Well, Jiri is simply putting forward observations of how the team looked. We can't directly measure the impact of a coach; it is always a combination of team metrics and observations of the squad.
Last season, the Flames were in positive all situations CF%, FF%, xGF% - at least according to Natural Stattrick. At the very least, it does not suggest that the team was getting caved in and shows positive signs that correlates with Jiri's comments.
A similar roster the prior season with Darryl Sutter also had positive in all situations CF%, FF%, and xGF%. The numbers were better under Darryl and the team was more competitive in the standings. So, an argument could credibility be put forward on numbers alone that the change in coach did not assist.
Now, do I think that it is fair to attribute the reduction in numbers season over season to Huska? That seems difficult to me given the contract issues and the progressive deleting of roster players through the year.
The roster looks worse this year. In my view, if there are still positive team metrics this year even with poor results, then I think that helps demonstrate Huska is doing the best he can with a limited roster.
|