Fire Hakstol

[Striiker]

And we have yet to start playing the East teams. 17 of our first 21 games are against the West. After the Vancouver game, that changes.

Win games against the East and you make up ground quicker.

Look at it this way, we are just out yet have had to dress Alt as a Dman for a bunch of games, gotten nothing from our bottom 9, had Patrick miss more games than he has played, and gotten screwed over a few games by the refs...and Haktard.

Long season to go...just have to win in spite of our coach not with his help.

Good points.

Then add to that...
-Patrick looked really good last game and that has a butterfly effect on the rest of the team.
-Even Simmonds looks a little better with Patrick back, hopefully he can get a goal soon and break the slump.
-Sanheims also made a lot of progress from his first game until now. He's looking way more comfortable and the points are gonna start coming soon.

On top of all that, the PP hasn't even been that good overall. We know they go through tough periods (in November it's only at 11%, so far) and hot periods (throughout October it was at 23%). You better believe it'll help if Simmonds gets back to normal, or at least close.

Guys like Giroux and Voracek are scoring a lot at 5v5. Giroux only has 5 points on the PP this year. Voracek has 8.


As much as there are reasons to be angry and pessimistic, there's also good if you care to look for it.

 

[WIP CALLER]

zero shot of playoffs with hakstol as coach. none, zip, zilch, nada. would be willing to bet on it.

 

[Striiker]

zero shot of playoffs with hakstol as coach. none, zip, zilch, nada. would be willing to bet on it.

They made the playoffs with him as coach in his first year.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

They made the playoffs with him as coach in his first year.

Came here to post this.

People are ridiculous. Maybe our players aren't quite up to snuff either, eh. Nah, I guess it's Hak's fault Simmonds and Konecny can't put the puck in the net.

DISCLAIMER: I don't like Hak either, but let's not make stuff up

 

[WIP CALLER]

They made the playoffs with him as coach in his first year.

cool but what does that have to do with this year?

ps. it took a rookie dman setting team scoring records and a goalie playing over his head for 20 games for him to sneak in the 8th spot and get embarrassed by a team that is notorious for choking in the playoffs. I mean what a great piece of coaching that was... I doubt they make it without his brilliant game plans and line ups...

 

[Striiker]

cool what does that have to do with this year?

Proves it isn't impossible for them to make the playoffs despite him.

They've done it before, they can do it again.

 

[WIP CALLER]

Proves it isn't impossible for them to make the playoffs despite him.

They've done it before, they can do it again.

yeah, all they need is for Elliot or Neuvirth to play like a vezina for 20 games and Lindblom to be called up and score at close to a ppg clip and they may just sneak in. I wouldn't count on it. Feel free to bump in April but I am 99% sure they aren't making it if hak stays all year. There will be stretches they look good and get bounces which will get everyone excited followed by stretches they look awful as the system continues to stifle scoring for the 3rd year in a row. This first quarter is a microcosm of how I expect the year to play out. .500 team and a 7th or 8th place division finish.

 

[Amorgus]

I don't know the ins and outs of contracts but isn't it a possibility that players can just get fed up and demand to be traded?

 

[BrindamoursNose]

I don't know the ins and outs of contracts but isn't it a possibility that players can just get fed up and demand to be traded?

Sure. Team doesn't have to trade them, but they can do that if they want to.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

yeah, all they need is for Elliot or Neuvirth to play like a vezina for 20 games and Lindblom to be called up and score at close to a ppg clip and they may just sneak in. I wouldn't count on it. Feel free to bump in April but I am 99% sure they aren't making it if hak stays all year. There will be stretches they look good and get bounces which will get everyone excited followed by stretches they look awful as the system continues to stifle scoring for the 3rd year in a row. This first quarter is a microcosm of how I expect the year to play out. .500 team and a 7th or 8th place division finish.

So wait, players playing better is what will get the team into the playoff? NO wayyyyyyyyyyy.

Do you think the players take any blame for this? Or is it all Hakstol?

 

[Striiker]

yeah, all they need is for Elliot or Neuvirth to play like a vezina for 20 games and Lindblom to be called up and score at close to a ppg clip and they may just sneak in. I wouldn't count on it. Feel free to bump in April but I am 99% sure they aren't making it if hak stays all year. There will be stretches they look good and get bounces which will get everyone excited followed by stretches they look awful as the system continues to stifle scoring for the 3rd year in a row. This first quarter is a microcosm of how I expect the year to play out. .500 team and a 7th or 8th place division finish.

