McLellan impresses in Edmonton so far

[hohosaregood]

I don't think there has ever been any doubt McLellan is an excellent coach. He'll at least help mold the Oilers into a playoff team in the next year or two. The big question for him is his ability to adapt and evolve, as others have said.

I really do believe that he might be the guy to take Edmonton to the playoffs, but someone else might have to be the one to take them to the Cup.

Personally, I'm gonna qualify that first line. There's no doubt that McLellan's an excellent PP and offensive zone coach. Other than that, I'm not so sure. Neutral zone, PK, and defensive zone has been super suspect for a while now even when he's had decent personnel.

 

[bigwillie]

Personally, I'm gonna qualify that first line. There's no doubt that McLellan's an excellent PP and offensive zone coach. Other than that, I'm not so sure. Neutral zone, PK, and defensive zone has been super suspect for a while now even when he's had decent personnel.

I think that's fair, especially on the PK. I've always scapegoated Yawney, Woodcroft, etc. for some of those failings, but SacLandShark made a good point - he's their boss, so the blame eventually needs to fall on him.

Overall though, I think his strengths cover well enough for his weaknesses to put him as a top ten current coach in the NHL, he just needs to surround him with a staff that helps him find a better balance.

 

[SJGoalie32]

Let's see. Todd says players were told and knew what to do and stopped doing it. Players on several occasions agree that is what was happening. Time to blame the coach.

Good to great coach. Time will tell if he can be a GREAT coach. His time here was done. That's all.

I totally agree. The bolded part in particular really frustrated me as a fan.

I suppose a case could be argued that he didn't do enough to punish the players who stopped doing what they were supposed to. Whether he could have done more to make them listen or not is unknowable. What is knowable is that the players stopped responding and he is gone in part because of it. Hopefully (for his sake and the Oilers), the players in Edmonton listen to him and get on board and stay on board.

I also think this plays a factor in the adjustments he did and didn't make over the course of a season or series. If he couldn't get players to do what he'd been telling them to do all year (and that the players agreed he'd told them and they just weren't doing it any more), it kind of undercuts his ability to make adjustments on the fly.

We'll likely see over time whether he continues not making adequate adjustments or whether he simply couldn't make them here with our rosters (or perhaps, like Darryl Sutter before him, a few years down the road he will simply be improved at identifying and making those adjustments).

But as I commented earlier, the Oilers are in a completely different place from the Sharks. Mid-playoff series gameplay adjustments aren't the Oilers concern right now. Sharks fired him because he struggled to get his team to adapt to the middle rounds of the playoffs. I think at this stage, Oilers fans read "middle rounds of playoffs" and accept that gleefully. Or hell, just playoffs. Or just playoff contention. Or really anything that gets them out of the cellar.

If he can get 25-30 goals from both Hall and McDavid, 20+ from Eberle (after he returns from injury), and not have a cover-your-eyes-awful defense, that will be a successful first year behind the bench.....even if he doesn't make one single sensible PK adjustment all year.

 

[WineShark]

Good coach but we needed a change. My only caution is your view of holding players accountable.

His greatest downfall in my view was playing the best players when they weren't playing well. Niemi should have been sitting a few games last year and definately Marleau needed to see the ice from the press box to reflect on his consistency.

I understand that the best players - when they aren't at their best are probably still better than others at their best. But if you want to pull the best out of all the players they have to believe they will get a shot if someone else falters. Star treatment isn't a healthy thing. If he does that to the youngins there, that will set them back.

 

[Irie]

I think a lot of fans blame last year on McLellan, which is not fair IMO. Wilson came out before the season, said the team was a loser and could not win, let some key players go without replacing them, and did nothing to upgrade a roster that needed upgrading to be competitive. The players heard that message and played half hearted half the time. The efffort and focus were not there. I'm sure McLellan was tuned out some too by the players, but no one can say last season was strictly McLellan's fault. And no one should look at it as a measurement for his coaching ability.

