Bruins fire Julien

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by flamesfan1297

I imagine Treliving would consult with Hamilton before looking at Julien

Hamilton's last season with Boston was fantastic. It was Bruins management that didn't want to pay him. Regardless Treliving would speak with Julien in regards to working with Hamilton as getting players blessings for coach hires is a bad way for a GM to operate. As long at Treliving is still the GM Gulutzan is going to get a second season and Flames fans simply have to accept it. Besides after another full season things will be more clear as he either improves on his .500 career coaching record or we and Flames management can conclude he is what he is.

I feel the Jets are the perfect destination for Julien. That's a team that is a good head coach away from being a perennial playoff team. Clearly an underperforming team relative to their talent level and after wasting the last few years with Maurice I don't think that organization can afford a Gulutzan type of "wait and see" hire. They need a coach that's proven.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Mike F

...Doesn't the same logic apply to coaching? Whether you think Gulutzen has been a total failure, has been OK, or it's too soon to tell, does anyone really think he's as good a coach as Julien? That Julien coming on as coach wouldn't upgrade the team? If not, do you pass up an opportunity to make the team better just on principle or pride?

I don't think the Flames are sticking with Gulutzen on principle or pride alone. And while Julien probably presents an immediate upgrade, I also am not prepared to concede that Gulutzen has met his own ceiling. Part of taking a "wait and see" approach with Gulutzen is believing that he could be a great coach. Based on what has been said by hockey insiders he is very highly respected around the League, and I take that level of regard as a pretty good indication of Gulutzen's coaching potential—even if it may be as of yet not fully realized.

[SuperMatt18]

It's really ridiculous that people are ready to give up on GG so quickly, the team has actually made a lot of strides over last season - they just haven't necessarily shown up on the scoreboard for a couple of reasons.

When you look at where we ranked in the league in some stats this year vs last year it starts to tell a bit of a story.

Looking at the team stats 5v5:

Shots For:
2015 - 20th
2016 - 11th

Shots Against:
2015 - 17th
2016 - 6th

Corsi %:
2015 - 21st
2016 - 7th

SH%:
2015 - 4th (8.15%)
2016 - 24th (6.84%)

SV%:
2015 - 30th (.910)
2016 - 24th (.916)

Plus we have seen improvement in our special teams as well, especially after a really horrific start.

PP:
2015:22nd (17.0%)
2016: 9th (21.2%)

PK:
2015: 30th (75.5%)
2016: 20th (80.3%)

PIM/GP
2015: 19th (9:11/GP)
2016: 1st (11:42/GP)

So across the board the Flames have been a much better team this year but the sudden increase of penalties called against us (which started immediately after the Wideman incident last year), and our team shooting percentage really falling off a cliff at 5v5 has hurt the team performance overall.

The start of the season, and that 4 game stretch a week ago, were pretty horrible but overall this team has improved a lot with GG. It's not just a stats thing either, the structure and team play improvements are very clear from watching the game - just need some of the individuals to find their comfort zones and get going now.

Might be even more remarkable considering our goaltending has not improved as much as we would have hoped YoY, and that we are rolling out a bottom 3 on defense that is pretty bad. Changing coaches again now and the team needing to re-adjust all over again would be a step back IMO.

[kukkudo]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I don't think the Flames are sticking with Gulutzen on principle or pride alone. And while Julien probably presents an immediate upgrade, I also am not prepared to concede that Gulutzen has met his own ceiling. Part of taking a "wait and see" approach with Gulutzen is believing that he could be a great coach. Based on what has been said by hockey insiders he is very highly respected around the League, and I take that level of regard as a pretty good indication of Gulutzen's coaching potential—even if it may be as of yet not fully realized.

Dallas Eakins was once regarded the best upcoming coach etc. That turned out well. Gulutzen is safe till the end of the season that is guaranteed, but the question is if they miss the playoffs is he back next year?

[Inglewood Jack]

people keep making that Dallas Eakins comparison but other than both guys combing their hair, I don't really see it. Dallas often seemed condescending in his media appearances but whenever I hear a GG interview it's pretty straightforward stuff. and I really can't see GG getting into a glaring match with one of his star players if they ever accidentally spilled water on him.

most of us have plenty of patience for highly touted but young/inexperienced players, e.g. Bennett, who have flashes of brilliance but are still doing boneheaded things at the moment. that same luxury isn't given to a young coach for some reason, even though they all had to start somewhere. yes, Julien and Boudreau are those veterans with proven results but we're not getting one of them anytime soon. if there's even a 50% chance that GG blossoms into an elite coach over the next couple years, I'm willing to stick it out.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by kukkudo

Dallas Eakins was once regarded the best upcoming coach etc. That turned out well. Gulutzen is safe till the end of the season that is guaranteed, but the question is if they miss the playoffs is he back next year?

