bustaheims
Well-known member
First game on a west coast swing is often messy. No surprise this one was, too. Still, against a team like the Sharks, they should be better.
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Would be nice if L1 stopped farting around
You can't coach "the drive to win" into players. The ability to dig deep and have pride in your results is internal. The main guys don't have it (broken record).I don’t think the coaching change has worked.
Not cos I don’t think Keefe’s time was up. I think that was a fair enough assessment.
But while I get the logic of why they went for Berube, I’m not sure this roster is able/willing/built to react to that kind of coaching.
I don't buy that.You can't coach "the drive to win" into players. The ability to dig deep and have pride in your results is internal. The main guys don't have it (broken record).
This is a management and ownership issue.
Last night was a Super Fun game.... if it was in November. Last night was HILARIOUS... as a game in late March.
They cannot afford anyone else and that's why the 84% suck. It's very very very very very simple.I don't buy that.
The core 4 could play on any Cup winner I've seen in the last 60 plus years and do well.
The core 4 got 16% of the ice time in the playoffs last year and it is so easy for the media to bump their ratings and subscriptions blaming them while ignoring those who got the other 84% of the ice time.
They cannot afford anyone else and that's why the 84% suck. It's very very very very very simple.
Beast mode JT, Marner playing for $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, improved D and goaltending. It could be different...Basically the core 4 have proven over and over that they're not as good as they need to be to take up as much of the salary cap as they have. Now of course there are other complicating factors (covid limits on salary cap at the wrong time, management spending too many assets on rentals so now there is a dearth of young talent to fill out the rest of the lineup, etc). Maybe this playoff year will be different...with theoretically better goaltending and a tougher defense. But the defense has a hard time moving the puck against good forechecking so who knows. And the forwards for the most part still don't seem to have the dump/chase system completely figured out yet (or maybe they don't want to).
I get what you're saying, at the same time Keefe had a different approach that I would think played more to the teams natural strength for years and it ultimately led to nothing. I understand why they want to try something different.I don't buy that.
The core 4 could play on any Cup winner I've seen in the last 60 plus years and do well.
The core 4 got 16% of the ice time in the playoffs last year and it is so easy for the media to bump their ratings and subscriptions blaming them while ignoring those who got the other 84% of the ice time.
It appears after 70 games that they've figured out two lines with the recent promotion of McMann (who I admire from the journey he's taken but regard as a tweener between lines 2 and 3). And they're limping along with Matthews not at 100%.
After 72 games, what is the Cup winning 3rd line? 4th line? I'm not seeing it ... Help me out.
We have Tanev-McCabe as a Cup caliber pairing. But what do we have after that? I thought the world of Morgan Rielly ... until this season. When is he going to show up? Because of that, it is harder to access Carlo. Then we have two left feet with Benoit not playing as well as last year. I do not see it as a Cup caliber D.
The goalies looked pretty good in the first half. I don't have to look at the stats to back up what my eyes have seen since. They have fallen back to the pack. We have to hope one of them can rediscover their first half play. But confidence in that is kinda tough to find.
I think of Pat Quinn coming around '99. He looked at the roster. Saw a bunch of waterbugs and a goalie. And he came up with run & gun approach to get the most out of them. Berube comes in and declares 'we're going to play north-south hockey' before they've looked too closely at the roster - whereas Quinn used to design his system around the talent he had to work with. As such, I do not believe Berube has got the most out of the talent he had to work with. He made some concessions - letting Nylander be Nylander for example, etc But there has been a bit of a square peg in a round hole effort - trying to force fit the talent he inherited and has to work with into the system that he desires them to play. This team has not come together to exceed the sum of its parts. That too is not on the core 4.
Blaming this all on the core 4. I don't buy it for a second.
They cannot afford anyone else and that's why the 84% suck. It's very very very very very simple.
that attacks their character, etc"You can't coach "the drive to win" into players. The ability to dig deep and have pride in your results is internal. The main guys don't have it (broken record)." Ozzie
Definition of insanity: keep doing the same thing while expecting a different result. They had to change up players, system, etc. They tried. Made several credible moves. It is not all bad. But it doesn't seem to be coming together.I get what you're saying, at the same time Keefe had a different approach that I would think played more to the teams natural strength for years and it ultimately led to nothing. I understand why they want to try something different.
They definitely had to do something different, but, it's certainly a fair question to ask if they chose the right different path or swung too far in a different direction.I get what you're saying, at the same time Keefe had a different approach that I would think played more to the teams natural strength for years and it ultimately led to nothing. I understand why they want to try something different.
PP cooking once they
- made Marner the ‘D’
- Which opened room for Knies at the front
- And made Nylander one of the carriers (with Matthews) and half wall primary
- And that skillset let them make drop pass 2 optional at the carrier’s discretion
- Bumping to Knies at the line instead of Tavares on entry
- And the set PP iso’d Nylander instead of Matthews
- Basically every player slot got an improved option from the shuffle, except Matthews (net front, bumper, left wall, D)
They cannot afford anyone else and that's why the 84% suck. It's very very very very very simple.
This is what I was getting at. You have to look at what the roster you have has and use its strengths. It just feels likes it’s been, as I think you’re alluding to, too rigid in saying this is the way we’re going to play.I think of Pat Quinn coming around '99. He looked at the roster. Saw a bunch of waterbugs and a goalie. And he came up with run & gun approach to get the most out of them. Berube comes in and declares 'we're going to play north-south hockey' before they've looked too closely at the roster - whereas Quinn used to design his system around the talent he had to work with. As such, I do not believe Berube has got the most out of the talent he had to work with. He made some concessions - letting Nylander be Nylander for example, etc But there has been a bit of a square peg in a round hole effort - trying to force fit the talent he inherited and has to work with into the system that he desires them to play. This team has not come together to exceed the sum of its parts. That too is not on the core 4.
They definitely had to do something different, but, it's certainly a fair question to ask if they chose the right different path or swung too far in a different direction.
I get what you're saying, at the same time Keefe had a different approach that I would think played more to the teams natural strength for years and it ultimately led to nothing. I understand why they want to try something different.
As for the narrative that they just don’t have the “drive to win” and it can’t be coached into them, that’s just quite frankly horseshit. You don’t even get to the NHL without that drive. You don’t score 70 goals in a season without that drive. You don’t notch 728 points in 647 regular season games and 50 in 57 postseason games with no drive.