Hey Sharks fans,
Oilers fan here, coming in peace. I wrote a blog on my thoughts on Todd McLellan so far as the new Oilers head coach (see below link if you're interested). I'm super impressed so far - after two straight seasons of Dallas Eakins training camps, this is a breath of fresh air.
Was McLellan always this focused during the past Sharks camps, or had the passion worn off a bit by the end?How's DeBoer's strategy compare so far?
I'm not in the know enough to break down how different head coaches run behind-the-scenes stuff at training camps given different rosters and a few glorified scrimmages.
I will say that under McLellan the Sharks had several strong preseason showings and some memorable hot starts. The Sharks dominated in McLellan's first season behind the bench. He tried re-focusing the team's gameplans on certain aspects over the years and the aforementioned quick starts seem to suggest that his preseason messages were generally received favorably and that most if not all the players seemed to get on board with it. At least to start the season.
FWIW, I don't think passion or teaching or eliciting preseason player commitment was ever McLellan's problem here. His problems (such as they were) would develop towards the middle of the season and into the stretch. TMac might hold players accountable during training camp, but will he still be holding guys like Hall and Eberle accountable for their mistakes in December and January after the initial passion has worn off and guys start slipping back into their old lazy habits?
It's one thing to make public examples out of star players during a training camp practice session as a way of getting everybody's attention and getting them to fall in line. But the bigger test of "accountability" is cutting players' ice time in the middle of the season and moving them down the bench when they aren't performing. You'll find out in time whether that accountability continues. If stars like McDavid, Hall, or Eberle underperform during the regular season, will he actually reduce their playing time and take them off the top line or PP? If veterans like Ference or Hendricks underperform, will he demote them or bench them in favor of younger talent, or will he continue to ride with his underperforming veteran guys?
But those are bridges to be crossed much much later. These are the debateable failings of a veteran coach who wasn't able find a way to push a crop of aging veterans over the last few lengths to the Cup finish line. For where the Oilers franchise is at right now though, just getting the engine started and running smoothly should be good enough. TMac should be focusing on developing an offensive and defensive identity that builds on the players' strengths and getting them to adapt to it. The Oilers could use a passionate start out of the gate to give the fanbase a breath of life and hope, almost regardless of what eventually happens down the stretch. So I think just McLellan will continue to do just fine for awhile.
