[Max Cow Disease]

I'm hopeful that the team's somewhat turning things around now, and have been skeptical that axing Gully is what will solve the team's woes in any meaningful way. We've seen the team play incredibly effective hockey at times during his tenure, and so much of what has ailed us has struck me as more of a "consistent execution" problem than a root issue with his quality as a coach. It's easy to say that it's his job as head coach to simply "get" them to play that way all the time, but that's part of the infamous process that Treliving constantly references and can take some time.

For me, the series against Anaheim last year was incredibly telling. We didn't look at all like the inexperienced, smallish squad that had lucked its way in to the playoffs under Hartley a couple of years prior, only to be manhandled by Anaheim in the 2nd round. We looked far more on par and at times were completely taking it to Anaheim it seemed, but were completely sold down the creek by more or less a single man in my mind - Brian Elliott. Part of this can be attributed to the young star players being a little older and more experienced of course, but the team simply seems to be playing, when they're on, a more sustainably viable brand of hockey than they did under the previous coach. If Smith's in net last year, we have a good chance to be in round two if you ask me.