McLellan may not be the best coach in the league, but San Jose would have won at least 1 or 2 cups if they had strong, consistent goaltending in the playoffs regularly over his tenure. No team can win when they have a goalie that has 3 crap_games in a 7 game series, which seemed to happen every year. Anyone here remember a sharks goalie playing above average in an elemination game? Soft goals at pivotal times undid team morale time and time again.

And all things being equal, had the sharks won just one cup, McLellan would be 10 times the coach in everyone's eyes.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Well he could do it in Edmonton since he has to purge a lot of bad habits and a culture of entitled behavior. The Sharks are in win now mode and scratching Marleau to prove a point was never a realistic option.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Anyone here remember a sharks goalie playing above average in an elimination game? Soft goals at pivotal times undid team morale time and time again.

Yes. Game 6 against LA in 2013.

 

[Irie]

Yes. Game 6 against LA in 2013.

Sorry, meant games the sharks WERE eliminated in. Game 7 in 2013 was the one that year, and niemi was sub .900 sv% with a pretty soft first goal against. Quick definitely outplayed him and the Kings won the series.

 

[LeeIFBB]

McLellan was fine. Doug was/is the empty suit.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Sorry, meant games the sharks WERE eliminated in. Game 7 in 2013 was the one that year, and niemi was sub .900 sv% with a pretty soft first goal against. Quick definitely outplayed him and the Kings won the series.

In any case, I get your overall point. I just happen to think that everyone kind of fails together...the goaltender struggles in the context of the forwards/defense struggling. As has often been said, Nabokov never lost a playoff series where the Sharks averaged more than 2 goals/game. Certainly, he let in some really bad goals, especially his last two seasons in teal, but the Sharks were also unable to get to Hiller and then Niemi.

 

[hockeyball]

In any case, I get your overall point. I just happen to think that everyone kind of fails together...the goaltender struggles in the context of the forwards/defense struggling. As has often been said, Nabokov never lost a playoff series where the Sharks averaged more than 2 goals/game. Certainly, he let in some really bad goals, especially his last two seasons in teal, but the Sharks were also unable to get to Hiller and then Niemi.

yup, which is why blaming any one issue is silly, it's been a whole bunch of them. Goaltending has been an issue, and when it wasn't Joe's predictability has come back to bite them, or the lack of depth has killed them, or their defense was impotent. etc

Point being, the Sharks have simply never put it all together at once. The most consistent issue though in my mind have been goaltending and Joe's predictability.

 

[OrrNumber4]

yup, which is why blaming any one issue is silly, it's been a whole bunch of them. Goaltending has been an issue, and when it wasn't Joe's predictability has come back to bite them, or the lack of depth has killed them, or their defense was impotent. etc

Point being, the Sharks have simply never put it all together at once. The most consistent issue though in my mind have been goaltending and Joe's predictability.

Well...I would add that the lack of a superstar #1 d-man has been a big issue.

 

[stator]

McLellan was fine. Doug was/is the empty suit.

I agree but Doug was not quite the empty suit this past off season. Concern with McLellan going to the Oilers may awaken that team into a competitor which is likely, imo. We'll see.

 

[stompinstoms]

Personally, I'm gonna qualify that first line. There's no doubt that McLellan's an excellent PP and offensive zone coach. Other than that, I'm not so sure. Neutral zone, PK, and defensive zone has been super suspect for a while now even when he's had decent personnel.

This is particularly interesting and troubling, since the Oilers don't have the "decent personnel" you speak of on the back end at this time. Haha.

 

[LadyStanley]

Sorry, meant games the sharks WERE eliminated in. Game 7 in 2013 was the one that year, and niemi was sub .900 sv% with a pretty soft first goal against. Quick definitely outplayed him and the Kings won the series.

Nabby in the multi-OT game against Dallas with that amazing glove save.

 

[Alwalys]

Nabby in the multi-OT game against Dallas with that amazing glove save.

first one that came to mind but i totally misremembered it as not an elimination game. that was a herculean performance and it's the sharkiest thing ever to end on soupy's penalty.

