TBN: Moulson's blames season on lack of confidence/ Murray blames work ethic

[joshjull]

http://sabres.buffalonews.com/2016/03/04/44408/

Moulson says a lack of confidence has mostly contributed to his woes. Sabres General Manager Tim Murray says insufficient work is to blame.

“I see a player that maybe has neglected some things in the last couple years as far as how workouts are changing, how we as an organization are changing with our young players and even our players on the team,” Murray said Thursday during his weekly appearance on WGR-AM 550. “He’s sat up through some tough conversations. He’s sat up and taken notice, and I would say in the last five to six weeks he has been our hardest-working guy after games in the gym.

“We have a plan. We don’t expect to see results tomorrow. We’ve talked to his agent. We’ve talked to him. We’ve talked to our strength and conditioning staff. He doesn’t miss an optional skate anymore. He doesn’t miss a postgame workout anymore. So he’s taking this real serious. He doesn’t just want to go away.

“This is almost like coming off an injury where we’ve changed his daily routine, his workouts, his pregame, postgame, day off. He’s bought into this like a young player. Bad habits creep in. Bad habits creep in in all walks of life. We’ve addressed it. He’s addressed it. He’s stepped up.”

Moulson on Friday denied slacking off previously.

“I don’t think my workout’s changed very much,” he said in First Niagara Center. “I train extremely hard in the summers. I just think it was a case of I kind of lost my confidence and building that back up by the way I’m working. I don’t think my workouts have really changed. I’ve taken my off-ice performances pretty seriously my entire life, so I don’t think that really has changed.”

Informed of Murray’s words, Moulson said, "OK." Asked if he has neglected things, Moulson said: “There’s always room for improvement, so maybe I decided to improve some things.”

“The long-term goal is to have him better and able to produce starting next September in training camp, but it has started now,” Murray said on the radio. “The extra work has started now. We know it won’t pay off, like I say, tomorrow, but I fully expect he’ll come back better next year.

“I don’t expect to see a drastically different but I expect to see a different, more competitive Matt Moulson next season.”

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[Clock]

Murray's candidness still surprises me.

I'm happy to hear that there's a plan in place and that Moulson is taking some steps.

 

[Crazy Tasty]

The Ice Cream freezer was the first to go.

 

[Husko]

Wait, did they ask him if he's been slacking off/changed up his workouts, then after that share Murray's quote with him?

That's solid journalism.

 

[Jacob582]

The Ice Cream freezer was the first to go.

Ha ha. I was thinking this too.

Sounds like he signed his career contract and got a little complacent.

Is he the best role model for Jack?

 

[Myllz]

Ha ha. I was thinking this too.

Sounds like he signed his career contract and got a little complacent.

Is he the best role model for Jack?

Who said he was Jack's role model?

 

[Chainshot]

The Ice Cream freezer was the first to go.

That was my first thought.

 

[Mit Yarrum]

I really like Murray.

 

[Kublakhan]

Who said he was Jack's role model?

Jack just lives with his family, I don't think he is a role model..

 

[Jim Bob]

I thought McGinn was Jack's role model?

 

[Jame]

i love murray

 

[Gabrielor]

i love murray

I also do. If I could meet a Sabre, it would be him.

That said, I don't see a place for Moulson on this team next year at 5 million.

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

More ace reporting brought to you by TBN.

Meh, as long as there is a plan in place, i don't care if Moulson thinks his issues are the result of El Nino while Murray thinks it's a Full Moon issue. Hopefully by next season there will be results.

 

[Paxon]

I also do. If I could meet a Sabre, it would be him.

That said, I don't see a place for Moulson on this team next year at 5 million.

That's our cross to bear because I can't see him going anywhere just yet

 

[Jacob582]

The dreaded Improvement Plan. Who else was put on one of these? Leino? Hodgson?
Didn't go well for them.

 

[Jacob582]

That's our cross to bear because I can't see him going anywhere just yet

TM agrees with you.

 

[wunderpanda]

Seriously, this should have been handled behind closed doors. Murray should have held off on public shaming of Moulson and just accepted accountability for a bad contract.

 

[sabrebuild]

Seriously, this should have been handled behind closed doors. Murray should have held off on public shaming of Moulson and just accepted accountability for a bad contract.

Hmm, so the 30+ year old should be protected after getting a huge contract and then playing at an ahl level, maybe. Mmkay, maybe more muffin jokes and less pr lessons....

 

[Gabrielor]

Reading further, even Moulson has to know it isn't just confidence. His ability to compete for pucks was basically non-existent for 50 games. The last 15 or so I've seen life, but it's life in its most basic multicellular form.

 

[CaseyMitts37]

If Moulson did not have a contract heading into next year I think he would either retire or go to Europe

He's been a horrible NHLer

 

[slip]

It's unlikely he breaks out of his scoring slump logging 4th line minutes. I'm not saying he deserves choice minutes, either. But I'm not averse to Disco giving him opportunities to play on better lines down the stretch.

 

[Dingo44]

It's unlikely he breaks out of his scoring slump logging 4th line minutes. I'm not saying he deserves choice minutes, either. But I'm not averse to Disco giving him opportunities to play on better lines down the stretch.

I agree except he's given him chances time and time again, and he's still on the #2 power play.

I think there is a chance he can get back to something but it sounds like Murray feels like it's not going to happen overnight, and yet he's still hopeful these changes will get him there.

 

[Chad Thundercock]

Seriously, this should have been handled behind closed doors. Murray should have held off on public shaming of Moulson and just accepted accountability for a bad contract.

I think similarly. None of this public chatter is doing any good, and I think both sides aren't addressing the real issue anyway.

 

[haseoke39]

Whether or not Moulson deserves the criticism, or in a cosmic sense nothing bad you say about him should matter given his paycheck, or any rationalization you can spin out of this, it remains true that public shaming is a bad way to run your organization. It hurts morale and strains relationships. Moulson is obviously feeling like he wanted to handle his struggles one way to the public, and Murray made a story that he didn't have to that effectively just knocked him down a peg in front of the media.

It's not surprising, because Murray has no mental filter. And for that reason I think it probably wasn't meant to embarrass him, either. But it remains true that he did and that he sucks at this aspect of the job.

 

[Myllz]

Whether or not Moulson deserves the criticism, or in a cosmic sense nothing bad you say about him should matter given his paycheck, or any rationalization you can spin out of this, it remains true that public shaming is a bad way to run your organization. It hurts morale and strains relationships. Moulson is obviously feeling like he wanted to handle his struggles one way to the public, and Murray made a story that he didn't have to that effectively just knocked him down a peg in front of the media.

It's not surprising, because Murray has no mental filter. And for that reason I think it probably wasn't meant to embarrass him, either. But it remains true that he did and that he sucks at this aspect of the job.

Where did Moulson say he felt embarrassed? Or even hinted at it?