Will Todd Richards get fired before the end of the season?

[cslebn]

It's pretty typical that replacing one type of coach with the opposite will achieve positive results. In Nashville's case, replacing a coach who preaches discipline and structure (Trotz) with one who allows more for free flow (Laviolette) has produced positive results.

In three years, this will all be forgotten anyway unless Nashville continues to produce NHLers from within.

In 3 years he'll have missed the playoffs 2-3 times knowing his records with other teams.

 

[blahblah]

Frankly I'm confused with Richards and the front office and their decisions. I have confidence in a drafting and player development. I'm not sold beyond that.

I don't have confidence in Richards, but whatever.

 

[ndd17]

Frankly I'm confused with Richards and the front office and their decisions.

Me too. We will play in the next season almost same roster, as in this season. Maximum add Reilly and forward bottom 3. So we need another HC. With Richards we will miss play off 99,99%.

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

Me too. We will play in the next season almost same roster, as in this season. Maximum add Reilly and forward bottom 3. So we need another HC. With Richards we will miss play off 99,99%.

Whoa whoa whoa...the roster on opening day will (hopefully) look better than this year's.

Too many injuries during too many parts of the season.

 

[jaxfan45385]

Whoa whoa whoa...the roster on opening day will (hopefully) look better than this year's.

Too many injuries during too many parts of the season.

Injuries are just an excuse covering up a poor coach. Richards refused to change the style of play to suite the the talent of the subs playing. In my opinion he should have been fired after making that statement. Come Jan 1 next year when we are hovering around 500 praying to go a a run to hopefully squeak in as a wild card. That's what you get with a 500 type coach. It would be nice to be in the playoff picture in Nov and stay there all year, not chasing a wild card every year.

 

[Forepar]

Injuries are just an excuse covering up a poor coach. Richards refused to change the style of play to suite the the talent of the subs playing. In my opinion he should have been fired after making that statement. Come Jan 1 next year when we are hovering around 500 praying to go a a run to hopefully squeak in as a wild card. That's what you get with a 500 type coach. It would be nice to be in the playoff picture in Nov and stay there all year, not chasing a wild card every year.

I'm not a HCTR fanatic, but WOW.
The bolded part of your post says everything imo - the talent of the subs early was almost zero. And before you lay that out on HCTR or the FO, it was too early in the year to get any other club to trade then-current NHL talent, unless at an exhorbitant price, which would have been an attempt to salvage a season that was unsalvagable quite early. It wasn't just the number of injuries (we will lose 500+ MG), but who they happened to - Dubi was huge, Bob was/is huge, even Horton was huge simply because we didn't (and don't yet) have his replacement. Murray was huge. Boone was/is huge. The non-talented depth wasn't just on the 4th line, they were on 2nd and 3rd line. And we found out that our projected 4th line was not as good as last year's 4th line....CBJ did not and does not yet have enough depth yet to deal with that injury onslaught. CBJ was not a SC contender this year, even if healthy; this year highlighted the remaining needs (depth, RW). It is on FO to continue to develop that depth...and that is exactly why they've already comitted to Richards for next year.

Losing multiple games now is not on HCTR - sheesh. I hate it, it makes me angry after the game. But it is a result of a season lost, a continuing lack of depth, and the tank job that is on. If he wins, one-third of the board is angry for not following the tanking rule. If he loses, one-third of the board is angry because at all costs, tanking is not allowed. And the other third of the board simply can't make up their minds about what they want; tank when we lose, but damn please win the next one!

