Speculation: Gerard Gallant fired

[Ricelund]

I found it interesting that Custance and HSJ both mentioned him staying in the organization in another role.

Yeah, unique but not surprising, IMO. The Wings are a class organization even if the team is awful right now. Who would go out on a limb to hire Blashill after his record in Detroit? How do you sell that to a fan base? Depending on his family situation, it probably makes sense for him to stick with the team in some capacity if the best he’s going to get is an assistant role or AHL job elsewhere.

 

[Henkka]

I think Blashill would be fine again coaching in AHL. Not at all impressed by Ben Simon currently there.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Yeah, unique but not surprising, IMO. The Wings are a class organization even if the team is awful right now. Who would go out on a limb to hire Blashill after his record in Detroit? How do you sell that to a fan base? Depending on his family situation, it probably makes sense for him to stick with the team in some capacity if the best he’s going to get is an assistant role or AHL job elsewhere.

Just another one of those day to day they think that much of him

 

[ManwithNoIdentity]

Welcome to Detroit , Gallant!

...I wish

 

[ManwithNoIdentity]

Some of us watch the team and give a ****.

Exactly, the fact that some are so complacent with the garbage we’re putting on ice is ridiculously. You can only change one thing at a time, a coach like this becomes available you jump.

You laugh at other people's arguments while defending the retaining of Blashill...
Who's done nothing but lose.
While good, proven coaches get fired while winning.

Keep laughing.

his life affair with Blashill is so puzzling. I admire his dedication and loyalty though, I suppose.

 

[Run the Jewels]

Pierre Lebrun indicates that he'd heard some talk of the Knights trying to work on an extension with Gallant so perhaps he pulled an Yzerman and declined and they decided to make the move and get DeBoer.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

Is it?

His MO seems to be proactive.

Regarding Blashill. I’d agree Yzerman is very aggressive in most other aspects

 

[TatarTangle]

It's fairly obvious Blashill won't be around for the future and he has acknowledged he understands the uncertain nature of the job but would it be easier to hire Gallant as an assistant and knock down Bylsma to a lesser role? And in the off-season find a role for Blashill?

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Anyone who doesn't think Blashill gets another head coaching job is just being naive.

1. This league cycles through the same 35 coaches.

2. Everyone understands this is a historically bad team, and no one outside the organization blames him for how bad the roster is.

He will find another gig easily.

 

[Claypool]

Anyone who doesn't think Blashill gets another head coaching job is just being naive.

1. This league cycles through the same 35 coaches.

2. Everyone understands this is a historically bad team, and no one outside the organization blames him for how bad the roster is.

He will find another gig easily.

Hard to say for sure. He'll have to have a great interview for an NHL head coach position. His best asset that he'll sell teams on is his ability to work with and develop young players, so maybe another rebuilding team gives him a shot (Minnesota?).

He'll likely have to do what Dallas Eakins did, which is return to the AHL as a head coach and build his reputation back up, or get an assistant position somewhere with an NHL team.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Hard to say for sure. He'll have to have a great interview for an NHL head coach position. His best asset that he'll sell teams on is his ability to work with and develop young players, so maybe another rebuilding team gives him a shot (Minnesota?).

He'll likely have to do what Dallas Eakins did, which is return to the AHL as a head coach and build his reputation back up, or get an assistant position somewhere with an NHL team.

Eakins took a hit because of what was happening in Edmonton. Teams that should have taken steps and players that should have taken steps, never did. This Detroit team was always going to be a bottom 5 team in the league. Blashill made the playoffs with a paltry team and helped players like Larkin, Bertuzzi, Hronek, and Mantha develop. I promise you the league doesn’t see Blashill the way this fanbase does.

 

[Henkka]

Eakins took a hit because of what was happening in Edmonton. Teams that should have taken steps and players that should have taken steps, never did. This Detroit team was always going to be a bottom 5 team in the league. Blashill made the playoffs with a paltry team and helped players like Larkin, Bertuzzi, Hronek, and Mantha develop. I promise you the league doesn’t see Blashill the way this fanbase does.

Yeah, when Blashill had both Datsyuk and Zetterberg, they went to playoffs. When Datsyuk retired, that was just too much.

Without Pavel, we haven't seen the playoffs and haven't even been near. He was so damn good even on his last legs. Like, best of regular forwards in CF%, xGF% anf HDCF%, and against toughest opponents at season 2015-16 (Blashill's first + the only with Pavel).

When any team loses that level of player, without a replacement, be ready for the freefall.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Yeah, when Blashill had both Datsyuk and Zetterberg, they went to playoffs. When Datsyuk retired, that was just too much.

Without Pavel, we haven't seen the playoffs and haven't even been near.