Dallas Eakins sports a 36-63-14 record in 113 appearances as a NHL head coach. That is a 0.380 winning percentage, and it is not even remotely comparable to Gulutzen's 92-82-12 (0.526 WP) NHL record. Are you seriously attempting to make this comparison? It is laughable.

As to whether or not Gulutzen is still coaching next season in the event that the Flames miss out on the playoffs this year, the answer is "Yes": the team has improved and looks to be right on track with where they should be—in the mix for the playoffs.

[kukkudo]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Dallas Eakins sports a 36-63-14 record in 113 appearances as a NHL head coach. That is a 0.380 winning percentage, and it is not even remotely comparable to Gulutzen's 92-82-12 (0.526 WP) NHL record. Are you seriously attempting to make this comparison? It is laughable.

Im talking about Eakins before he arrived in the NHL. He obviously sucked, Gulutzen before he arrived here had 64 wins in 130 games. There was nothing special about him.

Now my question to you is if the Flames miss the playoffs do you let Gulutzen go if Julien or another high profile coach is available in the summer?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by kukkudo

Im talking about Eakins before he arrived in the NHL. He obviously sucked, Gulutzen before he arrived here had 64 wins in 130 games. There was nothing special about him.

But it remains a bad comparison because Gulutzen is obviously a much better coach than Eakins. There is virtually nothing all that similar between them.

Now my question to you is if the Flames miss the playoffs do you let Gulutzen go if Julien or another high profile coach is available in the summer?

I have answered this question several times already. No, if I am Treliving I do not. He obviously hired Gulutzen to fulfill a mandate, and I tend to think that he will—as he should—take a longer view of this. Has Gulutzen delivered as expected at the end of the season? If so, then he should be given the opportunity to continue to grow this team. I would actually worry if Treliving made the hair-trigger decision to make yet another coaching change in a second consecutive summer because this would suggest that he does not have a clear vision, nor clear convictions about where he wants the Flames to go and how they are to get there. In short, I have no problem with the coach and I tend to believe that he will continue to improve in time.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by kukkudo

Im talking about Eakins before he arrived in the NHL. He obviously sucked, Gulutzen before he arrived here had 64 wins in 130 games. There was nothing special about him.

Now my question to you is if the Flames miss the playoffs do you let Gulutzen go if Julien or another high profile coach is available in the summer?

Yeah, the interest in Gulutzan "seemed" to come out of nowhere after the Flames and other teams interviewed higher profile candidates. I don't recall any rumours that other teams were courting him.

It doesn't prove anything of course. Maybe he was interviewed by other teams and it never got leaked (which seems rare these days). Or maybe the Flames really are smarter than everyone else.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

It's really ridiculous that people are ready to give up on GG so quickly, the team has actually made a lot of strides over last season - they just haven't necessarily shown up on the scoreboard for a couple of reasons.

When you look at where we ranked in the league in some stats this year vs last year it starts to tell a bit of a story.

Looking at the team stats 5v5:

Shots For:
2015 - 20th
2016 - 11th

Shots Against:
2015 - 17th
2016 - 6th

Corsi %:
2015 - 21st
2016 - 7th

SH%:
2015 - 4th (8.15%)
2016 - 24th (6.84%)

SV%:
2015 - 30th (.910)
2016 - 24th (.916)

Plus we have seen improvement in our special teams as well, especially after a really horrific start.

PP:
2015:22nd (17.0%)
2016: 9th (21.2%)

PK:
2015: 30th (75.5%)
2016: 20th (80.3%)

PIM/GP
2015: 19th (9:11/GP)
2016: 1st (11:42/GP)

So across the board the Flames have been a much better team this year but the sudden increase of penalties called against us (which started immediately after the Wideman incident last year), and our team shooting percentage really falling off a cliff at 5v5 has hurt the team performance overall.

