For me it all comes down to personnel and luck. Doesn't matter if you have the ''best'' coach/system in the league. Coach ain't the one skating. If the players can't execute, then the system looks bad.
Luck plays a part too. Catch the opposing team on an off-night, and suddenly the Flames look better. Yes we want our system to be perfect. But a lot of it depends on how the other team is playing.
Also, last season the Flames had a legit belief that they could storm back in the 3rd and win it. How often has then happened this season? The team has lost that belief. Last year the system looked great because of all the comebacks. This year it looks like crap, because our goaltending sucks and the players aren't the type of players to play lock down defence.
Truthfully I think all the talk about the ''system'' is overrated. If the players you have are trash, the team looks like trash. Even systems like Tippett's aren't always successul. One season the Coyote's are playoff contenders, the next 2 they are back in the basement.
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