Randy Carlyle/Leaf Coach thread

[leafplasma]

I'm hoping Lupul goes back to the top line and JVR goes to Grabbo's line. They looked good together early in the year before Lupul went down and JVR moved up. JVR is defensively responsible enough to not hinder that line very much but would give the offensive punch Grabbo needs to get going more.

Keep the Kadri line intact for the time being. 

I think you get 3 balanced lines that way.

This is exactly what I think happens. Carlyle won't be breaking up the MacArthur-Kadri pairing and he has to give Frattin some more time to rediscover the chemistry that he had with Kadri earlier in the season. Lupul and JVR will slot into LW1 and LW2 in some way, and I think JVR being the better defensive player than Lupul means he's likely going to go with Grabovski.

I think the biggest question is will Carlyle sit one of McLaren and Orr instead of Komarov. It should be a no-brainer but with Randy I really don't know.

It still boggles my mind how these two still get more ice time than Grabovski etc on some nights. The D like Holzer and Kostka too. Game after game the same lineup. Soon Liles and Komisarek will be so rusty you might as well sit them out the rest of the year.

It is a good thing Randy Carlyle isn't the manager of a ball team.  I mean its important to rotate your players into the lineup for the reasons you list, also to rest some key guys, to keep them fresh and to guard against injury.  This is pretty much common sense.  Then there is the whole thing about trying to instil some sort of trade value in some of these guys.  I mean when a guy like Kostka is playing game after game in place of Liles, how does Nonis even sell a guy like that to a prospective trade partner.

 

[drummond]

Well, love affair with Toronto media is no doubt over. The jokes are gone and he actually responds quite irritated and demonstrates how annoyed he is with some of the questions and increasingly snaps at the reporters regarding certain issues (ice time especailly).

 

[Zee]

Trying to figure out how Dupuis is a better option as 4th line center than Hanson would have been.

I'm starting to think that Hanson told them he wanted a one-way deal and Burke called his bluff. I'm speculating of course, but didn't something similar happen last year around this time?

Does anyone know whether Hanson got a 1 way or 2 way with Washington?

I've seen lots of confirmation that he's signed with the Caps
http://www.csnwashington.com/07/10/11/Caps-sign-center-Christian-Hanson/landing.html?blockID=540399&feedID=9656&awid=5352707289805595155

http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475087

but nothing yet to indicate whether it's a one or two way deal.

It's likely that the Caps offered more financially than the Leafs.

Easy to be happy go lucky when the team is winning. As soon as questions are thrown at him insinuating his moves / non moves are losing games its easy to get upset.

 

[lc9]

Well, love affair with Toronto media is no doubt over. The jokes are gone and he actually responds quite irritated and demonstrates how annoyed he is with some of the questions and increasingly snaps at the reporters regarding certain issues (ice time especailly).

He deserves to be grilled by the media, he is doing a very poor job of lineup and game management. 

 

[TML fan]

I'd really like to hear an explanation of why Bozak gets more PP time than Kadri.

 

[bbt]

Carlye needs to wake up real quick.  Its glaring to all who have watched that last 3-4 games that the defense needs help and lots of it.  Why are they playing  Kostka so much, but then again Leafs pulled him out of a beer league and might be trying to justify their decision. Let's see a line up change, put Gardiner, Lyles and Komo in, they can't do any worse than what we have out there now.  Phanuef, Kostka and Holzer have a combined -23, can't get worse than that, can we

 

[Strangelove]

It is truly mind-boggling that Randy wouldn't even try to put Kadri on the PP with Kessel, particularly during 5 on 3 situations.  Bozak brings literally nothing to the table on the PP except very debatable faceoff prowess, and yet game after game he's tossed out there, regardless of how poorly he's playing.  The fact that he's still in a first-line role is a testament to just how poorly the team has been managed since Sundin's departure.

With Reimer returning to career norms and Randy continuously making bad in-game decisions this season is very much in doubt.

