Quote:
Originally Posted by Infinit47
Huska was hired to coach the team into he playoffs, as told by the Fla.es themselves. Judging him based on their stated goals seems reasonable.
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Sure, but then turning around and just outright dropping a first-time NHL coach for not meeting the stated goal is maybe not the best response, either. I don't know about you, but in every job I have ever had I have made mistakes, and I was never fired for them.
Some people tend to have this very atomistic view of NHL coaching—a coach is either "good" or "terrible," and should be judged by the results of every individual season on the basis of this metric. Well, it's not that simple. It's a complex job that requires effectively managing individuals, then groups, and formulating systems and tactics to emphasize their strengths and promote success. So much of this occurs through trial and error, and so much of it is subject to however individual players might be feeling or thinking in the moment. A coach is almost always only as good as his players can perform, and so, it is usually pretty futile to analyse an individual coach's value on the basis of just what we see from one game to the next.
The Flames CLEARLY believe in Huska, and this is part of their investment in him. I don't think they had any doubt that there would be growing pains as he works his way into this job at this level, and they are unquestionably committed to seeing him through this. Is he a great coach? Is he terrible? We just don't know yet, and likely won't for a long time. Some coaches get off to a running start the moment they land in the HC role, but this does not always happen. Coaches like Jared Bednar or Peter Laviolette did not have immediate success, and others, like Jim Montgomery and Bruce Cassidy experienced setbacks on their way to establishing themselves with great teams.
Huska could still become one of these guys, we just can't know that yet. And, I tend to think evaluating him on the basis of just his "system" right now is probably also not the best measure for assessing his overall abilities and his potential as a NHL HC. NHL coaches don't get to this level without knowing EXACTLY what every system ever conceived looks like, how it works, its drawbacks and strengths. The trick is getting the right system going for the right group of players at the right time, and often that does not happen right away.
I actually think that the way in which he articulates himself, the way he has handled the bench, a bunch of his in-game decisions, and the enthusiasm that the team plays with all indicate that Huska is probably worth the investment. Who knows—you don't. I don't. None of us knows how this is going to turn out, but so far, I like a lot of what I have seen, and am eager to see how it goes for a couple more seasons.