Which is true, I've said and then backed up that it's most likely the players that turned it around. If they were lost under Lavy then you must think that they're lost under Berube too because the only difference between the beginning of the season and the end of the season was that they were scoring. It's not like they were better defensively at the end or that they weren't having the same trouble against teams like NY and NJ.
Did he try to get them in better shape? Yes and that's great. Is he trying to get them to be better defensively? Yes and that's also great. But neither of those things appear to be the reason that they turned it around last year, which is why I'm arguing against the comment that Berube turned the season around and took them to the playoffs. The role of coach is very important and hopefully in the future Berube will show us that he can be a great coach by making this team successful, but I don't believe he's done that yet. If next season they're in great shape and they look much more solid defensively, then I'll give Berube credit, which is something I have no problem doing. But I'm not going to give him credit until he deserves it, which I don't think he does yet.
Nonsense. The players didn't just turn it around on their own. They didn't just 'start scoring' because the calendar changed. They were in disarray until the coach led them. Yes, Giroux's return to health helped, but who did G credit with waking up his line? Raffl.
I would argue that Berube deserves a
huge share of the credit for getting the team playing together and getting them in shape. Homer deserves credit for ditching Talbot for Downie, who sparked a brief scoring binge by Couts and Read that got them a few wins to turn the season around.
Berube also moved Hartnell down, promoting Raffl to 1LW with Giroux and Jake. Raffl's speed and energy definitely helped spark the first line, and he scored a few big goals too.
Hartnell took his demotion well, and the line with Schenn and Simmonds (after Vinny got hurt the first time) scored some big goals too and created a lot of pressure.
Later, when Berube put Raffl at 4C with Rinaldo and Hall, it was an effective line and gave them 4 lines that could put pressure on the other team. When Vinny just plain sucked, he put him at 4C and still got some production.
It's not like all this just happened randomly. It happened because the coaching staff made good, smart decisions. Berube held vets like Hartnell and Vinny accountable by moving them down the roster when they weren't producing.
Berube should also get credit for the lack of controversy in the pipes. He dispelled Lavy's idea there would be a goalie competition by naming Mason as his guy at the press conference when he was hired. Issued closed.
I really like most of the things Berube did (and was surprised by how good he was, frankly). He was very successful in making the playoffs with a team that was so far behind early. His calming presence behind the bench was a nice change from Lavy's composure-free frothing at the mouth act, and his respectful but firm approach worked with the refs too.
I'm sure Berube will be even better as a coach this year. The team will be in better shape and know his system better. As long as Schenn, Couts and Raffl improve their offense, RJ's healthy and Bellemare adapts well, the team is stronger than last year, imho.
Hexy gets credit for the stability. He didn't break up the team for the sake of it, just dealt Hartnell as a lesson in complacency.