 

[rdowdall]

Carlye needs to wake up real quick.  Its glaring to all who have watched that last 3-4 games that the defense needs help and lots of it.  Why are they playing  Kostka so much, but then again Leafs pulled him out of a beer league and might be trying to justify their decision. Let's see a line up change, put Gardiner, Lyles and Komo in, they can't do any worse than what we have out there now.  Phanuef, Kostka and Holzer have a combined -23, can't get worse than that, can we

-24 would be worse than that.

 

[Kin]

Carlye needs to wake up real quick.  Its glaring to all who have watched that last 3-4 games that the defense needs help and lots of it.  Why are they playing  Kostka so much, but then again Leafs pulled him out of a beer league and might be trying to justify their decision. Let's see a line up change, put Gardiner, Lyles and Komo in, they can't do any worse than what we have out there now.  Phanuef, Kostka and Holzer have a combined -23, can't get worse than that, can we

-24 would be worse than that.

But -24, it can't get any worse than that

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkP_OGDCLY0[/youtube]

 

[drummond]

http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2013/3/13/4098494/re-visiting-randys-remarks-grabovski-and-kulemin

Excellent analysis from PPP on Kuli and Grabbo in Randy?s world. He asks them to produce more but he does not give them any opportunity to do so. Actually given the situations in which he is putting them they outperform Kessel/Bozak combo.

 

[rdowdall]

Carlye needs to wake up real quick.  Its glaring to all who have watched that last 3-4 games that the defense needs help and lots of it.  Why are they playing  Kostka so much, but then again Leafs pulled him out of a beer league and might be trying to justify their decision. Let's see a line up change, put Gardiner, Lyles and Komo in, they can't do any worse than what we have out there now.  Phanuef, Kostka and Holzer have a combined -23, can't get worse than that, can we

-24 would be worse than that.

But -24, it can't get any worse than that

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkP_OGDCLY0[/youtube]

Nikki, you stay the hell out of this and stir that sauce.

 

[drummond]

Interesting to look what by many despised Ron Wilson did last year after 27 games - 32pts, which is actually one point more than the Leafs have right now after 27 games.

 

[Kin]

Interesting to look what by many despised Ron Wilson did last year after 27 games - 32pts, which is actually one point more than the Leafs have right now after 27 games.

Sure, but that early run did earn Wilson a contract extension so it's not like it went unnoticed. If Carlyle's team collapses in the second half the way Wilson's did something tells me that perception of the two won't be very different.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Really enjoyed this article, a little extreme, but a lot that you can't really argue with.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/anyone-stop-randy-carlyle-ruining-maple-leafs-trending-135244372--nhl.html

It's because Randy Carlyle is managing the team like a first-time NHL13 player, and people only recently began to raise a serious stink about it.

The ways in which Carlyle has mishandled the Leafs' lines and pairings is myriad, but perhaps most famously revolves around Kadri.

Note again that Kadri is playing at nearly a point-a-game pace more than halfway through the season, and then consider that he's doing that with only about 15 minutes a night, less than seven Leafs forwards, making him, in essence, a third-line option. On the one hand, you can certainly argue that this in turn leads to the opportunity to do a better job of matching lines and giving Kadri slightly favorable zone starts (he was at 50.7 percent in the offensive zone through 26), but nonetheless he's devouring his opponents.

Never was this more clear than on Feb. 28, when Kadri had a hat trick against the Islanders despite only 15:46. Asked after the game if this justified a commensurate bump in ice time, Carlyle got snippy.

?If he plays only 15 minutes a night and scored three goals, would you keep him playing 15 minutes a night?? is an actual thing a real NHL coach said in real life.

 

[L K]

Right now it's not a huge issue with Kadri's ice-time because like every player he seems to be going through a bit of a cold spell, but I think it was just asinine to argue that he was producing at reduced minutes so clearly he shouldn't get more.

