Does the team have a coaching or player issue?

[KG]

see title

Click to read more...

 

[Jamieh]

Yes

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

I say both but try different coaching first. First step to see what this team actually has.

 

[Bondurant]

Both but the chief problem is coaching. Tocc's job is to hold every man on the roster accountable. Performance should trump salary. If it's broke, fix it.

 

[Jamieh]

Both but the chief problem is coaching. Tocc's job is to hold every man on the roster accountable. Performance should trump salary. If it's broke, fix it.

Salary gives you your lineup, play should dictate your position in that lineup.

 

[_Del_]

I don't think there's a coach in the world who will turn these guys into something they're not. But I also wish they would have tried to salvage the season with a veteran coach who could have improved tactics and pushed different buttons.

 

[rt]

I'd fire Tocchet first. I'd look to shake up the veteran core quite a bit, also. That includes Kessel, Stepan, OEL, and Goligoski. I'd look to add goals and grit in their place. Hoffman and Toffoli are great goal scorers that will hit the open market. Smith to a lesser extent (and long-shots like Taylor Hall and Dadanov that we likely don't have a chance to sign). For toughness on D, Gudas is UFA, and so is Dillon, and so is Edmundson. There are also some cheaper options for that. Up front, there's Matt Martin, Wayne Simmonds, and Kyle Clifford. We can also make trades. I've read a lot lately about the potential availability of Josh Anderson, Sam Bennett, and Miles Wood via trade, too. So we could look to add grit via trade, too.

 

[rt]

I don't think there's a coach in the world who will turn these guys into something they're not. But I also wish they would have tried to salvage the season with a veteran coach who could have improved tactics and pushed different buttons.

We'd certainly know more and have a clearer idea of what we should do with the roster.

 

[XX]

MacLean, Tocchet, Housley were/are all average to below average assistants that failed as head coaches. They fired the one guy on the staff who actually took care of his assigned duties (why was that allowed?).

Roster aside, I have no idea why anyone thought this would succeed. The results have gotten worse the more talented the roster. You would have to actually try pretty hard to put together a less heralded coaching group from a clean slate.

There are issues with individual players but I'd fire all the coaches and prune any problem children possible like Kessel before making major trades

 

[Grimes]

We'd certainly know more and have a clearer idea of what we should do with the roster.

Yeah hard to say what we have with the younger core when we go from a heavy vet leaning coach with a very defensive focused and conservative game plan to a coach who seemingly just asks the players to go north south and stiffles all creativity and has no idea how to change a game plan mid game.

 

[BigJCaRoach]

Both coach and vets. I wish guys like this would care.

 

[rt]

Both coach and vets. I wish guys like this would care.

Yeah, I’m okay with Richardson and Soderberg and even Demers. But I really would like to get rid of at least two or three or all four of OEL, Goligoski, Stepan and Kessel.

 

[LuckyNumber11]

I just know that if Derek Stepan is on this team next year I am going to be incredibly frustrated

 

[Lawson of Anarchy]

I just know that next year I am going to be incredibly frustrated

Fixed that for you

 

[Mosby]

Coaches and players. If it was just coach, you could swap him out and everything would be fixed. But we have a player mix issue. We don't even have bad players, just some of the wrong players. We have too many of the same type of player.

 

[Jakey53]

Coaches and players. If it was just coach, you could swap him out and everything would be fixed. But we have a player mix issue. We don't even have bad players, just some of the wrong players. We have too many of the same type of player.

We have been screaming for two years about the mix of players. Two trades and this team could look quite different. All this talk about overhauling the team is not going to happen. Trading OEL might shake up the team, but then our D collapses. End of next year we lose 4 D, and 3 of those are almost ready for retirement.

 

[Mosby]

I'd keep OEL. I think the new GM moves out Schmaltz.

 

[PainForShane]

We need center depth. And we have no cap space (even without Hall). There is absolutely no way we should be sending Stepan over the boards in a top six role (as we saw today) he is so, so, SO bad at offense.

IMO it's more about what we add rather than who we get rid of (incl if Schmaltz and Hayton get better, that counts). If new GM Steve Sullivan can somehow get us to a legit #1C without losing someone like Garland (or another 1st rounder) he is a miracle worker. And that is what we need him to be

 

[PainForShane]

I'd keep OEL. I think the new GM moves out Schmaltz.

@Mosby which team(s) do you think would want to take Schmaltz long term at 5.8m? I'm not trying to start anything w you but not sure you thought through what what you suggested

CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

 

[Jamieh]

@Mosby which team(s) do you think would want to take Schmaltz long term at 5.8m? I'm not trying to start anything w you but not sure you thought through what what you suggested

CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

I hear NJ might have a new Executive that values players like Schmaltz.

 

[rt]

We need center depth. And we have no cap space (even without Hall). There is absolutely no way we should be sending Stepan over the boards in a top six role (as we saw today) he is so, so, SO bad at offense.

IMO it's more about what we add rather than who we get rid of (incl if Schmaltz and Hayton get better, that counts). If new GM Steve Sullivan can somehow get us to a legit #1C without losing someone like Garland (or another 1st rounder) he is a miracle worker. And that is what we need him to be

Erik Haula is UFA. And Craig Smith (hasn’t played much C lately but has experience). There are reasonable trade targets to. OEL for RyJo or RNH makes sense.

 

[rt]

I'd keep OEL. I think the new GM moves out Schmaltz.

I prefer the opposite. Schmaltz needs a coach. OEL has lost his spirit entirely.

 

[Jamieh]

Erik Haula is UFA. And Craig Smith (hasn’t played much C lately but has experience). There are reasonable trade targets to. OEL for RyJo or RNH makes sense.

OEL for RyJo makes no sense for the Preds. They have 2 LD at worst as good as OEL bad they aren't exactly stacked at center.

 

[Mosby]

@Mosby which team(s) do you think would want to take Schmaltz long term at 5.8m? I'm not trying to start anything w you but not sure you thought through what what you suggested

CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

I don't have a list in front of me, but it would probably have to be a player from another team looking to shake things up. I think as long as Schmaltz averages 50 or so points his contract is fair.

 

[Mosby]

There has been nothing in this series that I have seen from RyJo that had made me think, "wow, let's go get that guy." Same with Craig Smith. He's a little more of the same.