HCTR took a team in 12/13 that was projected well out of the race into the last night of the season - and they won 8 out of last 9 with the heat on. That team, given the roll it was on, may have done huge damage in playoffs. Admittedly speculative, but that short season was when the lightbulb went on. In 13/14, he got them to the playoffs, still a bit ahead of schedule, where they played well for the most part, with a sub-par (not poor performance) from Bob, and gave what many still think is the premier offensive franchise (along with CHI) a scare.
This year was lost in November - maybe even in October. It was over then, in spite of what we (yes, me) wrote in Dec/Jan about getting out of the hole and back into PO hunt. The hole was too doggone deep, and the injuries just kept coming. You can blame lack of organizational depth, FO failing to make moves (which weren't available to be had until it was too late), players, coach, etc.... The reality is that this year was gone early, in a season that began with CBJ as the media cat's meow. The man deserves an opportunity to coach an NHL version of the CBJ for a season... not Corey Tropp, Wennberg 1.0 (we now are starting to see 2.0), Boll, an injured Morin, other rookies in month 1/2 of the season, CMac or worse in goal in Nov., etc, playing large minutes on lines they were never cut out to be on...My goodness, Tropp was on the 1st line a few games, not because HCTR was nuts but because that was about all he had to work with, and he had tried everything else. Yes, he can be impatient with his lines, yes, he can be a bit defensive-minded, but his style of play and tone fit this group when moderately healthy, especially as depth develops (see Dano, Wennberg 2.0, Rychel (we hope). JD/JK appear to have been hopeful when the season started, but also appear to have known that they were without depth and without ability to weather the storm from very early on. They weren't going to mortgage the future to get 1 or 2 vets to try to dig out of a hole on which they had a 100-to-1 shot to make. CBJ was way ahead of schedule 2012/13, still ahead of schedule 2013/14; absolutely derailed 2014/15. I'm not saying HCTR is the second coming of (pick your favorite HOF coach)...but let's see what he can do with a relatively healthy CBJ in 2015/16 before removing one of the constants that sheparded the change in culture. Yes, Dubi, JJ, Bob, Foligno were responsible for the change. But so was HCTR.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Last season the CBJ ranked 13th in the NHL in goals scored and 12the in goals against. They ranked 14th in overall league standings.

This season, the CBJ rank 24th in goals for and 25th in goals against. They rank 25th overall in league standings.

All forwards not named Foligno, Johansen, Hartnell, Asinimov, Atkinson, Dubinsky, Calvert, or Jenner have scored a grand total of 22 goals in a combined 390 games.

Conservatively, the 16 forwards who have comprised the bottom six this season are at least 14 goals behind an average number of goals produced by an average team's bottom 6 forwards.

The goals against has ballooned in large part due to injuries to Bob and Murray, an overused top 6 and a substandard bottom 6.

If it weren't for the addition of Hartnell and the elimination of Umberger, then the situation would have even been worse.

This is a complete throwout season when it comes to a fair evaluation of the coaching staff. The scope and depth of the injuries resulted in a patently inferior line up and screwed up roles all season long for those in the line up.

Even the FO can figure this out.

 

[blahblah]

I'm not a HCTR fanatic, but WOW.
The bolded part of your post says everything imo - the talent of the subs early was almost zero.

I read your post and wasn't really sure where you were going with it. Teams have injuries and we've had enough back for a while to, at least, hold water around an 82 point season. We're likely to finish way below that. Our most significant injuries, right now, are Jenner and Murray.

The team is, significantly, under performing right now.

I don't like the predictions of where we'll be next season at certain points. They can't know and generally there is no qualifications for them to know. However, your comment on zero talent contains just as much lunacy as what you were trying to combat.

So if my assertion is accurate, why are we under performing? It's mostly rhetorical, no reason to answer. I've got my opinions and I've shared them for months and our HC is part of the reason.

 

[SuperGenius]

So if my assertion is accurate, why are we under performing? It's mostly rhetorical, no reason to answer. I've got my opinions and I've shared them for months and our HC is part of the reason.

Do the assistant coaches get none of the blame? It's hard for me to blame a specific guy for anything not knowing who's responsible for what. Even then, these guys are being asked to bake a cake with a screwdriver so it's hard for me to think that they're the 'problem'

 

[blahblah]

I've got my opinions and I've shared them for months and our HC is part of the reason.

Do the assistant coaches get none of the blame? It's hard for me to blame a specific guy for anything not knowing who's responsible for what. Even then, these guys are being asked to bake a cake with a screwdriver so it's hard for me to think that they're the 'problem'

I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. However it's certainly harder to gauge the performance of the assistants.

 

[SuperGenius]

Me too. We will play in the next season almost same roster, as in this season. Maximum add Reilly and forward bottom 3. So we need another HC. With Richards we will miss play off 99,99%.

Do you have anything else to add or do you just plan on repeating yourself until it finally happens?

 

[SuperGenius]

I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. However it's certainly harder to gauge the performance of the assistants.

Sure you do. If people want to blame Richards because he's the boss, then I guess I get it, but it seems lazy and uninformed to me. The coaching experts here should be spending at least some energy looking at the assistants - even if it's 'difficult'

 

[NotWendell]

I think it is only proper that we evaluate the performance of Coach Hartsberg.