Not really.

If the top line continues to play well (possible), the middle six stops underachieving so hard (possible), they get average goaltending (possible), and the young guys continue to improve (possible) they definitely have a chance.

They're playing bad now and it's not like these other teams are pulling away from them. They're in the mix.

 

[Tripod]

Right now, we are finding ways to give away points. Nashville, Ottawa, Calgary, etc...

Get a few GOOD games from our bottom 9 would help. Tk and Simmonds scoring. Patrick now back helps.

Such a long, long way to go.

 

[wuf]

This team has a chance to make the playoffs sure, but it won't be on account of Hakstol's coaching. It'll be due to the fact we play our best from February onwards, and we'll have kept afloat in mediocrity up until that point.

 

[hatcher]

Came here to post this.

People are ridiculous. Maybe our players aren't quite up to snuff either, eh. Nah, I guess it's Hak's fault Simmonds and Konecny can't put the puck in the net.

DISCLAIMER: I don't like Hak either, but let's not make stuff up

Players are the reason why they are what they are. Don't like the coach either though but a terrible roster makes it worse.

 

[hatcher]

Right now, we are finding ways to give away points. Nashville, Ottawa, Calgary, etc...

Get a few GOOD games from our bottom 9 would help. Tk and Simmonds scoring. Patrick now back helps.

Such a long, long way to go.

This team doesn't no how to check though. Not body check which none of the forwards do at all really but check.

 

[whitstifier]

Came here to post this.

People are ridiculous. Maybe our players aren't quite up to snuff either, eh. Nah, I guess it's Hak's fault Simmonds and Konecny can't put the puck in the net.

DISCLAIMER: I don't like Hak either, but let's not make stuff up

It's not a reach to expect Konecny to produce like a top six player without top six ice time???

 

[Rebels57]

Proves it isn't impossible for them to make the playoffs despite him.

They've done it before, they can do it again.

He hadnt completely ruined them yet in 15-16.

That and Ghost scoring 17 goals in 64 games including multiple OT winners.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

It's not a reach to expect Konecny to produce like a top six player without top six ice time???

I didn't ask for him to produce like a top 6 player with his ice time; I'm asking him to put the puck in the net when he has a primo opportunity. He botches them all the time.

 

[Striiker]

He hadnt completely ruined them yet in 15-16.

That and Ghost scoring 17 goals in 64 games including multiple OT winners.

Ghost won't score that many goals but Couturier is making up for it. We also didn't have Provorov, a competent 4th line, Patrick, a backup goalie, or guys like Konecny/Sanheim who will eventually heat up.

 

[Rebels57]

Ghost won't score that many goals but Couturier is making up for it. We also didn't have Provorov, a competent 4th line, Patrick, a backup goalie, or guys like Konecny/Sanheim who will eventually heat up.

We will be lucky if Coots replaces Schenns 25 goals and Patrick replaces Coots 10-15. Its a wash if we are lucky.

The fact that we are better equipped to win games in year 3 under Hak than in Year 1 but are still worse says it all.

 

[Curufinwe]

It's not a reach to expect Konecny to produce like a top six player without top six ice time???

Konecny is getting top 6 ice time.

NHL.com - Stats

 

[hatcher]

Konecny just skates fast but isn't getting any production. Simmonds should be traded this year also. All old players out and start fresh.

 

[flyershockey]

I see Deahead's incessant whining about Konecny in a roundabout defense of our useless veterans has becoming a thing.

You would think that Couturier and Schenn's development path, and how long it took, would have people more hesitant to write off a 20 year old, but I guess not.

 

[hatcher]

I see Deahead's incessant whining about Konecny in a roundabout defense of our useless veterans has becoming a thing.

You would think that Couturier and Schenn's development path, and how long it took, would have people more hesitant to write off a 20 year old, but I guess not.

It's not writing him off. He doesn't do much right now and the youngsters down on the Phantoms not named Morin would struggle in the bigs.

 

[whitstifier]

Konecny is getting top 6 ice time.

NHL.com - Stats

Konecny is getting top 6 ice time.

NHL.com - Stats

Barely. The next two are Simmonds and Filppula, who have been duds. Weal, Patrick, Laughton and Raffl should all be getting more 5v5 time than Simmonds and Filppula.

On the D side, Gudas and Sanheim get wayyyy underutilized 5v5. (Gudas' numbers are influenced by a couple early departures, but I think Manning/Hagg would still average out higher).

Hakstol doesn't know who the best players are on the team he coaches.