Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
Let's not pretend Hartley doesn't have his preferences in tradeoffs just as Darryl Sutter doesn't. Just look at how much he values guys like Smid, Bollig, Engelland etc. That doesn't mean Hartley "wants" to be a poor possession team but it does mean he'd choose poor possession and preventing great scoring chances over strong possession and getting scored on. That's not a knock on Bob, but simply me pointing out how Sven probably felt about our system. It's not just Calgary's system we're talking about here - Adirondack is a very similar team while Utica is a similar team to the Canucks. Even though he put up a 3 point night every now and then for Huska, he was definitely more considtently involved in whatever was going on for the Comets.
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For a coach like Hartley, he does have his preferences but the system is driven by the resources. The Flames are in year 2 of a rebuild and don't have the size or strength yet to play a possession game. I have no doubt he'd love to be a possession team, but he's smart enough to put together a plan he thinks will make them successful based on the roster he has. Sure, he likes Engelland, Smid and Bollig, but I guarantee he likes Doughty, Suter and Crosby better... he doesn't have them so he adjusts his plan. Let's just be happy we have a coach that can read his team and build a plan accordingly unlike the guy before him.