He consistently played 25-30 minutes a night in London in his last year with the team, carrying a really mediocre group as far as he could.  Granted the NHL is a big difference between the OHL and the NHL but to argue that a guy shouldn't get more minutes because he is producing is just silly. 

It would not have been hard to give him some of the PP time that Bozak gets, especially when the PP runs so hot and cold.  That top unit is really missing a guy who distributes the puck, especially when you don't have a Jake Gardiner on the blueline.

Bozak doesn't pass or shoot all that well.  JVR isn't a playmaker, and while Kessel's a good passer, he hangs around the half boards and most of his passes either have to go through legs or are back to the blueline.

 

[drummond]

Really enjoyed this article, a little extreme, but a lot that you can't really argue with.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/anyone-stop-randy-carlyle-ruining-maple-leafs-trending-135244372--nhl.html

It's because Randy Carlyle is managing the team like a first-time NHL13 player, and people only recently began to raise a serious stink about it.

The ways in which Carlyle has mishandled the Leafs' lines and pairings is myriad, but perhaps most famously revolves around Kadri.

Note again that Kadri is playing at nearly a point-a-game pace more than halfway through the season, and then consider that he's doing that with only about 15 minutes a night, less than seven Leafs forwards, making him, in essence, a third-line option. On the one hand, you can certainly argue that this in turn leads to the opportunity to do a better job of matching lines and giving Kadri slightly favorable zone starts (he was at 50.7 percent in the offensive zone through 26), but nonetheless he's devouring his opponents.

Never was this more clear than on Feb. 28, when Kadri had a hat trick against the Islanders despite only 15:46. Asked after the game if this justified a commensurate bump in ice time, Carlyle got snippy.

?If he plays only 15 minutes a night and scored three goals, would you keep him playing 15 minutes a night?? is an actual thing a real NHL coach said in real life.

It is well summarized. It is not only about Kadri. It is about excessive use of Bozak, giving Dion 25+ min of ice time, stubborness with regards of dressing McLaren, Orr, Brown etc., demanding offence from Grabbo while putting him in situation from which he simply can not score, strange love for Kostka and Holzer etc. Those are little things but combined it certainly gives an impression of mismanagement.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

It's funny that none of these blogs were written, nor were the complaints as rampant when the Leafs were winning. Such a fickle bunch.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

It's funny that none of these blogs were written, nor were the complaints as rampant when the Leafs were winning. Such a fickle bunch.

Lots of bloggers have been criticizing Carlyle for awhile now, if not always in blogs then definitely on Twitter.  The one's I follow anyways.

 

[princedpw]

This is largely repetitious but:

Some things that bug me:

* every single time McClaren or Orr start a shift in the offensive zone.  This is wasting an opportunity for Kessel, Kadri, Grabbo, JVR, Mac, etc. to start in the offensive zone and get a scoring chance.  Build the 4th line out of the 3 most defensively responsible players who don't already play in the top 9.  Start the 4th line in the D zone.  If we can't find 3 forwards not in the top 9 who are cheap against the cap and can start shifts in the D zone reliably then get some more players.  I don't care if the 4th line scores 0 points.  Save the Ozone starts for guys with skill.

* not playing Kadri more.  In general, the strategy of playing him on the 3rd line against weak competition is a good one.  But add as much pp time as you can to that!  He's our top pp goal scorer!  Moreover, throw in an extra shift every once in a while now that he's shown he's so productive.  He's 22.  He can manage it.

* playing Holzer as anything other than a 5-6 Dman.

Things that don't bug me:

* playing Phaneuf a lot.  He's our best 2-way defenseman.  He's 26.  He may not be Chris Pronger or Scott Neidermeyer, but he's the best we've got.  We've got to use him.

 

[Kin]

It's funny that none of these blogs were written, nor were the complaints as rampant when the Leafs were winning. Such a fickle bunch.

Is that really odd or contradictory though? I was under the impression that being sports fan was largely predicated on cheering a team when they won and complaining about them when they lost.