Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - The trials and tribulations of Glen Gulutzan

robaur · 10-25-2017, 12:25 PM

My biggest issue with Gulutzan is with his player useage and in-game adjustments. Those are the two biggest pro's that a great Head Coach has. I think Gulutzan would make a terrific assistant coach as he is more of an overall systems guy, but less effective on the fly. This was evidenced in last year's playoffs and at other points during the season.

The stubborn aspect:

- Playing Bennett as a Center
- Playing Brouwer on the PP
- Getting the 4th line and 3rd pairing stranded out on the ice multiple times
- Failing to effectively line match in the playoffs. In the playoffs - you pretty much HAVE to 'hard match'....but Gulutzan said he believes in rolling his lines more or less....which is extremely stupid as it backfired.
- Again the 3rd pairing being on the ice for majority of the goals against vs the Ducks in playoffs last year.
-

These are just simply red flags. Yes, he coached the team to a great 2nd half over a large sample size, but when it gets down to a Game 7 in the playoffs - is this the guy you want at the helm? I don't think the answer to that question is a 'Yes' in his current state.

If you're going to say that we have a Head Coach who is in his 2nd tenure and is young/growing along with the team than maybe all of his shortcomings can be overlooked. Last year's series vs the Ducks was also his 1st playoff series as a Head Coach. I mean every coach has to gain experience somehow right....so maybe this is the viewpoint to take....that we have a young coach who is learning, growing with the team, and with experience will become a better coach.

But - if he were fired today....I doubt Gulutzan gets a Head Coach position in the NHL....atleast not for a while.

10-25-2017, 12:25 PM	#113
robaur Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Jan 2013 Exp:	My biggest issue with Gulutzan is with his player useage and in-game adjustments. Those are the two biggest pro's that a great Head Coach has. I think Gulutzan would make a terrific assistant coach as he is more of an overall systems guy, but less effective on the fly. This was evidenced in last year's playoffs and at other points during the season. The stubborn aspect: - Playing Bennett as a Center - Playing Brouwer on the PP - Getting the 4th line and 3rd pairing stranded out on the ice multiple times - Failing to effectively line match in the playoffs. In the playoffs - you pretty much HAVE to 'hard match'....but Gulutzan said he believes in rolling his lines more or less....which is extremely stupid as it backfired. - Again the 3rd pairing being on the ice for majority of the goals against vs the Ducks in playoffs last year. - These are just simply red flags. Yes, he coached the team to a great 2nd half over a large sample size, but when it gets down to a Game 7 in the playoffs - is this the guy you want at the helm? I don't think the answer to that question is a 'Yes' in his current state. If you're going to say that we have a Head Coach who is in his 2nd tenure and is young/growing along with the team than maybe all of his shortcomings can be overlooked. Last year's series vs the Ducks was also his 1st playoff series as a Head Coach. I mean every coach has to gain experience somehow right....so maybe this is the viewpoint to take....that we have a young coach who is learning, growing with the team, and with experience will become a better coach. But - if he were fired today....I doubt Gulutzan gets a Head Coach position in the NHL....atleast not for a while. Last edited by robaur; 10-25-2017 at 12:27 PM.