Who would you want to replace Blashill?

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

I'm reminded of 2012-13... the year after Lidstrom and Stuart left. Babcock had no choice but to use the kids like Nyquist and defensemen he hated, like Kindl and Smith.
And it was the last time the team looked good in the playoffs - even if Babcock tried his best to **** it up with Abby on line one.

I'm not saying Larkin/Mantha/Athanasiou/Bertuzzi/Hronek lead this team to game 7 of round two.

But I'm saying if you trust in these kids, there's a pretty good chance they lift you up.
The NHL is a young man's game these days.

Last year Mantha played 17:50 and AA played 16:58. Bertuzzi played 16:31.
I'd like to see all three guys over 18 next year.

Glendening needs to get out of the top 6.
Abdelkader out of the top nine.

Low-event hockey needs to be replaced with high-octane hockey.

?

12-13. Look at the leading scorers on the roster.

34 Datsyuk
32 Zetterberg
33 Franzen
32 Kronwall

That was not at all a team lead by young players. **** Gustav Nyquist had 6 points in 22 games.

Four of the top 5 playoff scorers?
Zetterberg, Franzen, Cleary, and Datsyuk

Brian Lashoff had more IT than Kindl in that playoffs.

If you wanted to use 13-14 as your example... that probably would make more sense as that was the season where Z and Datsyuk were gone and the Nyquist Explosion happened. It was also when Boston basically dropped their pants and duked right on the Wings chest. in the playoffs.

I mean, the underlying premise isn't completely wrong, as high-octane hockey could very well be the best choice for Detroit, but is it really any better if you're losing 6-5 than 2-1? I mean, The early 90s Wings were ALL high-octane hockey. And they didn't win a damn thing. Once they played more defensively than offensively they became a bona-fide force in the league. Hell, even with largely the same players. They should lighten the grip on the reins, but having a completely free-flowing, run and gun offense would be stupid. Larkin could score 125 points but if the result is his line giving up 25 more goals than he scores, it's not any damn good, is it?

And frankly, the Wings are NOW starting to get some guys who could play high octane hockey. They had Larkin, AA, Helm, etc. But the vast majority of their guys were kinda too slow for low-event hockey. So you were going to ask them to go double time?

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

I'm saying that a guy who has mostly been playing to win, instead of to develop, is failing to win.
That using Brad Richards and Abdelkader in the top 9 while playing skilled youngsters with Glendening or Miller was stupid.
That we had one of the oldest, worst defenses in hockey. And Blashill decided to go with the old ****ty guys instead of young guys who would have improved with experience and confidence.

And for what?
For nothing.

Maybe it was by secret order from Ken Holland. Who was on secret order from the Ilitches?

New era. New coach.
Bring it on.

Young players aren't guaranteed to improve with more time. Young players shouldn't be granted time just because they're young and they might develop.

 

[MBH]

Young players aren't guaranteed to improve with more time. Young players shouldn't be granted time just because they're young and they might develop.

They shouldn't be demoted when playing well so that guys who aren't playing well, guys who won't help the future, can play ahead of them.

I can remember fans defending Abdelkader on line 1.
What did that lead to?
Abby getting paid way more than he was worth, for way too long.
And the flipside is, other guys who could have developed from a top 9 to a top 6 forward were now on line 4, and struggling to play with grinders.

It's moronic bullshit from a wanna-be-Babcock guy who never had Babcock's ability to implement the kind of systems that allowed him to get away with his stupidity.

 

[ShelbyZ]

What's funny is, if Blashill snuck this team into the playoffs, and the top 10 skaters in ice time weren't all under 27YO, he'd need to be fired for ruining their draft pick...

I still believe the team could've been closer to a bubble team last year with a healthier defense.

Before the trade deadline:

With a healthy Green - 20-15-4 (.564 - 92/93 point pace)
With Green out* - 3-14-5 (.25 - 41 point pace)

* - In every game Green missed prior to the deadline, at least one if not more of Daley, DeKeyser or Kronwall were also out.

 

[MBH]

?

12-13. Look at the leading scorers on the roster.

34 Datsyuk
32 Zetterberg

33 Franzen
32 Kronwall

That was not at all a team lead by young players. **** Gustav Nyquist had 6 points in 22 games.

Four of the top 5 playoff scorers?
Zetterberg, Franzen, Cleary, and Datsyuk​

Yeah, but you had a line of rookies - Nyquist-Andersson-Brunner. Something unimaginable only a year earlier.

You had Kindl playing a regular shift in the playoffs. Smith playing a regular shift in the playoffs. Things
Babcock wouldn't have allowed the previous years.

Brian Lashoff had more IT than Kindl in that playoffs.

Kindl 248 minutes.
Lashoff 54 minutes.

If you wanted to use 13-14 as your example... that probably would make more sense as that was the season where Z and Datsyuk were gone and the Nyquist Explosion happened. It was also when Boston basically dropped their pants and duked right on the Wings chest. in the playoffs.