And perhaps we undervalued the role of Dan Hinote on the coaching staff? Maybe we now have two hardasses in Hartsberg and Larsen without the escape valve like we had last year? I have no way of knowing, just theorizing.

 

[blahblah]

Sure you do. If people want to blame Richards because he's the boss, then I guess I get it, but it seems lazy and uninformed to me. The coaching experts here should be spending at least some energy looking at the assistants - even if it's 'difficult'

Don't see how. I can only analyze decisions made by the head coach - who plays/sits as an example.

I'm not sure why you quoted me, however, since I'm not placing blame solely at Richards feet. Maybe it was just conversation, but if so you probably should say that so I don't get the wrong impression.

 

[SuperGenius]

Don't see how. I can only analyze decisions made by the head coach - who plays/sits as an example.

I'm not sure why you quoted me, however, since I'm not placing blame solely at Richards feet. Maybe it was just conversation, but if so you probably should say that so I don't get the wrong impression.

just conversation.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Do the assistant coaches get none of the blame? It's hard for me to blame a specific guy for anything not knowing who's responsible for what. Even then, these guys are being asked to bake a cake with a screwdriver so it's hard for me to think that they're the 'problem'

We've blamed everyone else (docs, trainers/nutritionists, JK, JD, TR, scouts) so why not? I say leave no stone unturned.

 

[Forepar]

I read your post and wasn't really sure where you were going with it. Teams have injuries and we've had enough back for a while to, at least, hold water around an 82 point season. We're likely to finish way below that. Our most significant injuries, right now, are Jenner and Murray.

The team is, significantly, under performing right now.

I don't like the predictions of where we'll be next season at certain points. They can't know and generally there is no qualifications for them to know. However, your comment on zero talent contains just as much lunacy as what you were trying to combat.

So if my assertion is accurate, why are we under performing? It's mostly rhetorical, no reason to answer. I've got my opinions and I've shared them for months and our HC is part of the reason.

I was responding to this bald assertion in prior post: "Injuries are just an excuse covering up a poor coach...."

And I disagree with your assertion that CBJ has had enough back... Bobrovsky is just now back on some form of his usual self, and has been out 2 separate extended stints. Dubi just finding his stride in last 5+ games.... If Bob and Dubi are our backbone (I submit they are), we just now are getting them both going at the same time, with 16 games to go and the season long gone. Horton was counted on as being the 1st line RW, whether that was realistic or not is not HCTR's fault. He's not been replaced. Look at Joey's line last night - Cam and ). Jenner gone most of year, still not back. Murray gone essentially entire year. Anismov's game hasn't arrived since return from injury - and not being able to take faceoffs says he's still hurting), guys like Calvert out for stretches....etc... Not like any of the above are 4th liners. The 1st line last night was Cam-Joey-Bourque (although with the number of PP/PK it didn't feel that way, and I know that Foligno was ill, but really?)...that to me was telling. Not because HCTR put that line out there - but because it made sense looking at the other lines. Boll, Tropp and Luke Adam all played 8 mins or less...

I understand your thought that the injured has been mostly back for a bit now, as it sometimes sounds like a few bodies have returned, but imo not for long enough and not early enough to get up to speed to suggest an 82 pt season.

It appears to me that the cumulative effect of all of the above has now hit not just the injured, but the healthy who finally realized that playoffs were not even a possibility 2-3 weeks ago; at which point they hit the skids. Pride is always something to play for, but it is different for a team that knows it sucks but is in a rebuilding mode to play for pride, compared to a team that EXPECTED to make a run, only to never have really had a chance - the air finally got let out of the 14/15 balloon, for all of them.

It sucks, yes. But it didn't happen because HCTR played/didn't play Boll instead of *****, or tried Tropp on the 1st line in November for a few games, or stuck with Wennberg longer than he should have, or didn't light a fire under ****. This season was a disaster after game 6, because of injuries. Without the December run, they would be in the hunt for the #1 pick, and noone would be blaming HCTR for a bad season. Admittedy HCTR may not have handled the injury issues like you would have, or how the HOF coach of choice may have, but it was nothing but a crap shoot for the opening 2/3 of the season as to who was going to be on the ice and/or in what position. Even if not talent-laden, if you can throw the same fill-ins in the same spots night after night, you might expect a little consistency - but we never got to even do that, as new injuries showed up almost daily.

