[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Let's review the options and what they do.

1) Firing: Maybe it shakes the team up enough to go on a run, but this season is probably over in terms of playoffs, so why bother? If you fire the coach you better be sure to have a contingency plan, otherwise you can wander even longer in the land of poor coaching.

2) Trade: Honestly not the worst idea, but you're trading from a position of weakness and poor value for assets at the moment. That's the quick way to getting in a disastrous trade that sets the franchise back. Both the Gilmour and Phaneuf trades were done from a position of weakness and panic. It didn't really work out that well, regardless of your opinion of Phaneuf.

3) Waivers/Stockton callup: Wonderful...problem is almost the entire Stockton roster is underperforming so far. You're not going to get a young prospect called up, you'll get guys like Freddie Hamilton, Drew Shore, and Jakub Nakladal. Not a bad thing, but those are older guys who aren't part of the long term plans. Next.

4) Benching/Healthy scratches: I don't have a problem with this one, because accountability is important. The problem is, almost everyone has been terrible, so unless you're going to go through a cycle of benching every player for a game, it's not terribly useful to single guys out. Especially when morale is already low.

I have to say, it's a terrible situation right now because there likely isn't a quick fix. It might take the better part of the season to get the players and team back on track. I will say though, if Hartley doesn't get this team to improve somewhat over the course of the year, he might have to be held accountable for that.

Good post, Cali. I don't see firing Hartley (if it comes to that) unless a very good coach is available. That is more likely at the end of the season. Benching works better when it is done to encourage more effort from players who are not putting out. If it is done to players who are trying but lacking in confidence, it might make things even worse.