Yes, teams that don’t have good hockey players miss the playoffs. Everyone knows this.

 

[Ulysses31]

Welcome to Detroit , Gallant!

...I wish

my thoughts exactly

 

[lomekian]

I think how this team plays is more a reflection of how poor the players are than what the coach wants them to do. I know I've heard Blashill interviewed and he talks about drilling the team to be more aggressive, but they just don't go for it in the game. I think Blashill could probably squeak a bit more out of this club if he did embrace a conservative, chip it off the glass and grind it out defensive game plan.

That's hardly great praise. If he wants to implement a style and even the more talented members of the team can't take in board with any regularity, then he's failing in his job. Anyway, aggression in terms of tactics is not the same as creativity, and there is a total lack of that in the way the team plays or the ways the players are used.

While I know he's not responsible as such for special teams, they are an abomination at times, and symptomatic of the same unimaginative simplicity that undermines this team (and frankly a lot of NHL coaching). If you have worse players, you have to be more imaginative not less.

 

[ArmChairGM89]

That's hardly great praise. If he wants to implement a style and even the more talented members of the team can't take in board with any regularity, then he's failing in his job. Anyway, aggression in terms of tactics is not the same as creativity, and there is a total lack of that in the way the team plays or the ways the players are used.

While I know he's not responsible as such for special teams, they are an abomination at times, and symptomatic of the same unimaginative simplicity that undermines this team (and frankly a lot of NHL coaching). If you have worse players, you have to be more imaginative not less.

I disagree. When you have worse players you can’t implement a more creative system. When you have worse players you have to preach the basics. You have to preach positioning. You have to keep things simple. Worse players aren’t “worse” because they have high hockey iq. Worse players aren’t worse because they have the tools to execute creative and complex systems. This whole idea is backwards.

 

[Bench]

I promise you the league doesn’t see Blashill the way this fanbase does.

What Wings fans see: "Awful record, what an idiot!"
What GMs will see: "Yikes, they gave him literally nothing to work with. He held his composure and continued to develop new young players like Hronek."

The fact the Wings still have a remotely decent attitude, and there's no locker room revolt, is a testament to Blashill.

The vocal critiques of Blashill tend to be drive by sweeping statements that boil down to "don't get beat by 5" and "play AA more." Great insight. Give Blashill the Tampa Bay team and they don't miss a beat. And that's what Yzerman sees, because you know, he used to run a talented team with same pedigree of coach. Everyone at the Wings know this is a talent deficit first and foremost.

Now none of this is to say we need to stay married to Blashill as new opportunities emerge. That's the nature of NHL coaching. But god I'm glad Yzerman is so much more level headed about this kind of thing than the average GM who cycles through coaches in desperation until they themselves are finally fired.

 

[Henkka]

The fact the Wings still have a remotely decent attitude, and there's no locker room revolt, is a testament to Blashill.

The vocal critiques of Blashill tend to be drive by sweeping statements that boil down to "don't get beat by 5" and "play AA more." Great insight. Give Blashill the Tampa Bay team and they don't miss a beat. And that's what Yzerman sees, because you know, he used to run a talented team with same pedigree of coach. Everyone at the Wings know this is a talent deficit first and foremost.

Now none of this is to say we need to stay married to Blashill as new opportunities emerge. That's the nature of NHL coaching. But god I'm glad Yzerman is so much more level headed about this kind of thing than the average GM who cycles through coaches in desperation until they themselves are finally fired.

It has been so much lately on goaltenders.

Like, we did look decent when Bernier was ok consistent. Now, Howard has been totally abysmal as ever and it really kills those games, when he does not save anything. 3-4 goal lead, where maybe 1 is a defenceman mistake and game over.

At first it was also on goaltender, when Bernier sucked, Howard was somewhat decent on the first games. Has been going down and Bernier up, but now injured.

With decent goaltendeing, the attitude has been fine and they are fine in close games.

 

[Squirrel in the Hole]

Gallant is exactly what we need. He was able to galvanize a group of misfit vets and kids in Vegas and get them to believe in themselves.

You listen to the way Larkin is talking and you realize the toll this season is taking on the kids. They need a new voice, a players coach.

The ideal scenario would be having him take over after the All Star break. Make Blashill a consultant through the end of the year, then figure out what to do with him in the off-season.

 

[drw02]

Still think Lane Lambert would be an excellent choice in the offseason but with Gallant you feel a bit more confident in what you're getting and he's exactly the type of coach this team needs moving into the future imo.

 

[drw02]

What Wings fans see: "Awful record, what an idiot!"
What GMs will see: "Yikes, they gave him literally nothing to work with. He held his composure and continued to develop new young players like Hronek."

