TSN: Garrioch: Boucher going nowhere

[stempniaksen]

So pretty much the only one is Wideman. I doubt Gaborik is in the teams plans, and if he is, it's as a minor role.

If we're going down that road, I kind of think the organization will move on from Wideman too, so it really could be a moot point.

 

[pzeeman]

...an 8 hour interview?

The story at the time was the Boucher came into the interview incredibly prepared. He broke down just was was wrong with the 15-16 Senators and gave a step by step guide on how he would fix it.

My guess is that they just kept chatting hockey afterwards. There seemed to be a very tight relationship between them early on.

 

[Micklebot]

I agree. IMO, Boucher is a great talker and could sell sand to the Bedouin! Dorion being an inexperienced GM, got taken hook line and sinker. The hairs on the back of my neck went up after Dorion described the 8 hour hiring interview and went on and on like they were sole mates.

IMO, there were a lot of red flags in Boucher's first year that got forgotten when the team went deep into the playoffs. In my view, the deep playoff run can be attributed to "playoff Cinderella magic". Once the fairy dust wore off, the team reverted to being a pumpkin.

Unless there is a miracle, 2019 is going to be another tank. As you say, it's going to hurt without a top 10 pick.

I take a bit of a different angle on this; I agree there were red flags last year, and the deep run let to them getting overlooked, but my thought is that all the issues were correctable with some minor adjustments.

Boucher's first year had some really good aspects to it, and there is certainly imo a foundation that could have been built on, but we tried to move ahead before fixing some of the cracks that had appeared. Little things like being a bit more aggressive on the forecheck, to not taking the foot off the gas so early, and challenging the point a bit more in our end.

I actually like how we activated the D a lot more early and late in the season, for some reason that kind of disappeared shortly after Karlsson came back and didn't reappear until late in the season.

 

[Samboni]

...an 8 hour interview?

I can't remember how long Dorion said it was, but I recall him saying that it went on for a long time. Longer than he thought it would have.

 

[JungleBeat]

I remember being excited about the “accelerated” powerplay that he would implement.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

The story at the time was the Boucher came into the interview incredibly prepared. He broke down just was was wrong with the 15-16 Senators and gave a step by step guide on how he would fix it.

My guess is that they just kept chatting hockey afterwards. There seemed to be a very tight relationship between them early on.

I wonder if they finished the evening with dinner and dancing...?

 

[Micklebot]

I remember being excited about the “accelerated” powerplay that he would implement.

So, the PP is typically run by assistant coaches. Boucher gives his input to them, I'm sure, and as the HC takes the heat regardless of who's running it, but I wonder why it's been this bad. Could it be he's just not devoting enough of the practice schedule to that, preferring to dedicate resources to the 5v5 play instead? Pick you're poison I guess, maybe we have better special teams next year simply by virtue of dropping the "rest is a weapon" theory.

I think Boucher got his PP specialist reputation from when he was an assistant in the WJC, putting Subban in the high slot instead of on the point. Makes me think he might have been behind that experiment where we had Karlsson in the slot for a bit (which actually kick started the PP for a bit if I recall, but everyone was terrified that Hoffman would break his foot with a one timer or something)

 

[TheBradyBunch]

I wonder if Gulutzan would be receptive to an Assistant or AHL Head Coaching job with us. Apparently he has already received two offers from “rebuilding teams”.

He has a good track record with youngsters.

 

[aragorn]

If we're going down that road, I kind of think the organization will move on from Wideman too, so it really could be a moot point.

I'm not sure about Wideman since they do have Jaros who seems almost NHL ready but Wideman is already NHL ready & experienced. They may re-sign him with the idea to trade him at the deadline to give him an opportunity with another team & that would be a good time to bring Jaros up full time.

The story at the time was the Boucher came into the interview incredibly prepared. He broke down just was was wrong with the 15-16 Senators and gave a step by step guide on how he would fix it.

