Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
Again, you seem to think I am arguing in favour of Ward. I’m not.
At the same time, who did Boston, Pittsburgh, or TB go for to turn things around? I’m in favour of an experienced and well known coach just for the “I’m the boss, not you players” factor. But it’s not like plenty of teams haven’t gone with a guy with little NHL head coaching experience with great results.
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I actually agree that "NHL head coaching experience" is overrated. You have to start somewhere.
But I also think that you can look at a guy's body of work in their recent head coaching stints at lower levels. For instance, the Leafs' coach, Sheldon Keefe, had a superior resume as a Head Coach to Ryan Huska or Geoff Ward or Ray Edwards. Sullivan had Pittsburgh's farm team absolutely
rolling when they promoted him. Cooper had won, at the very least, at the USHL level, and may even have won at the AHL level although my recollection is fuzzy. Cassidy was less proven, but even then, he had the Bruins' farm team playing better than the Flames' farm team has under Huska or MacLean (I actually like MacLean's coaching, for the record.)
If you look at the Avs' head coach, he was a rookie when they brought him in.. but he had also just won at the AHL level. And yes, they even faltered under him, finishing DFL his first year, but he had earned some leeway with his success at lower levels. Success that happened since the removal of the two line offside rule, that is.
Of course there's a ton of nuance, and I'm not oblvious to it. Some farm teams focus on development primarily. Winning and losing in this sport can come down to bounces.
But I am not convinced Treliving has shown he is successfully able to filter out said nuances.