13-14? Zetterberg was hurt in the playoffs, playing just two games. Our goalie began his descent into mediocrity with his new $6M contract.
We lost Filppula for Weiss. A disaster.
We replaced Brunner, who had a good playoff, with Alfredsson, who had a bad playoff. We traded away a lot of assets for Legwand. And then made him the 4C in the playoffs.
Tatar couldn't score despite leading the team in shots by far, with 19, in his first playoff experience.

I mean, the underlying premise isn't completely wrong, as high-octane hockey could very well be the best choice for Detroit, but is it really any better if you're losing 6-5 than 2-1? I mean, The early 90s Wings were ALL high-octane hockey. And they didn't win a damn thing. Once they played more defensively than offensively they became a bona-fide force in the league. Hell, even with largely the same players. They should lighten the grip on the reins, but having a completely free-flowing, run and gun offense would be stupid. Larkin could score 125 points but if the result is his line giving up 25 more goals than he scores, it's not any damn good, is it?

We don't have the personnel to be the Blues or the Kings. We don't have a bunch of 6'3 220 pounders.

But yeah, I'd rather these guys lose 5-4 and explore their skill than lose 2-1 playing Devils hockey.

Not only because it's more exciting. But because the skill they'll develop will be useful 3-4 years from now if this team improves and settles down.

And frankly, the Wings are NOW starting to get some guys who could play high octane hockey. They had Larkin, AA, Helm, etc. But the vast majority of their guys were kinda too slow for low-event hockey. So you were going to ask them to go double time?

High octane hockey isn't just about speed. It's about moving the puck.
We're no better off in that department today than we were 2 years ago.

Low-event hockey is what you play when you're slow or lack skill.​

And when I say high octane, I don't necessarily mean that everyone has to skate fast.
It means, stop f***ing playing loser-point hockey.
Stop benching kids for mistake

 

[kliq]

Blashill was trying to win hockey games. And failing. That's pretty obvious.

I think you are looking at things too black and white.

I’m not going to sit here and say he wasn’t trying to win, but I think it’s more complicated then that. I do believe player development was the top priority last season.

 

[MBH]

I think you are looking at things too black and white.

I’m not going to sit here and say he wasn’t trying to win, but I think it’s more complicated then that. I do believe player development was the top priority last season.

We started to see it more last year for sure.
After two years of failing to make the playoffs and the retirement of Zetterberg, what choice was there?
But even then. We didn't get it going until after the trade deadline.

Before Feb 25 vs After Feb 25
Mantha 17:22 vs 18:59
Athanasiou 16:59 vs 18:56
Bertuzzi 15;52 vs 18:21

It wasn't all just based on trades/fake injuries.

On the flipside
Abby 15:36 vs 14:21
Nielsen 16:54 vs 15:45

It took until late February to start acting like this was a rebuilding team.

And the kids did a pretty nice job leading a team with a slew of minor-leaguers, border-line NHLers like Frk, Puempel, Witkowski, Kuffner, Turgeon, Chelios, McIlrath, Bowey, Ehn... it was nowhere near an NHL roster by the end of the season.

 

[Ezekial]

It was also when Boston basically dropped their pants and duked right on the Wings chest. in the playoffs.

At least we got this dandy out of it

 

[Gniwder]

As a Caps fan, I can tell you one of the worst things a team can do is cycle a bunch of coaches, especially first time coaches, on short term basis. The Caps were much further along in the process and went through Cassidy, Hanlon, Boudreau, Hunter, Oates, Trotz, and now Reirden. Every coach had a different system.

One thing that Blash offers is stability in the coaching staff while the team is rebuilding. If he can't adjust his game plan to the roster, then he needs to be gone, but there's no need to call for his head before the season even starts. The kids were playing a more run and gun style offense in the last few games, I'm hoping that continues. If anything it makes the game more watchable.

 

[GreatGordie9]

As a Caps fan, I can tell you one of the worst things a team can do is cycle a bunch of coaches, especially first time coaches, on short term basis. The Caps were much further along in the process and went through Cassidy, Hanlon, Boudreau, Hunter, Oates, Trotz, and now Reirden. Every coach had a different system.

One thing that Blash offers is stability in the coaching staff while the team is rebuilding. If he can't adjust his game plan to the roster, then he needs to be gone, but there's no need to call for his head before the season even starts. The kids were playing a more run and gun style offense in the last few games, I'm hoping that continues. If anything it makes the game more watchable.

I believe Stevie will have a short leash and if he makes a coaching change it could be someone like Dan Blysma who is currently an assistant coach and has lots of experience. I would have liked Joel Quenneville but obviously that didn't happen. GR coach Ben Simon is a possibility. Who knows maybe even Kris Draper.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

We can end this debate right now & save a lot of time. I know the perfect candidate.

Not to brag or anything, but obviously this makes me the front-runner:
"Trophies Awarded to DATSOMATIC13

1. 20
   Awarded: Today at 1:40 PM
   All-Star
   
   1,000 messages? Impressive!"

