What to Do With Hynes Poll

[Porter Stoutheart]

Just thinking of how we might break down our various positions on what to do with coach Hynes, and where the team is ultimately headed this season, with or without Hynes. Is there a group consensus?

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[PredsV82]

Just thinking of how we might break down our various positions on what to do with coach Hynes, and where the team is ultimately headed this season, with or without Hynes. Is there a group consensus?

Looks like there is complete consensus.

I'm probably going to just check the boards a few times a day but if there isnt a "Hynes fired" thread I'll just click off...

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

With back-to-back games against the Stars Monday and Tuesday, if it's going to happen it has to come today.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I guess the only way I see Poile "retiring" is if he hitches his wagon firmly to Hynes. That being said, I hope Hynes drives this sucker straight off the cliff dragging Poile with him. It feels like the only way we get a true fresh start.

 

[Kat Predator]

Not a lot of posters "playing with confidence" in Hynes.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Keep him, suck as much as you can the rest of the season and start fresh with a new coach and GM.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Hynes is a terrible coach. I still think this roster should be a fringe playoff team although I can’t see us beating Tampa Bay in a series so that doesn’t really mean much.

I agree with the above though that if you don’t think it makes a difference no reason not to embrace the suck and ride it out with Hynes.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Keep him, suck as much as you can the rest of the season and start fresh with a new coach and GM.

If this is your strategy, put the kids in the AHL and let them develop.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Looks like there is complete consensus.

I'm probably going to just check the boards a few times a day but if there isnt a "Hynes fired" thread I'll just click off...

I'm kind of at a loss as to why this hasn't happened yet. We've not shown up in over half the first periods this season and a lot of our losses only don't look so bad because the game wasn't in doubt after the 1st/2nd period and the other team let up. Our special teams has been abyssmal. We've had a number of terrible losses, responded to closed door meetings and victories (that could have been used as springboards to better strings of play) with awful performances.

Does Poile/ownership really just think we've had some bad breaks and are a good performance away from turning it around? We've already shown multiple times that we're not. Pull the trigger already!

 

[RangerDoggo]

You didn’t put “strand him on the side of the highway and let the chips fall where they may” as an option.

I feel so sorry for you guys, you may not be that good of a team but you’re surely not bad enough to be dominated in two games against one of the worst teams in the NHL. Hynes doesn’t just lose, he loses painfully.

 

[glenngineer]

Where's the option with fire Poile and Hynes?

 

[herzausstein]

At this point, I say hold onto hynes until end of season.

reason
We aren’t making the playoffs and I don’t want a competent coach coming in and getting us a middle of the 1st round pick. I want that top 5 pick at this point

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Where's the option with fire Poile and Hynes?

I have to say, I already feel like it's a bit of a fan fantasy to hope that even Hynes alone gets fired.

I guess Poile's fate could be added as a variable in this poll, or perhaps become a separate one all on its own?

I have to admit, I would probably still vote to keep Poile, the devil I know, IF he actually fires Hynes in a timely fashion. So perhaps there is a follow-on dependency in the poll options.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

At this point, I say hold onto hynes until end of season.

reason
We aren’t making the playoffs and I don’t want a competent coach coming in and getting us a middle of the 1st round pick. I want that top 5 pick at this point

I would take the middle round pick, myself, just to have a little more joy down the stretch in games. It does not sound like a particularly stacked draft at the top, and as bad as we are, I wonder if we can even get higher than 4th or 5th in the lottery. Ottawa and Detroit aren't going to be easy to catch, and Seattle gets the #3 spot iirc. If we really had an opportunity to get a franchise player of some sort, that'd be different. But so far it doesn't seem like that's out there in this particular draft?

EDIT: I guess the other thing that I would keep in mind is that doing better this season should help the asset valuation of all our other players, AND if we have a good coach it probably makes us a more attractive destination for free agents. If all our other players have greater value, and we have a better chance at signing better free agents, I think that's a bigger help to our franchise overall than the difference between drafting 5th and 12th in this particular draft.

 

[herzausstein]

I would take the middle round pick, myself, just to have a little more joy down the stretch in games. It does not sound like a particularly stacked draft at the top, and as bad as we are, I wonder if we can even get higher than 4th or 5th in the lottery. Ottawa and Detroit aren't going to be easy to catch, and Seattle gets the #3 spot iirc. If we really had an opportunity to get a franchise player of some sort, that'd be different. But so far it doesn't seem like that's out there in this particular draft?

