Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
So you see a team that is just brimming with impact game breaking offence that Sutter is putting the binders on?
If 8 forwards have 55%+ xGF% it's not one line. It's one line that can finish, but the top three lines were all out playing the opposition on a regular basis.
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That's my point. Sutter led team's consistently win the analytical battle but underperform their expected results. This is not new, and is a result of the system. Just four times during his 20 NHL seasons as a head coach has his team been in the top half of NHL scoring, and two of those occurrences came during shortened 48 game seasons.
Top players seeing a dramatic decrease in point production is not new under Sutter, either.
Kopitar went from a 52 point season to a 92 point season the season after Darryl left.
Iginla went from an Art Ross trophy to three consecutive 70 point years under Darryl, and then immediately returned to a 95+ point guy the two seasons following his departure.
Selanne was a 60ish point guy under Sutter, and less than two years later had multiple 90 point years in Anaheim.
Dustin Brown's offensive results completely tanked under Sutter, only to rebound immediately after his departure.
I don't think he has ever shown the ability to get the most offensively out of his top players outside of last year - which indeed makes it an outlier and masked alot of issues this team is currently having. I think he's a fantastic coach but the game may have changed too much for what he's trying to implement today. We shall see if he can turn this season around. I certainly hope so.