the same problems start affecting the team as the first one. I suggest scapegoating the coach is too easily for us as fans to conduct especially when I think some people don't want to blame the players. The players that includes Makar's never shot tendencies, Rantanen's constant falling downs and forced plays, MacKinnon's forced plays, and Landeskog's lack of stick skills. Only acceptable one for me is Kadri and he's missed like four golden opportunity empty nets in the bubble.

 

[PAZ]

I'm not sure it's on the coaches anymore, we all wanted Army fired for like half a decade due to a stigmatic powerplay. A new coach comes in - which at times has had a lethal powerplay in Avs history - and the same problems start affecting the team as the first one. I suggest scapegoating the coach is too easily for us as fans to conduct especially when I think some people don't want to blame the players. The players that includes Makar's never shot tendencies, Rantanen's constant falling downs and forced plays, MacKinnon's forced plays, and Landeskog's lack of stick skills. Only acceptable one for me is Kadri and he's missed like four golden opportunity empty nets in the bubble.

I don't know if using Army is a good example. He was our PP coach for 5 years, and when he got canned the only job he could find was being an assistant coach in the AHL. He since found a job as a head coach in the AHL, but it goes to show how he was viewed around the league.

 

[Spilot23]

What I noticed on the PP is that the players don't move they keep doing the same things over and over again. The only way the 1st unit has been working is when Makar shoots from the point either scoring or creating a rebound. The 2nd unit is moving changing places with Girard, JTC and Bura it kinda confuse the other team and there was always Nuke in front of the net. Somehow this unit looked better in the playoffs. Pretty sure Dallas watched our PP tapes and said yeah it's either gonna be a cross pass between Mack/Rants or Makar shooting from the point. It's harder to know what the 2nd unit will do because how unpredictable they are.