Short answer, no. He's not the ideal coach. He was brought it by his buddy Jay to get the last out of the vets. I doubt the plan was to have those vets around for just one year, but here we are.
From all accounts, he's not so much a teaching coach. Brent Sutter would be better for this team probably now, but that ship has sailed.
I am sure Hartley is pressing them hard through camp, and also early in the season. Plus the early season energy and tenacity has them looking pretty good. That said, they've blown multigoal leads in the back half or back third of games. Fitness? Coaching?
Depending on how he's pressing them, once that initial season energy wears out in the next few weeks, and he's still pressing them as hard as he is now, we'll see game by game how the team as a whole and individuals, respond.
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