Quote:
Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden
I think that people are too heavily invested in the idea that the coach was the problem.
No doubt Sutter was not the solution, but the problems with the team run deeper than that.
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Sutter exacerbated all problems on the team. He prevented the team from forming any kind chemistry. He played favorites. He didn't let players play their own game. He was inexplicably hard on young players and guys who didn't fit his outdated ideal of what an NHL player should be.
The other major problem on the team was coming from management, who were consistently giving out retirement contracts to vets. Both Sutter and the management were creating systems that naturally turned players against each other.
The Flames have had fantastic players, who have all been largely team players, with the only major recent exception being James Neal. There's no way to get players to gel, when they are living under draconian and non-sensical coaching and financial systems.