Courtesy of Eric Duhatchek (Athletic):
Quote:
I asked Ward: What went into the decision to move Backlund back to his natural position – because ever since they did that, things seem to be clicking into place far better than before.
“I would agree,” Ward answered. “He came in. He felt his game had fallen off on the wing. He felt like he could do more at center. Sometimes, as coaches, we’ve talked about what a give-and-take it is and how we want to empower what the guys do and listen to them. Thank God, all of us coaches had the wherewithal to listen to what some of the guys were saying – and we restored him to center and he’s really done a good job there. It’s been effective.”
…
Seeking feedback from his players on how they might be utilized wasn’t strictly limited to Backlund either, said Ward.
“We talked to Johnny (Gaudreau). We talked to Monny (Sean Monahan). We talked to a lot of our players over the last couple of weeks and got a lot of feedback from them – and decided this was the direction we had to move, based on what they were saying. It’s paid off. I give them a lot of credit,” Ward said.
“For them to come in and bring up some dicey subjects that maybe in some other areas they wouldn’t want to talk about, they came in and had the tough conversation – and we’ve got to listen to the tough conversation too when it’s coming our way. If we expect them to listen when it’s going the other way. The feedback was excellent. They were honest. They felt it could be something that could help – and right now, it has helped us. It’s paid dividends.
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Link:
https://theathletic.com/1608257/2020...old-blueprint/
I think this is HUGE. It isn't just about playing with more effort. Ward has buy in from the players because he's actually listened to them and made changes. I wonder if that happens if Peters is still at the helm.
Buckle your seatbelts...