The start of the season, and that 4 game stretch a week ago, were pretty horrible but overall this team has improved a lot with GG. It's not just a stats thing either, the structure and team play improvements are very clear from watching the game - just need some of the individuals to find their comfort zones and get going now.

Might be even more remarkable considering our goaltending has not improved as much as we would have hoped YoY, and that we are rolling out a bottom 3 on defense that is pretty bad. Changing coaches again now and the team needing to re-adjust all over again would be a step back IMO.

All these stats look good on paper but what is bizarre is the fact while the team appears to be performing better I feel the on ice product has not been nearly as entertaining than it was in the past. While we are getting more shots and holdings the puck more I feel we are not getting as many quality chances. The team speed appears to have slowed and many of our top players are suffering their worst seasons to date.

I think a lot of the criticism GG has received is valid and warranted.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

All these stats look good on paper but what is bizarre is the fact while the team appears to be performing better I feel the on ice product has not been nearly as entertaining than it was in the past. While we are getting more shots and holdings the puck more I feel we are not getting as many quality chances. The team speed appears to have slowed and many of our top players are suffering their worst seasons to date.

I think a lot of the criticism GG has received is valid and warranted.

Agree that is is not as entertaining but that probably has a lot to do with the new structure.

Last year it was all about activating our defense, and d-men jumping into the rush, much more entertaining and a faster pace of play for sure.

This year the Flames tend to be much more structured in their zone exits, which IMO means exiting with less speed and more as a 5 man unit.

To me this season has been about two extremes:

When the team is not playing well they look worse than I have ever seen them look - the start of the year and the 4 game stretch come to mind.

But when they are on their game I feel like they are the most competitive they have been in a long time, especially with other top teams. Games vs. Chicago, St.Louis, Minnesota, and New York come to mind immediately.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Agree that is is not as entertaining but that probably has a lot to do with the new structure.

Last year it was all about activating our defense, and d-men jumping into the rush, much more entertaining and a faster pace of play for sure.

This year the Flames tend to be much more structured in their zone exits, which IMO means exiting with less speed and more as a 5 man unit.

To me this season has been about two extremes:

When the team is not playing well they look worse than I have ever seen them look - the start of the year and the 4 game stretch come to mind.

But when they are on their game I feel like they are the most competitive they have been in a long time, especially with other top teams. Games vs. Chicago, St.Louis, Minnesota, and New York come to mind immediately.

These are my thoughts exactly.

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

When the team is not playing well they look worse than I have ever seen them look - the start of the year and the 4 game stretch come to mind.

All of the games vs. Edmonton come to mind.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Agree that is is not as entertaining but that probably has a lot to do with the new structure.

Last year it was all about activating our defense, and d-men jumping into the rush, much more entertaining and a faster pace of play for sure.

This year the Flames tend to be much more structured in their zone exits, which IMO means exiting with less speed and more as a 5 man unit.

To me this season has been about two extremes:

When the team is not playing well they look worse than I have ever seen them look - the start of the year and the 4 game stretch come to mind.

But when they are on their game I feel like they are the most competitive they have been in a long time, especially with other top teams. Games vs. Chicago, St.Louis, Minnesota, and New York come to mind immediately.

I'm not the biggest Gulutzan fan but he hasn't been done many favors by the goaltenders. They are better than last season but the difference is that last season they were giving up two soft goals a game while this season it's about one which IMO is one too many on a nightly basis. As good as Johnson looked last night he simply has to have the first goal and even the 2nd goal was very stoppable. Take a look at the league rankings for team save percentage and you will see all bottom 10 teams out of a playoff spot today. Whether it be new goaltenders, a new goaltending coach, or both this has to be Treliving's biggest focus this offseason as the organization can't keep going year to year with bottom 10 goaltending.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Frank MetaMusil

All of the games vs. Edmonton come to mind.

Including the last game in Edmonton? I thought the Flames were quite good in that game.

[debil]

why isnt he signed yet?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by debil

why isnt he signed yet?

Because he doesn't want to and in all likelihood has not been offered a job.

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Including the last game in Edmonton? I thought the Flames were quite good in that game.

Yes, all of them. They've earned one of a possible 8 points. That's dismal.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Frank MetaMusil

Yes, all of them. They've earned one of a possible 8 points. That's dismal.

The actual play by the Flames in the 2-1 SO loss was very very good. one of the best played games by the Flames this year.

[dissentowner]

Clearly some fans cannot handle a rebuilding team which is where we still are.