EDIT: I guess the other thing that I would keep in mind is that doing better this season should help the asset valuation of all our other players, AND if we have a good coach it probably makes us a more attractive destination for free agents. If all our other players have greater value, and we have a better chance at signing better free agents, I think that's a bigger help to our franchise overall than the difference between drafting 5th and 12th in this particular draft.

I guess I’d rather just not be close. Then there won’t be “if we only got rid of hynes earlier” and second guessing etc.

 

[glenngineer]

I have to say, I already feel like it's a bit of a fan fantasy to hope that even Hynes alone gets fired.

I guess Poile's fate could be added as a variable in this poll, or perhaps become a separate one all on its own?

I have to admit, I would probably still vote to keep Poile, the devil I know, IF he actually fires Hynes in a timely fashion. So perhaps there is a follow-on dependency in the poll options.

I know this Devil. He can't draft great or elite forwards for sh*t and you need someone upfront to be able to get it done to win in the playoffs.

The other part of the problem this team faces is, the road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee. Why? If a kid is good enough to play, let him play. If he has shortcomings, teach them to him. To stifle a possible offensive gem to make him a well-rounded player is stupid IMO. It's like telling a kid who's great at math to be great at English too, even though, they're not good at it and never will be. Focus on the strengths and build upon them, stop trying to make every player well rounded, it makes for a good team that never gets anywhere.

I'll throw this stat out there. The year Gretzky scored 212 points was in an 80 game season. His plus/minus for the year was plus 80. What does that mean at the end of the day? His line on average scored almost 2.5 goals per game. It also means they gave up about 1.5 goals per game. If I were building a team, would I want a guy on the ice who's allowing 1.5 goals per game? Probably not, unless they're outscoring the other team by a goal per game. They played to his strength and it worked. They didn't go, hey, you know what, we're giving up too many goals with you on the ice, you need to work on your two-way game. No, they realized the gem they had and let him do his thing.

Is this the best analogy? Probably not but it gets the point across. Play to the strengths of the players you have. If a guy isn't that physical, put a guy on his line that compliments his skill set as well as adding some grit to it. Look at some of the best lines in hockey, they are usually well balanced. You have a sniper, a guy that distribute the puck and a guy with a bit of an edge to their game. More than likely, one of them is a good two way player. This isn't rocket science. Do you think Chicago cares if Kane is a good two way player? Do you think the Avs care if MacKinnon back checks all the time? Yeah, it's part of the game but so is scoring and we focus on playing the right way, we've taken the fun out of the game for certain players and made them worse in the long run.

I was a staunch believer in Poile for a long time. I am no longer in support of him being the team's GM. He has proven what he can and can't do and while we usually ice a competitive team, we aren't even doing that any longer.

 

[ILikeItILoveIt]

We can’t afford to play for a high draft pick. Next season will be a financial disaster coming off a bigger financial disaster this year. We need the fan base believing in next year, not hoping in 3 years we’re rebuilt.

nobody is a bigger fan and a bigger optimist than me, and my give-a-shit meter is set on passive. I will watch games on tv from now on and hold my $$ for next year. I will comment on the boards because I care and want/need this team to rebound. But they’re not gonna make much money on me this year, and I’ve averaged about $20K a year for the last several years.

That said, I am a romantic and I’m gullible about things I want to have happen. Give me something, anything to get excited about, and I’m yours again. That won’t happen the way they are playing. We’re watching a hollowed out version of ourselves.

 

[jumb0]

Keep him, suck as much as you can the rest of the season and start fresh with a new coach and GM.

this

 

[Thundr70]

Due to a short season I think were stuck with what we got. that being said this team has a lot of issue and changes have to occur, The coaching staff for these players is not working, and the only way Hynes gets fired is when Polie gets fired or retires. the other issue this team has no chemistry and when you have players like Joey or Duchene who are not producing like they should it affect the whole team. I feel like the leaders on this team are lacking, you need a captain like a Fisher type , I do not have a issue with Josi game, but I feel he is lacking leadership skills. There is players on the team that dont need to be in lineup and fans that watch the games have a good idea of who they are. That's just the way I see other may see it different.