My guess is that they just kept chatting hockey afterwards. There seemed to be a very tight relationship between them early on.

As I understand it, GB & PD were friends, the fact that they are both french helps when they are talking around Brennan & Garrioch who can't understand them. Whenever I have seen them together at development camps they seem to be very tight & are always talking together.

 

[BondraTime]

As I understand it, GB & PD go back to their time with the Montreal organization when PD was a scout & GB was the head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal's AHL affiliate. They became friends & stayed in touch, the fact that they are both french helps when they are talking around Brennan & Garrioch who can't understand them.

Dorion left the Montreal organisation in 2005, Boucher served 1 year in the Montreal organisation in 2009-2010.

They never had any time together in the Montreal organisation.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I bet Dorion has Boucher back. The wait doesn't make sense.. If Dorion was going to let Boucher go would he not want him to have every opportunity to land somewhere else.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

I bet Dorion has Boucher back. The wait doesn't make sense.. If Dorion was going to let Boucher go would he not want him to have every opportunity to land somewhere else.

Agreed. At the same time, like where...?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Agreed. At the same time, like where...?

Where there are openings when there are openings

Calgary had an opening
Carolina and Dallas have openings
Montreal's AHL team if he'd go there

 

[Cosmix]

Sad but likely true..... No 2019 first .. No 2019 first .. No 2019 first .. No 2019 first .. No 2019 first .. No 2019 first

3 year extension, 3 year extension, 3 year extension! WTF!

 

[Ray Kinsella]

Where there are openings when there are openings

Calgary had an opening
Carolina and Dallas have openings
Montreal's AHL team if he'd go there

I was being facetious. In terms of... how in demand would he be.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

I remember being excited about the “accelerated” powerplay that he would implement.

i cant even think of a joke for this.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Silencio]

Yeah he's staying.

 

[Zorf]

Each day that passes makes me think more and more that he's staying.

Seems to have a close friendship with Dorion, and he was the first hire by Dorion, so I think he'll get lots of rope from the GM. Plus, the team has a cheap owner

Too many factors keeping him here.

 

[Cosmix]

The story at the time was the Boucher came into the interview incredibly prepared. He broke down just was was wrong with the 15-16 Senators and gave a step by step guide on how he would fix it.

My guess is that they just kept chatting hockey afterwards. There seemed to be a very tight relationship between them early on.

Boucher’s step-by-step guide obviously has flaws including the use of rest as a weapon!

Unfortunately the team has flaws other than Boucher’s guide, including but not limited to a GM who valued old vets above young prospects.

 

[Cosmix]

Each day that passes makes me think more and more that he's staying.

Seems to have a close friendship with Dorion, and he was the first hire by Dorion, so I think he'll get lots of rope from the GM. Plus, the team has a cheap owner

Too many factors keeping him here.

I agree that he needs lots of rope, but not in the sense you indicated.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

...an 8 hour interview?

It takes a long time to explain players body movements in cubic centimeters relative to where the puck is and where the opposing players are all on a fraction of an inch grid

 

[Cosmix]

It takes a long time to explain players body movements in cubic centimeters relative to where the puck is and where the opposing players are all on a fraction of an inch grid

That gives new meaning to the term “grid-lock”!

 

[Cosmix]

Boucher has not shown any consistent GF - GA progress since being hired:
2015-16. 2016-17. 2017-18
GF. 236. T7th. 212. 22nd. 221. 26th
GA. 247. 28th. 214. 11th. 291. 30th

Boucher does not deserve to come back as coach next season. Now is the time to hire a new coach while the better candidates are available in the off-season; not 20 Games into next season.

 

[Shruggs Peterson]

Well if Boucher is back then at the very least change his coaching staff a bit, there has to be some kind of accountability there. One or more of Marc Crawford, Rob Cookson and Martin Raymond should not be back. Also Pierre Groulx should be changed as well.