Do you think this team can score more under a new system?

[Hammettf2b]

This team has been coached to play a defensive minded style of hockey since they joined the team. Play good enough to always stay in the game and find a way to pull through by the end of the game. That includes the Babcock years. Do you think they would have better scoring numbers if coached under a new system that emphasizes offense? I can't help but think with the players we have, that it could work. Not saying it would make us contenders or anything like that, but I do think this team is capable of scoring more in a different system. What say you?

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[SpookyTsuki]

Not much more

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

If you simply want to score more goals, sure. You will, however, give up more goals while doing so.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Of course. PP is where we have the biggest potential for increased scoring though.

 

[aar000n]

I have a weird idea that if we put scorers on the scoring line we can do better. But what do I know?

 

[Wood Stick]

I have a weird idea that if we put scorers on the scoring line we can do better. But what do I know?

Frans Nielsen might actually create more than anyone. I kid you not. He's been better than his numbers. Dare I say, our second best forward behind Vanek. He's been playing like 15 games with Luke Glendening.

Kronwall is not good on the PP anymore. It sucks because we've only really got 2 top four defenseman. Possibly Ericsson too though he's slowed down from that hot stretch. I think RIGHT NOW, Kenny has to make that impact trade for a defenseman.

 

[Syckle78]

If we completely abandoned defense and tried a up tempo run and gun we might be able to but overall we'd still suck and probably be even worse in the standings. This roster has no identity for a specific system to be successful.

 

[Frk It]

Not sure any system would thrive with a lack of puckmovers and no high end centers.

But sure we can kick this around in yet another thread.

 

[Wood Stick]

Not sure any system would thrive with a lack of puckmovers and no high end centers.

But sure we can kick this around in yet another thread.

But even our wingers thrived without one in 14/15. Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar had career years. Everyone is worse than they should be, number one centers or a number 1 TWD (Mike Green is probably a top 10 OFD though). Gustav Nyquist has 4 goals right now. He's on pace for like 9 goals.

The only consistent forward has been Thomas Vanek, who's been ****ing fantastic. He creates so much. I've liked Frans Nielsen's game too. The free agent signings were actually solid. Larkin's defensive game has been disappointing. At this point, **** it, put him back in the middle and develop him there.

 

[lomekian]

I don't know about the transition to a more overtly offensive system because we lack PMD and genuine playmakers beyond Green and Z. As stated that FA's have been good, but until this team re-discovers an identity of sorts, it's academic.

If Blashill has a cohesive system, the players are unwilling or incapable of playing it. It simply cannot be a coincidence that ever player with a prior NHL cv has regressed under Blash, bar Abby and the UFA's, and that our PP is appalling. ( and totally incorrectly set up too)

 

[Frk It]

But even our wingers thrived without one in 14/15. Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar had career years. Everyone is worse than they should be, number one centers or a number 1 TWD (Mike Green is probably a top 10 OFD though). Gustav Nyquist has 4 goals right now. He's on pace for like 9 goals.

The only consistent forward has been Thomas Vanek, who's been ****ing fantastic. He creates so much. I've liked Frans Nielsen's game too. The free agent signings were actually solid. Larkin's defensive game has been disappointing. At this point, **** it, put him back in the middle and develop him there.

-Datsyuk had 65 pts in 63 games in 14/15
-Zetterberg was 7th in the entire NHL in assists in 14/15 despite missing 5 games

Datsyuk is gone. Z has regressed a ton. There you go.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

Look at the way the team was cycling the puck in the first period. Look how much room it generated when the players actually moved their feet.

It could be like that all the time...if they were coached that way.

 

[Wood Stick]

-Datsyuk had 65 pts in 63 games in 14/15
-Zetterberg was 7th in the entire NHL in assists in 14/15 despite missing 5 games

Datsyuk is gone. Z has regressed a ton. There you go.

Datsyuk never played with Gus. You can look a year prior to that with those same two players. They were getting the best out of the two of them. Even when they were down, Abdelkader was performing well. Top nine wingers included Tatar, Nyquist, and Abdelkader, who's numbers ****ing dropped at insane rates with Blash coming in. Gus went from a 30 goal guy, had a career year with Leggy and Franzen as his centre to a single digit scorer.

You keep pointing out to Zetterberg and Datsyuk, which is fair, but Zetterberg has been broken for five years. Datsyuk played the same amount of games in 14/15 as he did in 15/16. Played more in 15/16 actually and had 16 less points.

Blash is a terrible coach. He needs to go. I realize these guys aren't great but I think we can get more out of them. Gustav Nyquist is 27 years old. He should currently be in his prime with his style. ****ing 4 goals.

 

[Shaman464]

Datsyuk never played with Gus. You can look a year prior to that with those same two players. They were getting the best out of the two of them. Even when they were down, Abdelkader was performing well. Top nine wingers included Tatar, Nyquist, and Abdelkader, who's numbers ****ing dropped at insane rates with Blash coming in. Gus went from a 30 goal guy, had a career year with Leggy and Franzen as his centre to a single digit scorer.

You keep pointing out to Zetterberg and Datsyuk, which is fair, but Zetterberg has been broken for five years. Datsyuk played the same amount of games in 14/15 as he did in 15/16. Played more in 15/16 actually and had 16 less points.

Blash is a terrible coach. He needs to go. I realize these guys aren't great but I think we can get more out of them. Gustav Nyquist is 27 years old. He should currently be in his prime with his style. ****ing 4 goals.