 

[hockfan1991]

Sorry, meant games the sharks WERE eliminated in. Game 7 in 2013 was the one that year, and niemi was sub .900 sv% with a pretty soft first goal against. Quick definitely outplayed him and the Kings won the series.

Not since Nabby days, its been a long time. i would say game 7 vs Avalanche. 1-0 loss, selanne should have scored. dont care if his wrist was broke. 4 ot game vs dallas game 6.

 

[hohosaregood]

This is particularly interesting and troubling, since the Oilers don't have the "decent personnel" you speak of on the back end at this time. Haha.

Well it's not exactly like the defense has been a total sieve(excluding last year where they were a total sieve and it was awful) but he's got this weird thing that's like a strict aversion to having defenseman lead off the breakout unless it's like Burns or Boyle. He tries to get a lot out of his forwards defensively though.

 

[Hold the Pickles]

Well he could do it in Edmonton since he has to purge a lot of bad habits and a culture of entitled behavior. The Sharks are in win now mode and scratching Marleau to prove a point was never a realistic option.

With Patty, it wouldn't have been about proving a point, it would have been about getting him to play better. Sometimes even the best players need help or perspective. Even Tiger Woods takes lessons and Tiger is way higher up the golf food chain than Patty is in hockey.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

With Patty, it wouldn't have been about proving a point, it would have been about getting him to play better. Sometimes even the best players need help or perspective. Even Tiger Woods takes lessons and Tiger is way higher up the golf food chain than Patty is in hockey.

Well, if you want to use that reasoning as to why he should be benched, everyone else that played last year could've used the same thing. The Tiger comparison isn't really relevant because the dynamics are significantly different with an individual sport and a team sport.

 

[Hold the Pickles]

Well, if you want to use that reasoning as to why he should be benched, everyone else that played last year could've used the same thing. The Tiger comparison isn't really relevant because the dynamics are significantly different with an individual sport and a team sport.

I'm not saying there were others that shouldn't have been benched at times. Forget the tiger comparison, there are coaches on the team that can help. Regardless, sometimes people need a different perspective. Watching the game from the press-box or even watching your tape of your own or even just getting a break can do wonders.

The tactics taken last year to get players out of a slump weren't working. To continue to do the same thing over and over expecting different results, is the definition of insanity.

 

[Mafoofoo]

I mean didn't you guys have Dallas Eakins last season? So really any competent NHL coach should be like a breath of fresh air and super impressive.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I'm not saying there were others that shouldn't have been benched at times. Forget the tiger comparison, there are coaches on the team that can help. Regardless, sometimes people need a different perspective. Watching the game from the press-box or even watching your tape of your own or even just getting a break can do wonders.

The tactics taken last year to get players out of a slump weren't working. To continue to do the same thing over and over expecting different results, is the definition of insanity.

And there is a reason why almost no coach in this league ever does what you're suggesting. Because watching from the press box as a method of improving one's game is not nearly as effective as people like to believe.

The insanity argument is shallow. There's nothing about one game to the next that is entirely the same or even remotely close.

 

[Barrie22]

And there is a reason why almost no coach in this league ever does what you're suggesting. Because watching from the press box as a method of improving one's game is not nearly as effective as people like to believe.

The insanity argument is shallow. There's nothing about one game to the next that is entirely the same or even remotely close.

Especially for a player that has done and seen every single thing that he can expect to see in any game situation. A 17 year veteran is not going to learn anything from watching from the press box.

 

[DarrylshutzSydor]

And there is a reason why almost no coach in this league ever does what you're suggesting. Because watching from the press box as a method of improving one's game is not nearly as effective as people like to believe.

The insanity argument is shallow. There's nothing about one game to the next that is entirely the same or even remotely close.

Flip channels between different games and you'll see that EVERY game looks almost exactly like every other game (same patterns/cycles in todays game).