So lots of discussion today, trying to go through some of this.
Legend
Yes, you and I frequently disagree on things, no problem with that.
So in terms of people being frustrated with last year and this year, IMO it's not due to lack of wins although for some that may be the bottom line for others it's been about the lack of progress. A rebuilding team is going to struggle, no problem but when there are ongoing issues that go far beyond a poor PP and they continue from one season to the next and then throughout that entire season there is serious problems that need to be resolved.
As many have said they would be happy to see a team that competes every night, not happening as often as it does.
Fundamentals are lacking and not being corrected.
Systems that don't work are continuously employed constantly.
Player used in situations that do not suit their game yet they keep getting paraded out there and those who have been doing well get tossed on a line with them.
Lack of focus on development, if you are going to struggle get the kids development time, especially when they have been leading the way.
Lack of direction in terms of moves, bring in older vets when the team is still selling off and should be getting younger. On top of that bring in vets who don't do much for the team now so this fails to address the now and the future. Not much rebuilding happening with moves like that.
Fail to fill a roster for months at a time.
There is more but those are the most common ones so as you can see, it's much more then the PP.
Yes this falls on the players, the coaches and the GM, all have contributed to the problems and not many are doing anything about it.
Hopeful for the future? Yes, to a point. Earlier in the season I said if things kept up I could see this turning into 2011/12 to 2015/16 again, six years or so of futility and as of right now, regardless of the young talent what did we see back then that any different from we are seeing now?
Goaltending issues? Yep.
Lack of development for the kids or getting younger kids in to develop? Yep.
Lots of apparent favourtism towards certain players at the expense of others? Yep
.Lots of injury related issues with no apparent way to deal with the lost bodies? Yep.
Lots of wash/rinse/repeat in terms of doing the same thing over and over again with the same result and no one trying to correct it or try something different? Yep.
We have some talented young kids, just like we did in those years as well and in those years a number of them saw their best years wasted here or they were moved out to restock assets that were used when it was the least optimal time to use them.
So we have players/coaches/GM all deserving of a share of the blame. Now we know the GM isn't likely going anywhere although if it were anyone else simply hired to do the job chances are they would have been gone before 2016/17 ever arrived. The players, while some can be moved you aren't going to turn over an entire roster in an off season so while some changes can be made with only two players graduating even moving the ones who I and others feel need to be moved you're still looking at 5/6 players who should be moved over the off season with a couple of others at the deadline barring a miracle turnaround in the first half next year.
That leaves the coaches. The ones who handle the on ice systems, keeps the players in line and moving forward in their development and the ones who need to provide results. While it may be an expensive bill to move on from them and yes, there are no guarantees anyone else who comes in will be better but that bill can be paid now or the organiozation can keep dealing with further drops in STHs, walk up sales and of course the corresponding merchandise sales drops when there are less and less fans showing interest and spending their money. Now attendance and likely merchandise have been dropping almost every year since 2011/12 and as the organization is likely realizing once fans leave it's tough getting them back so they can pay the bill now or lose the ongoing revenue year after year that there is no guarantee they recover until they can consistently show a good product worthy of fan support. The fans that have gone, there not coming back for this mess. Many left between 2011/12 and 2015/16 and won't go through that same mess again when everything up to this point is pointing in that same direction. Are they willing to lose more fans/money to save money and if so how much ongoing revenue is worth saving that money they would lose moving on from the current coaches?
Here's a basic number, 500 STHs at $450 a year. That's $250,000. If the nu,mber you put out is correct that 500 more STHs not coming back for two years lost to save the exact same amount. That doesn't include merchandise or walk ups. The problem is no matter what the team does half of those fans likely never return while others probably wait four or five years to see if any success is a one off or is something consistent.
What's the cheaper option?
Lose that money now while trying to improve the situation or lose half of it every year for years to come which amounts to a whole lot more money out the door. How much money did 2011/12 cost the organization over the long term for the poor way they did things in those years? How many STHs and walk ups did they lose that never came back? And now they are willing to make the same mistakes?
To the goaltending.
Piiroinen I suspect isn't going to be back next year by the way things appear to be going. If I were him, took this chance and the way things have been handled potentially cost me being drafted I sure wouldn't be interested in a return trip. at the same time while he has needed to be better without question in a rebuilding year the team needs to be prepared to take their lumps along the way so that development becomes the priority and the goal of future success is obvious which has not been the case this year. Your not going to develop a goaltender with inconsistent strats and always looking to pull him the first sign of trouble.
If they moved on from him, he never returned etc Running with Incze as an OA leaves a hole the following year in goal, again. If they are somehow in a position to make a run two years from now they will be starting with no clear cut starter if Incze starts and completes the season here next year so once again instead of developing Rychel will be back to trying to buy all the main pieces he needs for a run and we will be back in this positioon again the following year.
At the start of last seaosn we all thought goaltending was not going to be an issue, two goalies coming up behind DiPietro to take over when he moved on and by mid season that was obviously not going to happen. Now we have two completely different goalies and next year or the year after Windsor will be in need of two more, a clear starter and a capable back up. and if they are planning on a run the year after and looking for two goaltenders then id on't see a run happening at that point in time.
Yes we disagree on a lot of things, we are both optimistic to different degrees about the future, you more all in while I am extremely cautious when we are seeing the same things playout that we've seen before and not many of them are positive. There is talent to be positive about but even with that talent the on ice product is going in the wrong direction and that's not simply about wins and losses.