Nyquist also saw lower quality opponents because of the presence of Datsyuk. When you don't have elite talent anymore, other teams can then put their best talent against our meh talent.

 

[Wood Stick]

Nyquist also saw lower quality opponents because of the presence of Datsyuk. When you don't have elite talent anymore, other teams can then put their best talent against our meh talent.

Dude both of Dats and Z were out during his run... When he brokeout into beast mode, he was on the first line with Franzen/Legwand/Abdelkader.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

Nah. Not enough talent.

Datsyuk was keeping this offense afloat, and when he left, the ship sank.

A different system would just mean a different way of failing.

 

[Pavels Dog]

If we completely abandoned defense and tried a up tempo run and gun we might be able to but overall we'd still suck and probably be even worse in the standings. This roster has no identity for a specific system to be successful.

There's obviously something in between what we're currently doing and a run-and-gun system that abandons all defense. If anything, this team needs to tighten up defensively and learn how to defend against a cycle. That alone would help our overall game since it would mean we don't get stuck in the d-zone as much. We must be the easiest team in the league to cycle against, and that's not an element of the game that is really dependant on high-end skill. Our best players can't execute a cycle on home ice when they're out against other teams bottom 6 and bottom d-pairings, and complete scrubs can cycle for days against our top players. We don't have a ton of skill but our best players should not be so outmatched against the worst players on teams like Arizona.

 

[jkutswings]

Dude both of Dats and Z were out during his run... When he brokeout into beast mode, he was on the first line with Franzen/Legwand/Abdelkader.

Chris Shelton was a kid who came up from the minors for the Detroit Tigers several years ago. The team had several injuries at the time, and they gave this kid a look to start the season.

He hit something like 10 home runs in his first 20 games. He was leading the league for awhile. And the PR and fan reaction started running pretty high.

But eventually his hot streak cooled off, the kid never regained even decent form, and he went back to being a minor league player.

I say all this to make this point:

Maybe it's PARTLY because of Blashill. And/or PARTLY because of an erosion of the talent of the rest of the roster.

But maybe it's also partly that Gus simply isn't as good a player as that hot streak implied, and we need to accept the possibility that, even with better coaching and better teammates, maybe he'd never return to that level of performance, and it was just a second line winger temporarily playing like an All-Star.

More than any other change, the team needs a new core. Badly.

 

[lomekian]

I think Gus is a little bit of red herring. Sure if the PP wasn't so incompetently set up and he was in the same spot he was when successful it would help, but the guy just can't bu a goal at the mo. Seems to be trying to set a record for hitting the iron or missing very presentable opportunities, but at least he's still getting into the right spots 5 on 5 and still putting up acceptable assist numbers. His confidence is shot, and he's a confidence player.

But still the absence of Dats and the decline of z and Kronner (though the captain is still an excellent playmaker) isn't enough to explain the massive drop off of the entire roster and the total lack of readable structure or strategy, or the PP woes, or the endless line juggling.

I really had hopes for Blash, but its almost impossible to tell what he's trying to achieve.

 

[JPE123]

Until we get defensemen who are puck movers, no

 

[Henkka]

I really had hopes for Blash, but its almost impossible to tell what he's trying to achieve.

High draft pick is his (our management) goal, and I can't deny he isn't doing a great job towards that.

 

[TatarTangle]

-Datsyuk had 65 pts in 63 games in 14/15
-Zetterberg was 7th in the entire NHL in assists in 14/15 despite missing 5 games

Datsyuk is gone. Z has regressed a ton. There you go.

QFT

Tatar and Nyquist will only thrive when surrounded by better, more skilled, players. It wouldn't surprise me if they were to go play on a second line on one of the better teams that they would easily put up 60+ points. If you depend on them to drive play, you're kinda screwed. As fun as watching Tatar fire pucks into shin pads and Nyquist float around, reluctant to shoot is...

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Look at the way the team was cycling the puck in the first period. Look how much room it generated when the players actually moved their feet.

It could be like that all the time...if they were coached that way.

Players need to be coached to move their feet? Really?

 

[Obe2kenobe]

Chris Shelton was a kid who came up from the minors for the Detroit Tigers several years ago. The team had several injuries at the time, and they gave this kid a look to start the season.

He hit something like 10 home runs in his first 20 games. He was leading the league for awhile. And the PR and fan reaction started running pretty high.

But eventually his hot streak cooled off, the kid never regained even decent form, and he went back to being a minor league player.

I say all this to make this point:

Maybe it's PARTLY because of Blashill. And/or PARTLY because of an erosion of the talent of the rest of the roster.

But maybe it's also partly that Gus simply isn't as good a player as that hot streak implied, and we need to accept the possibility that, even with better coaching and better teammates, maybe he'd never return to that level of performance, and it was just a second line winger temporarily playing like an All-Star.

More than any other change, the team needs a new core. Badly.

This post probably makes the most sense of all the reasons why so many players have dropped in production to me. As far as what % is Blashill's fault, erosion of talent, or Gus having such a great year getting 28 goals in 57 games and having that expected of him. I would say 50% Blashill's fault, 25% erosion of talent and 25% Gus was just overachieving.
That's why I would like to see a coaching change. Someone who could instill some confidence in these guys. We can't change the entire roster. And need to get some of these guys back to there form, or better, going forward. I don't think this roster would instantly become a good playoff team or anything. I would just like to see them improve somewhat and start to regain some confidence.

 

[InGusWeTrust]

Nope. No talent. Mediocre coach. Recipe to suck.

BLOW IT UP! Fire the front office and trade all the players you can!