Imo, even accepting for the sake of argument your view that enough of the injured have been back for a stretch, evaluating HCTR's performance in the past 3 weeks, when the season was clearly OVER for this team, is not nearly as meaningful as evaluating the job he did in 12/13 and 13/14. He's not HOF coach today- but no coach is at this stage of his career. My take on the last 3 weeks is that while the results on the ice have been marginal, he still has the room at a time when most would not.

Bottom line - I'd like to see him coach a REASONABLY healthy CBJ next year (not without injury, just reasonable). He earned that with 2 prior seasons; this team is built for his style of coaching, with enough wiggle room in his style for the RyJo's to shine. Now, the results have to be there next year, I would agree with that. But to lay 14/15 on HCTR's head is, imo, short-sighted.

I won't convince you (BB) or anyone else to change their mind. And you won't change mine. But has been cathartic to air it out - my issue isn't with those that have an opinion that Richards hasn't done the best job while citing specific relevant evidence and who at least acknowledge injuries and contrary views, as you have done throughout this thread (and others). We simply agree to disagree. My "WOW" issue is with those that blast away at Richards as if he were the worst hockey coach this side of Arniel, stating as fact that CBJ can't make playoffs and/or win SC with him as coach, without presenting any objective basis whatsoever.

 

[Viqsi]

We've blamed everyone else (docs, trainers/nutritionists, JK, JD, TR, scouts) so why not? I say leave no stone unturned.

You forgot "the hockey gods", which is probably the most likely responsible party.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

You forgot "the hockey gods", which is probably the most likely responsible party.

 

[blahblah]

I was responding to this bald assertion in prior post: "Injuries are just an excuse covering up a poor coach...."

And I disagree with your assertion that CBJ has had enough back... Bobrovsky is just now back on some form of his usual self, and has been out 2 separate extended stints. Dubi just finding his stride in last 5+ games.... .

You do realize that when we started to get players back Curtis was playing better than Bob did at any point this season. Using Bob as an excuse? Screw this garbage.

Sorry, you are wrong. Dead wrong. But feel free to keep deluding yourself.

I'm done with this pointless debate. We had more than enough back to not have recent 7 game losing streak. To suggest otherwise is downright silly. It's always the same thing. It's as if people talk about stuff with doing absolutely no research.

One last thing. This frigging Bob worship has to stop.

 

[We Want Ten]

You do realize that when we started to get players back Curtis was playing better than Bob did at any point this season. Using Bob as an excuse? Screw this garbage.

Sorry, you are wrong. Dead wrong. But feel free to keep deluding yourself.

I'm done with this pointless debate. We had more than enough back to not have recent 7 game losing streak. To suggest otherwise is downright silly. It's always the same thing. It's as if people talk about stuff with doing absolutely no research.

One last thing. This frigging Bob worship has to stop.

December Bob says Hi.

 

[Forepar]

You do realize that when we started to get players back Curtis was playing better than Bob did at any point this season. Using Bob as an excuse? Screw this garbage.

Sorry, you are wrong. Dead wrong. But feel free to keep deluding yourself.

I'm done with this pointless debate. We had more than enough back to not have recent 7 game losing streak. To suggest otherwise is downright silly. It's always the same thing. It's as if people talk about stuff with doing absolutely no research.

One last thing. This frigging Bob worship has to stop.

I acknowledged that we would agree to disagree. Did not attack you or your opinion, simply stated mine. On one point will agree - Done with this debate.

 

[theD86]

Richards will not be fired. He was/is not the problem. Injuries are.

Give me a break!!

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Richards will not be fired. He was/is not the problem. Injuries are.

Give me a break!!

Injuries however, do not explain a poorer home record than road record, a lack of consistent player motivation (a Jeckyll and Hyde team), or the other team's ability to consistently score within 2:00 of a CBJ goal

 

[EspenK]

Injuries however, do not explain a poorer home record than road record, a lack of consistent player motivation (a Jeckyll and Hyde team), or the other team's ability to consistently score within 2:00 of a CBJ goal

Nor does lousy coaching. I mean what is a coach supposed to do - say "Remember guys we just scored so don't let them score"? At some point the players have to motivate themselves.

I don't know if TR is a great coach but all things considered the record this year is not as bad as it could have been. 5 or 6 more wins to date and we'd be right in the thick of things.