Quote:
Originally Posted by Coach
Starting Talbot was a big move for Ward IMO. I think during the season he settled out too much into what Peters was doing by default rather than really making a choice for himself. An argument could have been made to start Rittich off the bat, but he stuck to his gut and went with Talbot and Talbot is rewarding the faith.
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I don't know how much you can fault Ward for this approach through the balance of the season. I don't know a thing about it, but I am guessing that coming in and taking over the coaching duties in the middle of a NHL season is incredibly difficult. My guess is that there was never any real time for him to properly evaluate and work out what was wrong with the team, and to make the necessary adjustments on the fly. It could be argued that nobody benefitted more from the break than Geoff Ward, because he is killing it right now.