The fact the Wings still have a remotely decent attitude, and there's no locker room revolt, is a testament to Blashill.

The vocal critiques of Blashill tend to be drive by sweeping statements that boil down to "don't get beat by 5" and "play AA more." Great insight. Give Blashill the Tampa Bay team and they don't miss a beat. And that's what Yzerman sees, because you know, he used to run a talented team with same pedigree of coach. Everyone at the Wings know this is a talent deficit first and foremost.

Now none of this is to say we need to stay married to Blashill as new opportunities emerge. That's the nature of NHL coaching. But god I'm glad Yzerman is so much more level headed about this kind of thing than the average GM who cycles through coaches in desperation until they themselves are finally fired.

If Yzerman really believed Blashill was Jon Cooper 2.0 then he wouldn't fire him, which seems like a foregone conclusion atp. Blashill simply hasn't done a very good job regardless of having little to work with. He's been here for years and the Wings still have no real system/strategy they employ. They deal with the same issues over and over. He's never proactive, always reactive.

Nobody looks at the Islanders and says wow that team is stacked with talent, but Barry Trotz is an amazing coach and gets his guys playing at a high level every night. Of course NYI have more talent than Detroit but I refuse to believe this team would be dead last by a mile and getting blown out almost every night if someone like Trotz or Gallant was our coach.

 

[lhsgolf19]

Get Blash out of here now... This is BS

 

[ShelbyZ]

Anyone who doesn't think Blashill gets another head coaching job is just being naive.

1. This league cycles through the same 35 coaches.

2. Everyone understands this is a historically bad team, and no one outside the organization blames him for how bad the roster is.

He will find another gig easily.

The fact that John Hynes was unemployed for barely a month after lighting the match for that underachieving dumpster fire in New Jersey probably speaks well for Blashill's NHL employment prospects...

IMO, not being able to attach the word "underachieve/ing/d/etc." to Blashill probably helps as well. Unless someone is wearing rose tinted glasses from their favorite prospect/young guy not being entitled top line/PP minutes or the starting goalie job, Blashill has probably done pretty close to what you'd expect from the rosters he's been given. He's never had consistent goaltending and the only legitimate top line talent he's even had was an injury riddled 37YO Pavel Datsyuk that probably already had his heart set on collecting the big paycheck years on his contract and getting back home ASAP, and a 35+YO Zetterberg with a bad back. He's also rarely had consistent goaltending and has never had anything closely resembling a #1 or #2 dman. At least from the Red Wings standpoint he's been a net positive when it comes to developing young players, if not substantially better than Babcock was in the seasons that came after the teams last appearance in the Finals.

That's arguably a cleaner sheet than say someone like Dan Bylsma after he was dismissed from the Pens. Who, despite leading them to a Stanley Cup, massively underachieved with a roster that had arguably two of the league's top five centers in their prime and was often supplemented with big "win now" acquisitions. He also presided over a period where the Penguins were absolutely abysmal at developing young players. Despite that last factor, Bylsma was hired to steer a rebuild around likely top pick Jack Eichel...

As for this job offer thing. It probably has zero to do with Blashill's future prospects or him wanting to give up coaching. The Wings did the same thing with Dave Lewis and Ken Holland when they were both replaced in the offseason. Blashill's been in the organization for almost a decade so they're happy to give him something to do while he waits for the right opportunity with another team. Or... it's a sign that Yzerman has a lot more of that Holland loyalty than Red Wings fans hoped and someone needs to start writing up why it was a smart idea for Yzerman not to move Green at the deadline or give extensions to Green, Howard, Ericsson or Daley. Just in case...

 

[Bench]

He's been here for years and the Wings still have no real system/strategy they employ.

It's stuff like this which makes it hard to take the critique seriously. Do you genuinely believe Steve F'n Yzerman would tolerate any coach that didn't have a system in place he believed in?

Like, come on. You're acting like one of us is coaching and using plays from NHL video games. Blashill is a pro with a deep knowledge of the game. There's a system. His players suck and get beat, so it looks like it's chaos, but there's a very firm gameplan.

 

[Retire91]

I highly doubt that, I don't think Trotz would make much of a difference. The team is performing to its level of talent. It's not coaching. Look at the mangames lost to injury this year and then look at that defense and goaltending and our 1,2,3 center. Are you kidding me? How on earth is this coaching?

I am still in favor of bringing in Gallant for two reasons. Gallant seems legit a great coach to match the new core with, and I consider Blash part of the old guard and I would like to just see the whole of the old guard swept out. But I am in no hurry to fire Blash because the talent level of this roster makes any management changes outside of GM and Scouting meaningless.