I posted this a couple days ago on a different thread. I was a huge Sutter supporter, but the game has passed him by and his demenor and stubbornness are fatal flaws:
The game has changed and Sutter is simply behind. It’s a pure speed game now. Man-D does not work. With the speed and criss-cross side-to-side offensive schemes of today’s best offences, man-D means both defenders and the center are always chasing and missing assignments. It leaves goalies naked. Dryden or Roy would look bad in this scheme. It also means the center has to stay out of the dirty offensive areas so he can get back on D. This leads to a simple offence with shots from the outside. Sutter does not read the game well anymore and he loves his big boys, his 4th line favourites. Virtually no in-game adjustments and a dogmatic stubbornness to remain with the plan that hasn’t worked from game 1. It also means that young talent isn’t rotated and evaluated. Wouldn’t matter how good the Wranglers players are, they’re not getting a good look. A new coach would need to be a talent evaluator, a student of the modern game. Use and improve the players, adjust systems to maximize talent and not simply force square pegs into round holes.
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