As far as the poll goes, put Hynes on a line with Joey and Duchene and see what happens .LOL

 

[OldFan]

Keeping “the kids” in the minors is not a Hynes decision except he and Poile are such buddies I’m sure he agrees with everything David says. It’s very difficult for anyone ( like an NHL GM) to change their ways after doing their jobs a certain way for years. No one is going to change Poile’s decision about Milwaukee then Nashville No one is going to change his opinion on Hynes except Hynes record. He fully believes he’s got a handle in every aspect of his job after all these years. But things have changed. It’s not the same game. The players are different; have more power over their destiny. It’s time; like he told Trotzy. Years from now, when he is honored by the Preds, I’ll stand and cheer long and loud. He built us a franchise almost singlehandedly . But right now, today; it’s time.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I just feel like bringing in a new coach, even if it comes with an "interim" tag, might be one more way to try to pump some air back in the tires of declining assets like Joey and Duchene before we move them. Right now, you probably couldn't give them away, nor could you realistically expect Seattle to take them even if you exposed them in the Expansion Draft. But at least by making a change, maybe there is some way to bend that curve back in a way that helps us move them. Maybe something clicks just enough that it helps us move on in the summer better.

Maybe there's a point where Poile just says, look, we aren't going to win enough games to make the playoffs no matter what, so let's change the gameplan to something that looks more "fun", more open so we get some 6-5 games, and maybe that helps pad a few players' stats or something so that we can market them better in the off-season.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I don't really care about players having to go through Milwaukee. We've rarely had a forward prospect worthy of bypassing the AHL and I'm not even sure that jumping non-generational top picks to the NHL level is all that great for their development (look at Kakko and Lafreniere's performance thus far and those are two "elite" level prospects). In theory, it's a sound practice to ensure they're ready to play at this level and understand the system.

What I do dislike is how we consistently seem to block their path out of Milwaukee once they've gotten there. We don't have to have every middle and bottom 6 forward slot (or the 3rd pairing) stocked with random plugs each year. While the prospects, in theory, should be able to compete for those spots (and displace whoever the placeholder is), our coaches have consistently chosen to not allow that to occur.

 

[BigFatCat999]

I don't really care about players having to go through Milwaukee. We've rarely had a forward prospect worthy of bypassing the AHL and I'm not even sure that jumping non-generational top picks to the NHL level is all that great for their development (look at Kakko and Lafreniere's performance thus far and those are two "elite" level prospects). In theory, it's a sound practice to ensure they're ready to play at this level and understand the system.

What I do dislike is how we consistently seem to block their path out of Milwaukee once they've gotten there. We don't have to have every middle and bottom 6 forward slot (or the 3rd pairing) stocked with random plugs each year. While the prospects, in theory, should be able to compete for those spots (and displace whoever the placeholder is), our coaches have consistently chosen to not allow that to occur.

Seth Jones

 

[Kat Predator]

I don't really care about players having to go through Milwaukee. We've rarely had a forward prospect worthy of bypassing the AHL and I'm not even sure that jumping non-generational top picks to the NHL level is all that great for their development (look at Kakko and Lafreniere's performance thus far and those are two "elite" level prospects). In theory, it's a sound practice to ensure they're ready to play at this level and understand the system.

What I do dislike is how we consistently seem to block their path out of Milwaukee once they've gotten there. We don't have to have every middle and bottom 6 forward slot (or the 3rd pairing) stocked with random plugs each year. While the prospects, in theory, should be able to compete for those spots (and displace whoever the placeholder is), our coaches have consistently chosen to not allow that to occur.

Some of this is probably related to the yoyo rules. Bouncing a veteran up and down runs into the waivers issue. ELCs have their waiver exemptions.

Another factor is that the point of the AHL is to develop players. In the NHL, your team should (ideally) be focused on winning games, getting to the playoffs, and becoming a contender—not being an extension of a farm system. Still, developing your depth and then always giving the nod to some JAG free agent seems like a waste of resources.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Some of this is probably related to the yoyo rules. Bouncing a veteran up and down runs into the waivers issue. ELCs have their waiver exemptions.

Another factor is that the point of the AHL is to develop players. In the NHL, your team should (ideally) be focused on winning games, getting to the playoffs, and becoming a contender—not being an extension of a farm system. Still, developing your depth and then always giving the nod to some JAG free agent seems like a waste of resources.

These definitely all factor in, I just think we've set the system up for failure in that we'd rather prospects get big minutes down in Milwaukee to aid their development, and then every season refuse to give them a shot to actually stick on the roster. We've had sufficient depth and security of making the playoffs before this season to leave the 22nd/23 roster spots for a d prospect/fwd prospect. Give them every 3rd game or so, more if they perform well, and then they train with the big club the rest of the time. Far more beneficial than keeping all of Weber, Irwin, Bitetto around year after year and wondering whether any of the kids may be good enough next season.