Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
One can be fairly safe in assuming that the changes in this upcoming off-season won't just be limited to a coaching change (I mean, there HAS to be a coaching change, right?).
I welcome that - some turnover is always good, and if Treliving can find a way to upgrade the roster, then great.
However, I am of the opinion that if the exact team comes back with an actual semblance of a professional and experienced coaching staff, that actually knows how to coach and how to motivate players, and can institute a system that actually plays to the strengths of this team (fast transition with lots of focus on activating defencemen, and no Brouwer on the PP!), this team will be much better.
I have written in the past that aside from a few 'average' skaters with high IQ (Monahan and Tkachuk), this team only has one slow skater (Brouwer) and one 'average' to 'slightly below average' in Stone on defence.
Every other player on this team can skate well. Every other defencemen can skate well (and in some cases, skate exceptionally well). It is a travesty that a coach feels he needs to utilize a '5 man breakout' featuring 'd-to-d' passes until everyone is in position to breakout.
Yeah, you are still going to score goals that way. You will still experience some success. However, this is how a SLOW team with aging vets should be breaking out, or at least a team devoid of defencemen that can skate well with the puck to help the transition, or make an accurate pass up the ice quickly.
The Flames wasted two seasons trying to play this system. They neutralized their own speed. Speed is so important in today's modern game, and the quicker you can transition the puck and go on the attack, the less likely that the other team is going to be ready to counter you. This has been my argument all season.
I am 100% ok with absolutely no moves happening this off-season. Is it a perfect team that can compete for the cup the way it is built now? No, but it is a MUCH better team than the standings show it is. It is the system that is killing this team, not so much the personnel.
Of course, I would prefer Treliving make a couple of moves to shore-up the team, but I am deftly afraid that it is going to be a bad trade. I think trading Brodie would be a bad trade - I don't care what people say right now, I think he is very much a core piece that needs to be able to play to his strengths, and his confidence and resulting play will increase.
At least we can now (mostly) agree - Gulutzan has not been much of an upgrade (if at all) over Hartley, even disregarding the vastly improved roster (especially goaltending and defence). Gulutzan - like Hartley - has taken this team as far as he could (which especially under Gulutzan, seemed somewhat backwards).
Quit fricken coaching for corsi. Good corsi is a product of a good hockey team FFS, not something you implement a strategy around! Fire Gulutzan today. This is beyond tiresome. I don't even expect much (if any) changes with regards to on-ice performance or a change in systems. I would just like someone new behind the bench - even temporarily - that wouldn't put Brouwer on the PP any longer, and just let's the players play with less restrictions. Make the ending to this boring and depressing season at least somewhat interesting to a fan like me. I don't want to see Gulutzan get fired to satisfy my inclining for a pound of flesh, or some sacrifice to appease the gods. This is a boring team to watch play on most nights, and they are not successful, and this system is NOT helping them win. Get rid of Gulutzan, scrap the system (heck, no system to round out the year!), and change things up. See how Hamonic does on the left side with Brodie on the right (assuming he returns from injury). See how Smith can actually help with a fast transition game for once! See what a quick passing powerplay with players actually moving out there looks like on this team (2nd unit with the injuries we have, but still!).
Just want some fresh ideas out there to wrap this season up. Is it that much to ask for with a coach that is most likely about to be let-go this off-season?
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