The trials and tribulations of Glen Gulutzan

[meh]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Oh please.

Are you actually Justin Trudeau? You are...aren't you!?

[Zach]

The way they played it doesn’t matter who coached them tonight

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by Zach

The way they played it doesn’t matter who coached them tonight

Different coach, they might not play like they did tonight.

[meh]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I wish people would use more discretion before using these terms about actual human beings online. From all indications, Glen Gulutzan is a fine man, agree with his coaching style or not.

My apologies to ManhattanBoy, wrong quote:

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Corral

Seriously we are not going from a non-playoff team in 2016 to the Stanley Cup in 2018 with this lineup. Nobody in the Flames brass believes this. It will take a few years.

You conveniently failed to mention the 4th line payroll.

4th line payroll is not relevant when you have 7 other guys on your team on contracts that pay them less than they are worth. No sane GM burns his draft picks to not compete for 3 years.

As to your point about being out of the playoffs 2 years ago.

08 - Chicago Blackhawks out of playoffs
2010 - Hawks win the stanley cup

09 - LA Kings miss the playoffs
2012 - Kings win the Stanley Cup

06 - Penguins miss the playoffs
08 - Penguins lose in Stanley Cup Final
09 - Penguins win the Cup

Teams often go from missing the playoffs to championship calibre in 2 or 3 years.

Nashville - missed playoffs in 2014, Cup finalists in 2017

GG is 2 games under. 500 in regulation time games, that is just putrid.

[dustygoon]

Paul Jerrard could be part of the problem. Instead of fire GG, can you add a Larry Robinson type figure to manage the blue line? He was instrumental in some of what you see in SJ. Burns, Vlasic flourished. Two totally different players that blossomed.

A retired defensemen that was known for two way play? Where is Scott Niedermeyer (ducks probably)? Timonen? Hamrlik?

[Racki]

If Treliving feels good about the roster that he has assembled then he cannot feel good about the coach that he hired. Simple. As. That.

[Racki]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

When you have the perfect coach available for the type and style of game that the team should be playing for its personnel that is also a former 2X cup winner, it should make the staff a little uncomfortable.

my goodness it would feel good to see that old cowboy walk through the door.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Racki

my goodness it would feel good to see that old cowboy walk through the door.

His teams were held to a much higher standard. Doubt we would see the inconsistent uninspired efforts from the team, or players for more than one game. We may make the playoffs but I doubt this team goes far plagued with so much inconsistency. I think GG likely still lacks experience on how to shape a winning team; but would probably transition into an excellent coach under Darryl's tutelage.

[Itse]

Yeah okay, I'm done giving GG anymore slack. That wasn't just effort, our system was bad in everything. It isn't like the Oilers played a great game, they just clearly knew how to play against us, as they should, and Gulutzan again was not prepared for it and didn't know what to do about it. They had a plan and we showed up like it was as just another game. Especially with home ice advantage that was inexcusable. It's starting to be obvious that Gulutzan doesn't really know what to do when the opposition comes prepared for what you've planned.

I would literally fire him on the spot.

...but when was the last time the Flames made a mid-season coaching change?

[ripTDR]

It feels like Vancouver last year, minus all the talent that Calgary has...If people are questioning the impact of a coach, just look at the Canucks. Seems like Green is coaching to Vancouver's strengths, something I feel GG is not doing

[atb]

The worst part is GG appears to be what he was in Dallas. There was no history of NHL success when BT hired him, so it was reliance on BT and others seeing something more that didn't show up during his tenure in Dallas. It sucks that they seem to have got it so wrong.

BBDS (Bring Back Darryl Sutter)

[Calgary4LIfe]

Does anyone feel that Darryl couldn't get this team to play solid defence?

Does anyone feel that Lindy Ruff wouldn't be able to make this the most lethal team from the backend in the entire NHL? (hint: Hartley's system and Ruff's system are identical).

Flames are sitting in no man's land at the moment - not good defensively, not enough production from the defence to rationalize the cap space and assets spent back there.

[NiklasSundblad]

Yes, it's time for a real coach, and a much better group on assistant coaches. I understand why some people are terrified of hiring Daryl Sutter, but he was a great coach for us. He's won cups in the current era. He knows how to get players ready for big games. How many times has freaking Gulutzan criticized his players, just this season, for not being mentally prepared for big games? Every one, it seems.

Less keen on Ruff, but he's objectively a good coach. So frustrating that we fired Bob right after the Ducks fired Boudreau, and then spent weeks deciding between AHL calibre coaches.

[Jetfire]

If he gets fired sometime soon, don't go half way, dump Cameron, Jerrard, Gelinas. I don't care if Gelinas hangs around in some other role in the organization, but start completely fresh for coaching. I would sit in a corner and sob for like a week if Dave Cameron got promoted to head coach of this team.

[Itse]

I really like Sutter as a coach (partially because I just like his personality), and he's exactly the type of coach you'd want for a quick turnaround.

That said, I somehow don't see this as a Sutter type of team. Can't even exactly put my finger on it.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by ripTDR

It feels like Vancouver last year, minus all the talent that Calgary has...If people are questioning the impact of a coach, just look at the Canucks. Seems like Green is coaching to Vancouver's strengths, something I feel GG is not doing

This, of course, is one of the biggest problems with Gulutzan. He doesn't care what his players' strengths and weaknesses are. His system is completely immobile and inflexible, and any player who doesn't fit the role or position they have been assigned will simply be left to flounder. Good coaches adapt to the skills of the players they have. Bad coaches do what he does.

And the worst part is that at some point, a puck is going to inadvertently deflect off Troy Brouwer's ass and into the net, and Gulutzan is going to think to himself that he is a genius for sticking with 36 on the first PP unit.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Matty81

The buck stops with the coach. Especially in the salary cap nhl where you can not move players easily.

I've moved into the fire camp after tonight. You can't have efforts like this and detroit every 10 games.

Even worse... You have to have the group jacked up for a game like this on saturday at home against your biggest rivals.

Lots on the players too but gg hasn't been doing an adequate job.

This is pretty much where I am at now too.

I question his motivation and mental preparation tactics. It's one thing if it's not what you would expect, but it's working well. Clearly, whatever his tactics are, they don't work well with this group, and he hasn't figured out how to communicate with them.

For a "player's coach" he seems to struggle a lot with getting consistent performance out of his players.

The drastic inconsistencies are much of the problem. There are stretches where they play well under him, but too often they are unprepared to start the game, or they have wild inconsistencies from game to game. A small dip in play is palatable, not drastic differences between games. Losing 7-5 to a struggling Oilers team right after a solid 3-0 win against the Coyotes is symptomatic of that.

It's not the gameplan or the player utilization that I have a big problem with, it's the mental preparation. I don't know if another coach can get more out of this club, but I'm certain at this point that GG is not doing a good enough job on this front.

[-TC-]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

...It's not the gameplan or the player utilization that I have a big problem with, it's the mental preparation. I don't know if another coach can get more out of this club, but I'm certain at this point that GG is not doing a good enough job on this front.

I'm mostly with you, except I do not believe his ability to gameplan is at an NHL level, I think that's part of the pre game prep. He's clearly shown in his tenure that he gets outprepared and outcoached night in and night out.


I've swung over now too... I want him out.

The Flames need a change behind the bench, they have too much invested in contracts and draft picks in this group for the team to be performing this poorly.

[Moneyhands23]

His post game interview puts things in prospective. Talks about "this team" not our team. Bassicly calls the team mentally weak and panic stricken in big games. Sounds lost about how to deal with it. Body language looks defeated.

https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status...817795584?s=17