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Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans
Good to see Gulutzan is starting the correcting now. Shouldn't be too surprising to people though, that's his job as a coach if his system is different from the previous regime's style.
Training camp isn't enough time however, to fully flush old habits out of players' instincts built from 3 years of playing that way, so don't be surprised if the Flames come out of the gate slow, making mistakes in the process and looking lost at times. From everything I've read, Gulutzan's vision isn't to choke scoring or offensive opportunities, but he certainly places an emphasis on defensive responsibilities for all 5 players and transitions up ice as a 5-man unit. It'll take time for players to not over-adjust after getting corrected, potentially impacting their focus to the offensive end of things, but they will.
My concern is Monahan and Backlund not being able to partake in training camp (potentially, depending on their injuries). Key position that will certainly have a different style from Gulutzan that they'll have to learn in real game situations when points matter. Part of the reason why I'm predicting the Flames will come out slow. Hopefully, the team as a whole learns quickly because if it goes beyond 20 games, they'll have to really tear it up in the final three quarters of the season.
In the end, I can see the Flames numbers see a small dip from a GF perspective, but a bigger gain with respect to GA and goal differential, which will make the Flames a better team.
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Basically a carbon copy of a post made in September 2009 but swap Sutter for Gulutzan.
The team should be better because they have actual NHL calibre goaltending now. If they don't make the playoffs it's definitely not going to be Bob Hartley or Hiller's fault.
I can see the Flames taking a step back because Gulutzan wasn't the best hire, not because he's undoing "bad" habits. I want to be wrong though.