 

[Gniwder]

I believe Stevie will have a short leash and if he makes a coaching it could be someone like Dan Blysma who is currently an assistant coach and has lots of experience. I would have liked Joel Quenneville but obviously that didn't happen.

I dunno, Blash seems like a coach that's easy to control. Stevie could pretty much tell Blash the line combinations he wants to see and Blash will more than likely just do what Stevie tells him to do. Experienced guys like Bylsma and Q aren't going to put up with that.

So it all depends on whether Stevie wants to micromanage the coaching or if he wants to be hands off. I've seen teams run both ways, and we've all seen coaches clash with GMs.

 

[kliq]

We started to see it more last year for sure.
After two years of failing to make the playoffs and the retirement of Zetterberg, what choice was there?
But even then. We didn't get it going until after the trade deadline.

Before Feb 25 vs After Feb 25
Mantha 17:22 vs 18:59
Athanasiou 16:59 vs 18:56
Bertuzzi 15;52 vs 18:21

It wasn't all just based on trades/fake injuries.

On the flipside
Abby 15:36 vs 14:21
Nielsen 16:54 vs 15:45

It took until late February to start acting like this was a rebuilding team.

And the kids did a pretty nice job leading a team with a slew of minor-leaguers, border-line NHLers like Frk, Puempel, Witkowski, Kuffner, Turgeon, Chelios, McIlrath, Bowey, Ehn... it was nowhere near an NHL roster by the end of the season.

Whats your point? As the season went on, he began to give the kids more responsibly/ice time. That screams a focus on player development to me. You want these kids to earn because they matter. Abby, Helm, and Nielsen dont matter.

 

[MBH]

Whats your point?

I think the point was clear.

 

[MBH]

As a Caps fan, I can tell you one of the worst things a team can do is cycle a bunch of coaches, especially first time coaches, on short term basis. The Caps were much further along in the process and went through Cassidy, Hanlon, Boudreau, Hunter, Oates, Trotz, and now Reirden. Every coach had a different system.

One thing that Blash offers is stability in the coaching staff while the team is rebuilding. If he can't adjust his game plan to the roster, then he needs to be gone, but there's no need to call for his head before the season even starts. The kids were playing a more run and gun style offense in the last few games, I'm hoping that continues. If anything it makes the game more watchable.

Fair point.
But I've seen enough after 4 years.
Stability has advantages.
But when you're underwater, stability sucks.

 

[Claypool]

I still want to know what prospects Blashill has run out of town. I’m literally on the edge of my seat waiting.

 

[Gniwder]

Fair point.
But I've seen enough after 4 years.
Stability has advantages.
But when you're underwater, stability sucks.

Relax and take a chill pill, rebuilds don't happen overnight. Blashill and the youngsters looked like they were making progress at the end of the year, let's see what they do this season. I mean it's really odd to call for firing a coach at the end of a season that hasn't even started.

Remember, stay of the meth.

 

[kliq]

I think the point was clear.

Maybe to you, to me it just sounds like a rant.

 

[MBH]

I still want to know what prospects Blashill has run out of town. I’m literally on the edge of my seat waiting.

Jurco. Pulkkinen. Mrazek. Ouellet. Marchenko. Sheahan
6 names that come to mind.
6 guys who had decent to very good starts with Detroit and who fell out of favor under Blashill. At a time when the Wings needed to get younger.

 

[MBH]

Maybe to you, to me it just sounds like a rant.

I thought "coaching to win instead of develop, and not doing either" was not a rant.

 

[kliq]

I thought "coaching to win instead of develop, and not doing either" was not a rant.

Who are you quoting?

 

[MBH]

Who are you quoting?

Paraphrasing myself.

 

[Claypool]

Jurco. Pulkkinen. Mrazek. Ouellet. Marchenko. Sheahan
6 names that come to mind.
6 guys who had decent to very good starts with Detroit and who fell out of favor under Blashill. At a time when the Wings needed to get younger.

Yeah, no one cares about any of those players, especially when they were replaced by better players.

 

[MBH]

Relax and take a chill pill, rebuilds don't happen overnight. Blashill and the youngsters looked like they were making progress at the end of the year, let's see what they do this season. I mean it's really odd to call for firing a coach at the end of a season that hasn't even started.

Remember, stay of the meth.

I'm ready for Blash to be fired now. I think Stevie will give him a year to look at him. I don't see him lasting with another bottom 5 finish.

 

[MBH]

Yeah, no one cares about any of those players, especially when they were replaced by better players.

I cared about those players.
If Jurco and Pulkkinen are playing top 9 roles instead of Abdelkader and Helm, maybe those guys turned into decent top 9 forwards.
Maybe we don't have these god awful contracts to Helm and Abdelkader.
Maybe Mrazek is here as a goalie as the kind of goalie that can upset a defending cup champion in round 1 sometime in the next 5-7 years.
Maybe a Marchenko and Ouellet are here and developed as legit defenseman at 26 and 27 years... and the kind of guys who can be veterans as the young kids join the lineup.

Lord knows that NOTHING good came of Abdelkader and Helm in the top 6. Or playing Brad Richards in the top 9.