This is likely a massive oversimplification, but does anyone else feel like the team basically took a full year off their progression post Peters firing?
Simply looking at on ice stuff, this team was struggling under Peters for the first half of last season, but it appeared from a far that it was because the team was being forced to play a more responsible game, vs. trying to rely on the run and gun style that led to 1st place in the division the year before, but was a disaster in the playoffs. When Ward came in, feels like that was mostly abandoned, and was enough for this team to squeak in again (in a weird season) but once again not close to good enough to have any playoff success.
Feels to me like Sutter is aware that evolution needs to happen, and has forced it (no surprise) even if it's at the expense of the short term results. I'm not saying that to make excuses for the players or to say player changes aren't needed, but I wonder if we are seeing that in say a player like Tkachuk's results..........short term, he's having to learn the game at this level a little, and will be better for it in short order down the road.
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