Quote:
Originally Posted by Young-Sneezy
When he doesnt have to play one of 2 goalies who are NHL rookies, Chris Butler isnt on the ice, Tim Jackman isnt on the ice, our top line doesnt consist of Matt Stajan at centre, our top D man isnt on IR, Smid isnt considered the answer to our defensive problems, again... Chris Butler isnt on the ice, and finally because we have Chris Butler.
you cant coach a team, struggling with skill / learning to play an NHL game, to be better.
Gif edit, this game:
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Hartley does deserve blame. This team was atrocious last year defensively with an NHL calibre goaltender in Kipprusoff (sure not in his prime but could still be effective) and a veteran NHL roster.
He's just not a coach who can teach the defensive side of things. His defensive systems are very poor and when you watch this team in the defensive end, you know that they have no idea what to do.
Hartley is a good communicator (mostly) and he's a positive guy, but he really is very similar to Keenan.
Honestly, I had no expectation that this team would be able to defend. I just want to see them play hard and score some goals, and that's pretty much what Hartley has provided.
This team's poor defensive play is a reflection of Hartley. I don't think that Brodeur or Roy in their prime would have much success in front of this team. If you watch some of the top teams, their goalies spit out big rebounds too, it's what happens after the rebound that is the difference. Luongo's nickname on this board is Reboundo, but the team in front of him knows where to be to eliminate the rebound threat.